Afternoon Tea dates back to the
1800s, but evolved out of a practice of tea drinking in Britain that began in
the late 1600s. When tea was first
available to the English, it was expensive and was stored on shelves along with
its accessories in the lady’s private closet - a small room near her bedchamber
where she received visitors and served refreshments. A servant would arrange the brewing
necessities on a small table and bring in a kettle of boiling water, and then
the lady would brew the tea herself to serve to her guests. During the 18th century, the main meal was
served at a gradually later and later time so an extra meal was added to fill
the midday gap, but it was very light since the servants were off duty during
the middle of the day. Anna, the Duchess
of Bedford and one of Queen Victoria’s lady in waiting, had the idea of having
her maid bring her a slice or two of bread and butter to go along with her
afternoon tea when the servants returned at 5:00pm. She found this such perfect refreshment that
she started inviting her friends to join her for this new social event. Soon all levels of society started to hold
tea parties to suit almost any occasion and in various locations including the
garden. Tea was an economical ways to
entertain with only pots of tea and small tea-time treats such as crustless
sandwiches (savories), scones, little pastries (sweets) and a cake required and
expected. Today, tea is still the ideal
way to entertain neighbors, friends and business acquaintances as a respite
during a busy day.