Post was written pre-retirement:

For those of us who work long and hard all week (usually Monday through Friday for most people), we treasure Saturday and Sunday evenings to unwind and recharge before we return to work on Monday. The weekends are usually set aside for chores – laundry, cleaning, shopping and sometimes entertaining. When we entertain on a weekend, it’s usually after a day of chores so dinner is the meal we most likely prepare for our guests. This can turn out to be a rather long day and night. You get an early start to have everything ready and still you’re left late at night after everyone has gone, to clean up. Well, you can avoid all of this and instead, prepare an Afternoon Tea which you can serve from about 3:30 or 4 up and until 6:30 PM. Let everyone know you have another engagement at 8 that evening, hence the early afternoon soiree. This means you can do your chores in the morning, entertain in the afternoon, clean up and curl up on the couch to watch that eight o’clock movie – that’s your 8 PM engagement! How smart is that! Before we delve into preparing an Afternoon Tea, let’s read a little bit about this delectable afternoon treat. Remember, you can make this easy and simple by buying most of the dishes pre-made if you really don’t want to do much, but we prepare most, if not all, of the dishes for our Afternoon Tea. 

History of Afternoon Tea: Afternoon Tea may have been started by the French, but many people believe that this tradition was first started in England in 1841 by Anna Maria Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. At that time, and until the early part of the 20th century, luncheon was served at twelve noon, but dinner was not served until 8 or even 9 in the evening. The story goes on to say that the Duchess felt hungry in the afternoon and asked for some tea and a few slices of bread and butter to be served in her private drawing-room. Queen Victoria served afternoon tea on formal occasions, known as tea receptions at that time, and since then, it has become a ritual. It doesn’t matter who started it, but we do give credit to the British for this delightful treat!

Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of delicate finger sandwiches, scones with butter, clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes and an assortment of teas. The time to serve Afternoon Tea differs in so many places and tea salons, but it is traditionally served between 3 and 5 in the afternoon and served until 6 and as late as 7 PM nowadays. Interestingly, scones were not a common feature of early Afternoon Tea and were only introduced in the 20th century.

The Difference between Afternoon Tea and High Tea: People often mistakenly call Afternoon Tea, High Tea, but there is quite a difference.  High Tea is actually dinner and often referred to as a working class tea. It is a heavier meal consisting mostly of breads and cold cuts, bacon, eggs, meats and stews, served with tea. Before the industrial revolution, farmers and their workers ate their main meal at lunchtime. After the industrial revolution, few working class people could come home at lunch time and so the main meal of the day took place in the late afternoon, or early evening — the same time as the afternoon tea of the rich.

There are three basic types of Afternoon Tea:
Cream Tea – Tea, scones, jam and cream
Light Tea – Tea, scones and sweets
Full Tea – Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

Americans and Afternoon Tea: Many upper-class Americans have indulged in Afternoon Tea, particularly in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. The upper-class may have served lavish spreads like the British, but those of less wealth served it as well, perhaps with not as much fanfare. When you think about it, it’s not very expensive to serve Afternoon Tea. All you need is a pot of tea, some dainty sandwiches which can be buttered bread with thinly sliced cucumbers, a cheese spread, thinly sliced meat of some sort, a dessert or two and you can have Afternoon Tea! The pomp and flair often associated with Afternoon Tea would make one think only the wealthy enjoyed this treat, but that’s not so at all.  

As we approached the 20^th century, the industrial revolution seemed to have pushed Afternoon Tea aside since people, both men and women, were out in the workforce. There was no time to sit around and have Afternoon Tea, except for the wealthy. By the time the working classes came home in the evening, all they wanted was a substantial meal at the end of the day. It was the same for the British working class during this time, but they called it High Tea; Americans called it supper or dinner.

With the rise of the middle class, more Americans were traveling abroad and when visiting England, they were sure to include Afternoon Tea in their itineraries. Interestingly, Afternoon Tea is making its way back into the American culture, not that it had completely disappeared. Afternoon Tea today is mostly served at celebratory occasions, just like it is for most of Britain nowadays. It’s being served at bridal and baby showers, bar mitzvahs and popping up on many brunch menus. There are now tea parlors scattered throughout the country, which is a delight to see!   

