I’m back after a restful week in Wales. My first published work as part of the Austen Tea Party anthology is released on Wednesday, which coincides with Afternoon Tea Week in the UK.
Don’t forget, a Georgian tea party is a very different thing to afternoon tea. In the Georgian era, a tea party was an after-dinner evening social event that involved conversation, dancing and, of course, serving tea.
What is Afternoon Tea?
According to Historic UK, the Duchess of Bedford started afternoon tea in England in 1840. The duchess would get a little peckish around four o’clock in the afternoon and requested a pot of tea, small sandwiches, and cakes be served in her rooms. She then started to invite her friends to take tea with her.
This became a fashionable social event for women by the 1880s. They usually served afternoon tea in the drawing room between four and five o’clock and it comprised snacks like dainty sandwiches, scones, cakes and cream tea.
Modern Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea has seen a bit of a resurgence in the UK over the last ten years. No longer limited to the poshest hotels in London, you can partake in afternoon tea across the country in small cafés, teahouses, and hotels. Some also include champagne or prosecco these days. One of the most famous teahouses in Yorkshire, Betty’s Tea Rooms, also delivers afternoon tea to be enjoyed at home.
Where do you stand on the scone debate?
This is another one of those endless UK spates about whether to put the jam or cream on the scone first. I prefer to put the jam on first because it’s easier to spread on the firm scone rather than on top of the soft cream. In Devon, they argue for the opposite.
It’s been a few years since I enjoyed afternoon tea. It was at a local boutique hotel, and they served cucumber, egg mayonnaise (egg salad), and smoked salmon sandwiches, mini quiches, scones, cakes and pastries. The tea served was loose, and we even had those tiny tea strainers. It was a very elegant and enjoyable afternoon.
Do you enjoy afternoon tea and what’s your favourite part? Where do you stand on the “jam before the cream” debate?
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