Afternoon tea is a British tradition, credited to the Duchess of Bedford. High tea was a larger meal, while afternoon tea was a social gathering with light food and tea. The tradition has declined in the UK but is gaining popularity in the US, with tea houses offering refined variations of the tradition.
Afternoon tea seems inexorably linked to the British. The Duchess of Bedford is credited with founding this tradition. In Victorian times, the custom of afternoon tea was more or less practiced by most people in the British Isles and elsewhere in the British Empire.
High tea as a variant of afternoon tea was not a development of the rich and powerful as its name suggests. Instead of the ordinary sandwiches and scones, high tea was a large meal, usually of meat, taken around four in the afternoon. Workers often had tea to keep them going for the next meal, as four to five hours could still remain during the working day. Conversely, the traditional afternoon tea is also taken at around four, but food offerings are light. The meal may include bread and butter sandwiches, cucumber or watercress sandwiches, and perhaps small, light pies.
The intent of afternoon tea is as social as it can be satisfying. An afternoon tea might be suggested as the perfect get-together for friends, but it was also a traditional time for families, particularly if school children had arrived home for a snack. In boarding schools, the same need for sustenance and socialization prevailed.
The teas chosen for afternoon tea tend to be light in nature. Popular choices include Earl Grey, a bergamot flavored tea, and Lady Grey, also enriched with bergamot but also containing some light citrus flavors. Some prefer Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong or Ceylon. The varieties today can simply be packaged as “Afternoon Tea”. While tea was traditionally the drink of choice, coffee might also be offered.
When afternoon tea was held as a large social gathering, food offerings could differ significantly. Along with the traditional sandwiches, complex desserts, pastries and muffins loaded with butter would perhaps be offered. Even Devonshire clotted cream might be on the table. This difference meant that afternoon tea was actually a cream tea, as it is known in Devonshire and Cornwall. It’s also how most non-British people think of tea, as something quite elegant.
Although the practice of afternoon tea has steadily declined in the British Isles, there are still some who adhere to this delightful tradition. In the United States, some of the best hotels have always offered high or afternoon tea. Because tea has antioxidant properties, Americans have recently considered introducing the tradition of afternoon tea.
Tea houses in the United States continue to open, hoping to find an American market. They met with early success, offering a mix of afternoon tea, high tea and cream tea. Usually, these teahouses serve a rather refined variation of tea, where scones, elaborate cakes and sandwiches are the order of the day. These restaurants are usually happy to educate newcomers about tea service and traditions, and may offer teas, tea sets, or recipe books for purchase.
It’s a bit ironic that as interest in afternoon tea increases in the US, fewer and fewer Britons have time for anything but an afternoon cup of tea, if they catch anything at four. In an increasingly complicated world of work, stopping for tea makes no sense and can lengthen the working day, which means more time away from family.
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