The Ritual of Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea, that most quintessential of English customs is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition. Whilst the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China and was popularised in England during the 1660s by King Charles II and his wife the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza, it was not until the mid 19th century that the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ first appeared.

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o’clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter (some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her

room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.

This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880’s upper-class and society women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o’clock.

Looking the part

In the early eighteenth century, fashionable ladies were still receiving social callers in bed. Tea and gossip would be enjoyed while the aristocratic lady of the house reclined elegantly among plumped up pillows, wearing a gown of the finest muslin, silk and lace. A hundred years later, Marie Antoinette would entertain guests in her salon with a delightfully fragrant selection of teas including Jasmine and Rose. Her position as Queen gave her access to the very best Chinese teas, and she wouldn't serve them to anyone unless she knew she was wearing something fabulous. She may be famous for many things but she has forever associated tea with extravagant gowns and indulgent hedonism.

Tea eventually moved out of the bedroom and the formal garden became a popular place for taking tea, somewhere both guest and host could promenade in their finery. As men began to be seen in the tea gardens, the age of Regency manners, flirting and gossip began.Jane Austen, herself an avid tea drinker, paints a striking picture of tea society in her novels. Women took tea in their finest, most sumptuous attire - walking gowns made from gold and silver, embroidered muslins, and cashmere shawls - in the hope of attracting admiring glances.

Showing off

The afternoon tea tradition was born inside the houses of the rich and fortunate but once summer came around they wanted to take this fabulous time of day outside into their beautiful gardens. When the ladies took the afternoon tea ritual outside it encouraged the lords and men of the house to take part in this fabulous activity.

Moving their afternoon tea outside meant everyone in the house could enjoy it. Tea was a fine delicacy at this time and the people drinking it wanted the whole world to know they could afford it.

So rich families would get their portrait's painted with fine china and exquisite teas featured so people would know their extreme wealth.

People wanted to be like their lords and ladies and from that day forward the world wide afternoon tea tradition was born. However, it wasn't a time for small bites anymore, it was a time for indulgent quantities of food.