Why do British drink tea in the afternoon?
Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, introduced the concept of Afternoon Tea in 1840. The Duchess got hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon, and the evening’s meal wasn’t until 8 pm. That meant there was a long time between lunch and dinner. In some parts of the United Kingdom (namely, the North of England, North and South Wales, Scotland, and some rural and working class areas of Northern Ireland), people traditionally call their midday meal dinner and their evening meal tea (served around 6 pm), whereas elsewhere people would call the midday meal lunch .It’s been a debate from both a regional and a class-based perspective, but because tea also refers to an afternoon repast, the lines get a bit blurry. UK evening meals are still served a bit earlier than they are elsewhere in Europe, with the dinner hour ranging from 6:30 p.Whilst they both include tea as a beverage, afternoon tea includes delicate pastries, little sandwiches, scones and cakes. Whereas high tea is typically a more wholesome meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables served after a long hard day at work.
Do men participate in afternoon tea?
While tea parties are very common among groups of women gathering with their friends or brides and bridal parties celebrating, men can, and do, attend tea parties. Dress code requirements for men are similar to women, in that they are typically semi-formal or more casual. A tea dress for ladies is a type of casual dress that’s perfect for daytime events, particularly afternoon teas. It often features a vintage or floral print, which gives it a charming and timeless appeal.You can generally expect summer or spring dresses, longer flowing gowns or more formal vintage gowns, and two-piece skirt and blouse or pant and blouse sets to be appropriate. Bright, bold colors and pastel colors are both appropriate depending on the general theme of the tea party.While it’s no longer an experience reserved for the upper classes, most establishments insist on a smart-casual dress code to continue the aesthetics of the glamorous 1800s tea parties. For men, this could mean trousers and collared shirts while for women, it’s often seen as an excuse to dress up.
What do you eat first at afternoon tea?
The correct order to eat the traditional afternoon tea is to eat the sandwiches and savouries first, then move onto the scones, ending on the sweets. There are many traditions and superstitions about the way you should eat your scones. The 3 main foods served at afternoon tea are finger sandwiches (no crusts and with fillings such as smoked salmon, cucumber and egg mayonnaise), cake slices or small cakes (such as victoria sponge) and scones.The correct order to eat the traditional Afternoon Tea is to eat the sandwiches and savouries first, then move onto the scones, ending on the sweets. There are many traditions and superstitions about the way you should eat your scones.One of the biggest secrets around afternoon tea in London is that they usually come with seconds! You can ask for more scones, sandwiches, cakes and tea—not that you’ll need it. Afternoon tea is usually quite filling, which brings us to our next point… Do treat afternoon tea as a meal.There are three courses to a proper afternoon tea. Firstly, you should eat the sandwiches, then the scones, and finally, the cakes.
How many sandwiches per person for afternoon tea?
Usually consisting of a selection of teas, freshly prepared finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries with all the trimmings, a light Afternoon Tea should allow for 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 2 cakes (of different varieties) per person.However, this can vary depending on the size of the sandwiches and the number of guests. If you are making small finger sandwiches, serving two or three per person may be necessary. On the other hand, if your sandwiches are large enough to be cut into four equal pieces, then one sandwich per person should be enough.