The art and pleasure of taking tea: Afternoon or High Tea?
Much of the credit for inventing the afternoon tea must go to Queen Victoria’s lady in waiting, Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. She started the fashion to drink afternoon tea in the 1830s because she grew tired of a sinking feeling to have “a little” something between the meals. She asked for a tray of tea and bread and butter to be brought to her room. Once she developed the habit, she found she could not break it so she decided to invite friends over for different snacks and tea, which was a very fashionable drink at that time. It was not long before the idea became very popular and tea was served along with small sandwiches, biscuits and scones.
At that time the upper classes had afternoon or ‘low’ tea at around 4 p.m. while the lower and middle classes had ‘high’ tea at around 5.30 p.m. ‘High’ tea was taken in place of dinner served with meat/fish pies and cakes. Why is it called “high’? The ‘high’ and ‘low’ word derives from the height of the table on which the tea was served. The ‘high’ tea was taken at a dining room table while ‘low’ – at a coffee table. Here is the answer. By Edwardian times, the hour to take an afternoon tea was 5 o’clock or later. It became a social event with hot dishes and even professional musicians. Tea service had also kept pace with side plates, bread and butter plates and cake stands. By the end of nineteenth century ladies were changing into long tea gowns for such an occasion.
The drinking of tea not only became a social occasion for the upper classes but it also changed the time and manner in which the tea was taken. Afternoon Tea became the bridge between meals because many wouldn’t eat their evening meal until around 8pm. As such, Afternoon Tea became a ‘mini meal’ in itself.
An afternoon tea menu is quite light and focuses on scones and finger sandwiches. Marmalade, jams, lemon curds and butter may also be included. Every afternoon tea must always start with some sandwiches. You are not supposed to move on to the cakes and muffins until you nibble on a sandwich. The variety of afternoon teas include black teas like Earl Grey and Assam as well as herbal teas like chamomile and mint. Afternoon tea is still a wonderful event which brings people together for a brief hour’s pleasure and refreshment.
While the afternoon tea became the bridge between meals for an upper class, the working classes used a different schedule and a different budget. Tea was still very expensive at that time and the working classes could not afford to waste it on anything other than necessities. A regular factory worker wouldn’t come back home from work until six in the evening, and when he did, he was very hungry! That’s why the working classes evening meal evolved: high tea. English High Tea usually included a mug of tea, bread, vegetables, cheese and occasionally meat. High tea also could include the addition of pies, potatoes and crackers.
So while Afternoon Tea was mainly a social event for the upper class, high tea was a necessary meal for lower class in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This traditional high tea still exists for some parts of the North of England and Scotland. Unlike afternoon tea, high tea is not a dainty affair. It usually takes place around six o’clock rather than at an afternoon tea hour of four to five. High tea was a heavy meal of meat dishes, fish dishes, potatoes, onion cakes, baked beans and cheesy casseroles. High tea was more a working class family meal than it was a social occasion. Soon the upper classes created their own version and also called it ‘high tea’. It was a meal that could be eaten when their servants were away or not available, as it was so easy to prepare.