We had been invited to a couple of Afternoon Tea parties here in the United States and many fit the description of Cream Tea. There were no sandwiches just scones, pastries, cookies, cakes and tea. For some Americans, this is their version of Afternoon tea, but we have also been to some very traditional Afternoon Tea receptions here at home that rival the best tea salons in England. A traditional Afternoon Tea menu consists of a selection of freshly prepared finger sandwiches, freshly baked, warm scones with clotted cream and preserves, a variety of cakes and pastries, and an assortment of teas.

We’ve enjoyed Afternoon Tea in England at various hotels and tea salons, even at Harrod’s in London. Afternoon Tea has made its way to our home and we enjoy having it on the weekends and during the week if we are at home. As mentioned previously, if you work all week and have a lot to do on weekends, then Afternoon Tea is perfect for entertaining guests from out-of-town, or guests who may want to drop in over the weekend, sometimes unexpectedly. Afternoon Tea is the perfect solution! 

We would like to offer some helpful tips if you plan to have Afternoon Tea for your guests. Just remember, Afternoon Tea is meant to be fun, so don’t let the pomp and etiquette get too much in the way of your own personal enjoyment.

PREPARING AN AFTERNOON TEA

Tea Service: If you happen to have a lovely tea service, that’s great! If you don’t, or can’t afford to invest in a tea service, then visit a thrift shop. You may not find a complete set, but one of the things we love is a mix and match set of tea dishes. It’s whimsical, fun and you can find some really lovely pieces.  Almost everyone can enjoy Afternoon Tea without having to spend too much money.

The traditional three-tier stand in the photo is best for serving afternoon tea for about 4 people or less. You place the tea sandwiches at the bottom, scones in the middle and cakes and pastries on the top. If you have more guests, then platters are perfect to use, as we did, shown in our photos below. These stands are sold at varied prices, but you can make your own for a few dollars. Use mix and match plates or platters you have lying around the house or pick up a few supplies from your dollar and hardware stores. We found this great DIY cake stand from Pinterest which will work perfectly for Afternoon Tea. Just make three tiers if you decide to make one.  Find 3 difference size plates and some candle holders.

How to Make a Homemade 3-Tier Cupcake Stand 1 | wanderingcho… | Flickr

Remember to use a tablecloth made of cloth and not plastic, as well as cloth napkins if you can. Flowers are lovely on the table.

A VARIETY OF TEAS

There are hundreds of varieties of tea to choose from and loose tea is preferred, not tea bags.  You should experiment with different varieties and make sure you understand the brewing time for each. Tea bags are convenient and a last resort if you don’t have loose tea, but if you want your guests to have a great experience, use loose tea.  If you do use teabags, the tea bag should be removed from the cup and placed on the side of the saucer. It’s considered bad etiquette if you use the string to wrap around or squeeze the tea bag. Keep that in mind when you’re dining out, but when you’re home, feel free to wrap and squeeze! Along with tea, do serve coffee if you wish. Reference to tea, however, is made primarily in this post.

Here are some loose teas we like:

Earl Grey: A blend of black teas scented with oil of bergamot named after Charles Grey who was Prime Minister of England from 1830 to 1834.
Darjeeling: An aromatic and astringent tea from India, with a hint of almonds and wildflowers.
Assam: A strong full-bodied tea from India, which has a malty flavor.
Lapsang Souchong: A Chinese tea fired over smoking pine needles, which produces a striking smoky odor and flavor.
Orange Pekoe: Despite its name, this tea is not orange flavored.  It has a bright, golden color and crisp refreshing taste. This is a black tea which originates from Sri Lanka and India.
English Breakfast: A strong blend of Assam, Sri Lanka and Kenyan teas
Kenyan: A bright-colored tea (from East Africa)
Other types include: Jasmine, Lapsang Souchong, Keemum, Indonesian, and the list goes on and on.

