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Afternoon Tea

© James Dixon

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, only two meals were served in Britain - breakfast and dinner. It is therefore not surprising that as the fashionable dinner hour gradually advanced from two or three o'clock to six or seven, a light meal was established to bridge the gap.

Sometime during the 1830s, Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford found that a pot of tea and a light snack relieved her pangs of hunger and began to invite her friends to 'afternoon tea' in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. She served small cakes, sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, and the custom of inviting friends to afternoon tea was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

Two forms of afternoon tea evolved. High and low tea. Low tea, served in the low part of the afternoon, was served in the homes of the wealthy and featured gourmet titbits rather than solid meals. The emphasis being on presentation and conversation. High tea on the other hand, was the main meal of the day for the middle and lower classes and consisted of more substantial items such as roast beef and mashed potatoes.

What kinds of food can be served with afternoon tea? Personally, I like crumpets, English muffins, scones, and teacakes. Cakes such as walnut and almond are also popular, as are savouries such as sandwiches and welsh rarebit.

Crumpets are round (about 3 inches in diameter) yeast-raised breads. The unsweetened batter is poured into special crumpet rings which have been arranged on a griddle, and then 'baked'. The finished crumpet has a smooth brown bottom and a top riddled with tiny holes. Crumpets are toasted whole, and spread with butter and jam.

English muffins are round, and similar in size to crumpets. Muffins are made from soft yeast dough that, after being formed into rounds, is baked on a griddle. English muffins are halved before toasting. In order to produce a surface with the proper peaks and craters, English muffins must be fork-split and gently pulled apart. Using a knife to cut them in half will not produce the desired result. Muffins were at their most popular during the nineteenth century, when muffin men walked the streets at teatime.

Scones are a quick bread from Scotland. They were originally made with leavened barley flour or oatmeal and baked on a griddle. Today, white and wholemeal flour is used and they are baked in the oven until they are golden on the outside, but soft and fluffy in the middle. Sultanas, cheese and herbs can be added, and they can be triangular-shaped (traditional), or round. Ideally, scones should be served warm with either butter and jam (never marmalade), or for a 'cream tea', jam and whipped cream.