Afternoon Tea

PHOTOGRAPHY
Various
December 16, 2015

Afternoon tea – A Great British Tradition. Tea, Biscuits, Sandwiches, what more could you want? Not to mention it’s a great way to get together with friends, have a catch-up and relax.

Introduced by Anna the Seventh Duchess of Bedford in 1840 to ease the ‘sinking feeling’ she had between meals during the afternoon. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread, butter and cake be brought to her room around 4pm. Anna soon made a habit out of it and she began inviting friends to join her. It became popularised in the 1880’s amongst the upper-class and society women who would change into long gowns, gloves and hats.

These days, however, Afternoon tea isn’t reserved for the wealthy and privileged. In fact in the last 5 years or so Afternoon Tea has become a popular past-time, with many restaurants and cafe’s adding it to their daytime menus. Consisting of light bites and the quintessentially British Tea, afternoon tea is as much about social aspect as it is the food, often used as gifts or celebratory events for friends and family. There is even now a brilliant trend of using Afternoon Tea / Coffee Mornings as a way of raising money for charity with the host inviting friends over and making various charitable donations!

If you are thinking of hosting an Afternoon Tea event here are some traditional bites to include –

Classic afternoon tea sandwiches:

– Cucumber
– Egg mayonnaise with cress
– Smoked salmon with cream cheese
– Coronation chicken
– Ham and mustard

Traditional Afternoon Tea Menu:

A selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches
Warm scones with clotted cream and preserves
A variety of home made cakes and pastries
Your choice of a range of tea

We love traditions like afternoon tea, they make us proud of our British culture. All of Vanilla In Allseasons Ingredients are locally sourced to ensure that we provide to best produce for our events. If you would like us to help you with your event please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Example Menus