Brewing Time: We recommend three to six minutes of brewing time, no longer, so as to avoid damaging the flavor of the tea.

One Large Pot or Individual Pots? To be honest, it’s such a delight to get your own pot of tea which serves 2-3 six-ounce cups. Not everyone likes the same tea and if you don’t wish to have individual teapots for each guests with their choice of tea, then choose a tea that will work for everyone, like English Breakfast. It might seem like a bit of an inconvenience to serve individual pots of tea and  keep the water piping hot at the same time, so do what’s 

best for you. If you have several guests, then select 3-4 teas so they can choose what they like. The plain white tea-pot pictured serves 75 ounces and is perfect for about 6 people – 2 cups or so per person if they are 8 ounce teacups.  The small one serves two cups. The large stainless steel tea urns are unattractive for a small tea part at home, but works well for larger gatherings.

Tea or Milk First? In most hotels and tea salons, tea is poured first and it’s up to the customer to add the milk to his or her taste. Some think it’s best to add the milk and then the tea. Whatever your preference, remember to serve milk and not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea.  Not everyone likes milk in their tea; some people prefer lemon. When serving lemon with tea, lemon slices are preferable, not wedges. Be sure never to add lemon with milk since the lemon’s citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.

Stirring the Tea: Believe it or not, stirring the tea is a big deal. You have to place your spoon in a 6 o’clock position in the cup and fold the tea towards the 12 o’clock position. You shouldn’t knock the teaspoon against the sides of the cup while stirring. Take the spoon out after stirring and place it in the saucer to the side of the cup. To be honest, the sound of a spoon swirling and hitting the sides of a cup of tea or coffee sounds sweet to the ear, but this is considered bad etiquette for Afternoon Tea. Do  swirl and knock when you’re all alone and having just a “cuppa”! And just one more thing, you’re to sip, not slurp.

Dunking: Most people like to dunk cookies and other pastries in their tea or coffee, but when you have guests, or dining out, do not dunk. Who doesn’t like to dunk a crisp cookie in tea or coffee until you soften it up just right and let it melt in your mouth! Dunking is best done at home when you have no guests!

Pinky Up? It’s one of the biggest faux pas one can make when having Afternoon tea. You never want to stick your pinky out which looks silly to begin with and it’s a dead give-away that you just don’t know proper tea etiquette.

TEA SANDWICHES

Traditional tea sandwiches are made with white bread but since we have all become health conscious, whole wheat and other types of healthier breads are used as well. But really, there is nothing tastier than white bread buttered with Irish or New Zealand butter topped with layers of thinly sliced cucumber, radish or tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper. For our tea sandwiches, we used bread made with spelt and whole wheat but also included white whole wheat as well. For those of you who are not aware of white whole wheat, it’s the bran of white wheat which is lighter in color but also milder in flavor. We make our own spelt and whole wheat bread, but ours is heavier than the store-bought bread which is already sliced and we wouldn’t dare use them for tea sandwiches. Buy sliced bread or a good brioche or loaf of your choice which you can slice for these tea sandwiches. 

Making the Tea Sandwiches: Some people prefer to trim the crust off the bread first before making the sandwiches while others prefer to make the sandwiches first and then trim the crust. The second option ensures that the spread gets to the edges while the first runs the risk of leaving spots of dry bread with no filling. We do it both ways and they both seem to work well. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes – triangles, round, square, whatever you like.  If you don’t have cookie cutters, just cut squares, then in half, diagonally, to make triangles; horizontally to make rectangles. Take a glass larger than a shot glass (champagne flute works well) and make circles – these are just a few ideas for the shapes.

