There are few rituals as comforting and enjoyable to me as that of afternoon tea. While I live in America, I was born and bred in the south of England, and partaking of afternoon tea is like the feeling of coming home.
When you think of afternoon tea, you likely think of crisp white linens, tiered displays of cakes, and bone china cups at an upmarket establishment. While there are plenty of experiences like this to be had at some of England's finest establishments (I'll write another blog post on those later), afternoon tea can be just as easily enjoyed at home without all of the fancy trimmings. The thing that makes afternoon tea special, in my opinion, is taking the time to prepare homemade goods, and enjoying them with your close family. It is important to make an occasion of things, so while crisp white linens may not always be on hand, it is de rigueur to use your best china, and to arrange things just so, such that it always has an air of being something quite special.
In my family, holidays were spent in North Norfolk on England's East coast, with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. My grandparents' house was always teeming with twenty plus family members during the holiday season, and it was a rite of passage to eat as much as you could and indulge every holiday. Since many of the guests were small children, as you can imagine the fine china stayed safely and sensibly in the dresser. But the sense of occasion was there nonetheless as our Grannie rolled in that day's feast on a wheeled drinks trolley (bar cart to Americans) into the living room where we all awaited eagerly. What delights there were always to be had; Victoria sponges, coffee and walnut, lemon traybake, and so much more!
Components Of Afternoon Tea
A traditional afternoon tea will comprise of a selection of finger sandwiches, scones and a selection of cakes, pastries or other sweet treats. Exact selection of each of these will vary from establishment to establishment, but there are some English classics that make their appearance frequently, and which you will learn about in my Classic English afternoon tea blog coming soon.
Finger sandwiches are small crust-less sandwiches, usually cut in a rectangular shape, and therefore very dainty to eat. Although, make no mistake, eating sandwiches or sipping tea with your pinky finger stuck out, is not considered classy, much as you may have been told so. In addition to this delightful selection of food, of course freshly brewed loose leaf tea is a must. When it comes to your tea, etiquette dictates pouring the tea into the cup first, and then the milk, not the other way around.
Cream Tea and High Tea
You may have also heard of cream teas and high teas and be wondering what the difference is. A cream tea is usually a much scaled back affair, and easiest to replicate at home. It is simply scones with clotted cream and jam. In America you will be hard pressed to find clotted cream and therefore will likely have to use regular, although I am making it a mission of mine to find and let you know about the best alternatives.
While High Tea is often used interchangeably with Afternoon Tea, it is quite different. Afternoon Tea, as described above was historically enjoyed by the aristocracy, and was a snack during the late afternoon enjoyed at a low table, with a comfortable chair. However, the working class could not really enjoy this ritual as they were working during the afternoon, and therefore high tea refers to a later meal, enjoyed at a high table with high backed chairs. It is therefore really akin to the evening meal, although many people in Britain still refer to their dinner as tea.
Elevenses
Are you a morning vs an afternoon snacker? Elevenses may be for you. Elevenses is significantly less formal than afternoon tea, but it is the practice of sitting down for a cup of tea or coffee and some light refreshment around eleven o'clock in the morning. Elevenses for me are a fresh jam doughnut on the beach with a sugared (and sometimes a bit of sand) coating. Pure heaven.
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