One afternoon in 1840, the Duchess of Bedford asked her butler to bring her a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake, to bridge the hunger gap between lunch and dinner. She enjoyed this light snack so much that she began inviting friends to join her, and this new “afternoon tea” soon became a very fashionable social event for upper-class ladies in drawing rooms across the country. Now, it’s a treat that everyone can enjoy.
Where can I have afternoon tea?
The most famous place to have afternoon tea is, of course, the iconic Ritz Hotel in London (www.theritzlondon.com/dine-with-us/afternoon-tea). Many other hotels offer it, too, as well as big department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges. Be aware, though, that some of the top venues have a dress code – jeans and sportswear aren’t allowed, and jackets are required for gentlemen. Also, some top venues don’t allow children.
Fans of Downton Abbey should head to Highclere Castle, the real Downton, where tea is served every afternoon (though sadly not by Carson the butler). For a more unusual setting, many retro steam-train services offer afternoon tea on board, or you can even have it on a red London double-decker bus.
However, afternoon tea needn’t be “posh” or a big event. If you see a UK cafe that describes itself as a “tea room”, they’re sure to serve afternoon tea, or a “cream tea”.
Have a look at this website, which lets you compare and book more than 700 venues for afternoon tea across the UK and Ireland:
www.afternoontea.co.uk
Traditionally, afternoon tea is served in the late afternoon, at around four or five o’clock. The late afternoon is still the most popular time for afternoon tea in hotels, but it’s usually available from after lunch through until around 5 p.m. You can have “afternoon” tea at the Ritz from 11.30 in the morning to 7.30 in the evening.
What does it cost?
Tea at the Ritz is an eye-watering £67 per person (plus an extra £22 if you’d like a glass of champagne to go with it) – so, it’s definitely something for special occasions. Other elegant hotels charge around £40 to £60. Normal cafes and tea rooms outside London offer much better value, of course. My local tea room does afternoon tea (which it calls “high tea” – a name for the same thing) for £17.50 and a “cream tea” for £7.50 per person – a very affordable treat.↓
How is it served?
In the grand houses of the upper classes, a servant would bring a tray to the lounge and serve tea with a certain elegance. If you’re organizing your own afternoon tea at home, it’s fun to do it nicely. Two chipped mugs and a plastic tablecloth are not going to give you the right ambiance!
To recreate the atmosphere of a stately home or a five-star hotel, you’ll need these accessories:
- a two- or three-tiered cake stand
- milk jug
- pastry forks
- small plates
- sugar bowl and tongs
- tablecloth
- tea strainer
- teacups and saucers
- teapot
- teaspoons
Pouring the tea
Tea should always be served in the pot. Leave it to brew for a few minutes before you pour it. Proper tea is loose leaf, so you may need to use a strainer. You can pour either the tea or the milk into the cup first – every British person has their own firmly held belief on this topic, but it really doesn’t matter. The Queen’s butler recently revealed that it’s “tea in first” in the royal household, but that hasn’t settled the debate. (Perhaps we should have a referendum?) You can always ask for more hot water to “top up the pot” if the tea is too strong.
It’s important to remember that a British person will understand “black tea” as “tea without milk”. To specify Schwarztee (rather than green tea or fruit tea), you could just say “normal tea” or give an example, such as “English breakfast tea”.
Would you like a sandwich?
The bottom tier of the cake stand is usually reserved for the sandwiches – dainty things, made with thinly sliced bread, often with the crust cut off. Whether they’re cut into tiny rectangles (“finger sandwiches”) or delicate triangles, they’re just a couple of small mouthfuls. You’ll have a selection of different fillings. Cucumber sandwiches are a traditional part of afternoon tea, but you might also have smoked salmon, egg or ham.
And cake?
Everything served at afternoon tea is in miniature, like at a dolls’ tea party. Each cake will be only a mouthful or two, so you’ll be given a few different ones on your cake stand. Each hotel will have its own specialities of patisserie, according to the skills of its pastry chef, but popular choices are scones (see page 51), individual fruit tarts, tiny slices of Madeira cake or lemon drizzle cake, mini chocolate eclairs… anything light and sweet that you can pop into your mouth.
What are “scones”?
A “scone” is a very simple cake made with only four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar and milk.
A fruit scone has raisins in it. The joy comes in the topping of jam and cream. Whether you put the jam or the cream on first is another source of national conflict – so just do as you please!
What’s a “cream tea”?
A pot of tea served with a scone with jam and cream is called a “cream tea”. It’s a simpler version of the afternoon tea, widely available and especially popular in Devon and Cornwall, where the local cream is “clotted”. Some cafes offer variations, such as chocolate scones and hot chocolate to drink. What would the Duchess of Bedford have said to that?
Is afternoon tea part of people’s daily routine in the UK?
No, absolutely not. It’s a treat, something to do for fun or on a special occasion. In British homes, the word “tea” (as a meal, not just a drink) is often used to mean an early evening meal for children, or young families, for example: “I’ll give the kids their tea at five and we can have our dinner when they’re in bed.”