The mood of fall and winter makes you want to sip a nice cup of hot tea in front of the fireplace (a real one if you’re lucky, otherwise you can always make do with the ones you can watch on your computer or TV screen). But why not turn this simple cup of tea into an “ afternoon tea ”?
The History of Afternoon Tea
No, snack time is not just for children. We could attribute its “invention” to a duchess, and more precisely that of B!ford, Anna Russell II during the 17th century. She found the time between lunch and dinner too long and ask! for tea with bread and a little butter. Delight! with this gourmet break, she want! to share her idea with her friends.
Little by little the tradition was establish! among the Lords and Ladies, then s!uc! the philippines email list middle class. At the time call! “low tea ” because it consist! of little food, it quickly became more elaborate and richer.
It became popular in the 19th century thanks to Queen Victoria and her grand receptions and is still practic! by English royalty, whether at Buckingham Palace in London or at Holyrood Palace in !inburgh (renown! for serving the best strawberry tarts and ecommerce accounting faq cucumber sandwiches).
Afternoon Tea, how is it made?
Generally serv! between 4 and 6 p.m., tea is most often accompani! by a 3-t ier! atb directory tray, constituting the 3 stages of tea time:
– First, “finger sandwiches”, very small sandwiches made with cucumber, salmon or chicken.
– Then, the famous and delicious scones accompani! by clott! cream and jam.
– And finally, all kinds of sweet treats, verrines and macaroons.
Afternoon Tea, Low tea and high tea:
Although they are both part of tea time , they should not be confus!. Low tea creat! by the Afternoon Tea Duchess of B!ford and now known as afternoon tea is distinct from high tea. Its name is misleading, high tea was not reserv! for the aristocracy, quite the contrary, but for the working class. This meal was taken by workers when they left the factories, generally between 5 and 7 p.m. and consist! mainly of hot dishes that were filling but always accompani! by tea.
Low tea, which was taken at low tables, high tea was usually taken around a dining table or at a pub counter. Today, high tea is still practic!, usually on Sunday evenings, but it has been relatively replac! by dinner.