If there is one thing I love as a witch, it is tea. There are so many different types of tea to take between social teas and magical and herbal remedy teas. Here we are going to focus on the social tea before I delve in deeper to the magical and herbal remedy teas!
English high tea was considered the pinnacle of elegant and aristocratic dining but has now made a popular comeback into everyday modern life. Laughter and conversation flow easily around the table when people are enjoying a well-planned tea party. If you are thinking of hosting such a gathering, be sure to know which type of tea party you plan to host, be it an afternoon tea or a high tea. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, they are actually distinctly different.
Legend has it that afternoon tea was started in the mid-1800s by the Duchess of Bedford. Around this time, kerosene lamps were introduced in wealthier homes, and eating a late dinner (around 8 or 9 p.m.) became fashionable. This increasingly late dinner was one of only two meals each day, the other was a mid-morning, breakfast-like meal.
The story goes that the Duchess found herself with a “sinking feeling.” This was likely fatigue from hunger during the long wait between meals. She decided to invite friends over for assorted snacks and tea, which was a very fashionable drink at the time.
The idea of an afternoon tea gathering spread across high society and became a favorite pastime of ladies of leisure. Later, it spread beyond the highest echelons of society and became more accessible for other socioeconomic groups.
Afternoon Tea/ Low Tea
A Classy Affair
Served between: 2pm and 5pm
When we think about a deluxe British tea with all the fancy fixings, this is probably what we’re thinking of. Afternoon tea traces its social-event origins to the 1830s or 1840s. It is believed that a duchess named Anna Maria Russell sparked the trend because she grew hungry between the light noon lunch traditionally enjoyed by well-heeled Brits and dinner, which wasn’t usually served until at least 7:30 p.m. She began to take tea and a snack to get her through the long afternoon and was soon joined by her friends, who then spread the habit throughout the aristocracy. Sometimes called “low tea” because it was enjoyed while sitting in low-slung armchairs, afternoon tea has never been a lowly affair.
It is a British culinary tradition of sitting down for a mid-day treat of tea, sandwiches, and cake. It is served at a low table and is generally considered to be a ladies’ social occasion. This tea is reserved for the upper class. It is a formal occasion and social gathering with fine china, dainty finger foods, and treats. It consists of savories, tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets. Afternoon tea is a light meal composed of three courses of tea sandwiches and savories, followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and ending with sweet pastries. Everything is bite-sized and eaten with fingers.
Afternoon tea time is served between lunch and dinner. The light meal is not meant to replace dinner but instead to tide you over until dinner which was usually around 8PM for the upper class.
Afternoon tea, also known as ‘low tea,’ is what most people think of when they hear ‘high tea.’ It involves things like manners, lace, and dainty foods. it was never intended to replace dinner but rather to fill in the long gap between lunch and dinner at a time when dinner was served as late as 8 p.m. Lifestyles have changed since those times and afternoon tea is now a treat, rather than a stop-gap.
An afternoon tea menu is light and focuses on scones, finger sandwiches. Marmalade, lemon curds, and herbed butter may also be included. Favorite teas for afternoon tea include black teas like Earl Grey and Assam as well as herbal teas like chamomile and mint.
Today, afternoon tea, generally served around 3 or 4 p.m., features finger sandwiches and delicate scones, cakes, macaroons and treats — in addition, of course, to tea. But you shouldn’t scarf them down too enthusiastically. Manners are important in afternoon tea: Show restraint, put your napkin on your lap, and stir your tea gently.
Although many Americans think of afternoon tea as having a set menu, there are many variations on this tea-centric meal.
The simplest form of afternoon tea is cream tea — a meal of tea, scones, and cream. Add fresh strawberries to cream tea and you have strawberry tea.
If you add more sweets to cream tea, you get light tea.
Add savory foods, like finger sandwiches to light tea and you get full tea, which is the elaborate meal most Americans think of when they hear the phrase ‘afternoon tea.’
Some hotels and tea rooms also offer other variations on afternoon tea, such as champagne tea, also called royal tea (afternoon tea served with a glass of champagne) and teddy bear tea (a children’s afternoon tea party featuring dolls and teddy bears).
High Tea/Meat Tea
Served between: 5pm and 7pm
High tea is not a fancy tea, as many people assume. Delectable scones, tea sandwiches, and cakes are the hallmark of an afternoon tea, which is served in midafternoon. Contrary to the haughty images stirred by its lofty moniker, high tea is actually a lot more relaxed than afternoon tea. (The “high” part refers to the fact that one traditionally enjoys it while seated at an actual dinner table, rather than on a low armchair or couch.)
Outside of the United Kingdom, many people refer to afternoon tea as ‘high tea.’ Although the idea that high tea is a meal of foods like scones and finger sandwiches is common, it is not actually correct in a traditional or historical sense. High tea was much more of a working-class family meal than it was an elite social gathering.
Its origins can be found in the lower classes, who compensated for the lack of a lunch break in their workdays by taking tea — along with cold cuts, cheeses, pies and hearty hot dishes — immediately after work. It was an informal occasion for those who were hungry after a long, laborious day of work. Instead of small crustless finger sandwiches, a high tea menu consisted of a much more substantial fair such as meat dishes, fish, bread, egg dishes, potatoes, baked beans, and other heavy dishes and desserts. It was meant to nourish the after a long day at work. Think of it as a light supper served with tea.
A typical high tea meal starts with a hot dish and is followed by cakes and bread with butter and jam. Working class families, as well as middle-to upper-class children, finish their day with high tea.
In Scotland, high tea takes on further differentiation. A Scottish high tea is not unlike an afternoon tea but will include some hot food, such as a cheese on toast or other savory goodies.
SO WHY IN THE WORLD DO PEOPLE STILL CALL IT HIGH TEA IF THAT IS WRONG?
Because they think it sounds fancier. And establishments that offer afternoon tea sometimes call it high tea to market to people who don’t know better. Even in England where afternoon tea originated, you may see luxury hotels offering high tea to attract tourists.
Now you know the difference and can engage your tea parties properly! Why my sudden onset of tea related posts? Coming soon: Tea leaf reading!
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
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