Afternoon Tea

My group was lucky enough to experience the traditional "Afternoon Tea," a tradition dating back to the early 19th century. It was a lot of fun and definitely something that I would not have done at home, so I really enjoyed it. We had the tea and delicious scones at The Cadogan Hotel in Knightsbridge, just a short walk down King's Road from where we are living. The area was rather "posh" and the workers inside the hotel definitely contributed to the feeling of traditional, royal teatime.

Tradition: Food and Ritual 
Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is attributed to making teatime famous because she is said to have complained of "having that sinking feeling" during the late afternoon. Back in the early 19th century people usually only ate breakfast and dinner around 8 pm, so this "sinking" feeling was bound to happen. Anna the Duchess found that her best solution was some tea and a small snack, such as a scone or small sandwich. She later started inviting friends to join her for tea time. This soon caught on with all of the posh community and soon everybody in high society was drinking tea and having snacks in the afternoon! Afternoon tea is a widely known British symbol; when one thinks of tea, one tends to think of the British. This event is not as ritualistic now as it has been in the past, though. It is now looked at as more of a special occasion or luxury.

Teatime!

The amazing scones which I loved!

Class

Back when afternoon tea was a lot more popular, you would often see people participating in "high tea" or "low, afternoon tea." This greatly distinguished class. The upper class would have the low, afternoon tea right before the fashionable walk through Hyde Park. This was a lot earlier in the day compared to high tea. High tea was served to the middle and lower classes around 5 or 6 pm in place of a late dinner. The names come from the height of the tables that the tea was served on; high tea being served at the dinner table and low tea on the lower, more elegant table. Today, I feel that there is not as big of a distinction between these two teatimes, simply because it is not as big of a tradition as it was in the past. I, personally, love that there was a distinction between the two teatimes. It makes it all the more elegant to be privileged enough to participate in afternoon tea.

Picture taken by Danielle Brown

Reflection
I really enjoyed teatime  because it was a new experience for me. I do not normally drink tea and certainly have never heard of putting milk in your tea. I absolutely loved the scones with the two different jams that were served with them. My tea was good but again, something I do not normally drink. It was a great experience to participate in the more luxurious teatime and learn about the actual history of teatime.