You can make sandwiches with two slices of bread and also with one slice for open-face sandwiches. Bread slices should be lightly buttered no matter what the filling. Choose a high-grade, unsalted butter for your sandwiches – it makes a huge difference. We usually buy butter imported from Ireland or New Zealand. Butter should be at room temperature and spread the butter to the edge of the bread. You can also add mayonnaise, or any similar dressing,  

Making Sandwiches Ahead of Time: If you want to make tea sandwiches in advance, you need to keep them from drying out. Cover them loosely with a sheet of wax paper and then place a damp kitchen towel over the wax paper (never place a damp towel directly on top of the bread because the sandwiches will become soggy). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipes for Sandwiches: The list of sandwiches served with Afternoon Tea is endless, but includes this classic selection:

• Cucumber
• Egg mayonnaise with watercress
• Smoked salmon with cream cheese
• Chicken salad
• Ham and mustard
• Roast beef and horseradish

If you want to make some simple tea sandwiches, click on his link here for some recipes: 

 

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches Recipes

We made some tea sandwiches recently when we had out-of-town guests which we would like to share with you. They had never experienced Afternoon Tea so it was a pleasure to serve it to them. Take a look at some of the photos and then scroll down to read about scones and pastries. You can also view the variety of sandwiches in this video – click on this link: Afternoon Tea Video

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget, you can prepare an Afternoon tea just for you.

SCONES

A traditional scone is a single-serving quick bread made with very little fat because you slather the butter on after its baked! They are often lightly sweetened and are occasionally glazed with egg wash. Scones are baked in an oven or on a griddle, usually split-open and buttered. Today, scones are made with more fat than in olden days, and together with the additional butter, clotted cream and jam, it’s a recipe for a heart attack. An occasional scone with all of its topping is quite alright, or, you can cut down on the toppings and enjoy it more regularly.

How should I eat my scones? Scones are best when served warm. Common practice dictates that when eating the scone you would break small pieces off and top each section with the desired cream and preserves. You may also choose to slice the scone in half and spread the toppings. Make sure you buy a really good butter – unsalted, creamy, and sweet. Clotted cream is nice to have, but if you don’t have it, can’t find it, don’t serve it – no one will miss it, especially if your butter is tasty. You can find clotted cream in your specialty shops and upscale supermarkets, or you can make your own. Strawberry jam is a popular choice, but a variety of jams and or preserves are nice to have on hand. Lemon curd is also served and you can buy this, as well, or make it yourself. 

GlobalBytes Scone Recipe: We would like to share our very simple recipe for scones which you can bake in just 12 minutes! They are so easy to make and you’re going to love them!  We are so disappointed whenever we are served a dry, crumbly scone.

We have had scones in many places and many countries, but our recipe is the best!

If it’s the one thing you do after reading this post, is to try this recipe.

Click here for the blog post and recipe:

Simple Sweet Scones

It’s nice to end this afternoon tea with a sweet treat! Since scones are served with jams and spreads and are already sweet, we try to keep it simple with the desserts. Serve whatever desserts you like.

Once you realize that this is something that will fit in perfectly with your entertaining, be daring and invite a few folks over. If its their first time having Afternoon tea and they knock the spoon against the side of the cup, wrap the tea bag around the spoon and then place it on the tablecloth, let them. Allow them the chance to experience something new. If, at some point, they are interested and want to know more about it, or would like to serve it themselves, then pass on the etiquette that goes along with it. It’s nice to do it right when you’re enjoying this dainty treat in a tea salon or at someone’s home. Most people want to fit in and not stand out like a sore thumb. Most importantly, if you have not had Afternoon Tea, we hope this simple guide will get your started. 

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1946 VIDEO: HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN AFTERNOON TEA 

We came across this delightful video about afternoon tea made by Americans in 1946 which we enjoyed and think you will, too! Of course, you will change a few things today, but overall, it was quite informative and can be helpful if you plan to serve Afternoon Tea for the first time.

Click here for the video which we found on archive.org – just highlight the link, right-click on it and it should take you to the site. If not, cut and paste it into your web browser. It really is fun to watch!

https://archive.org/details/ArrangingThe

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Follow me on Pinterest and check out my GlobalBytes Afternoon Tea:

https://www.pinterest.com/GlobalBytes/globalbytes-afternoon-tea/