Afternoon Tea

Prior to the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread, and beef. During the middle of the eighteenth century, dinner for the upper and middle classes shifted from noontime to a long, massive meal at the end of the day.

According to legend, one of Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) ladies-in-waiting, Anna Maria Stanhope (1783-1857), known as the Duchess of Bedford, created the afternoon teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, by four o'clock in the afternoon the Duchess suffered from "a sinking feeling".

At first the Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few bread stuffs. Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields." The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

The primary distinction between differing tea meals is the time of day, food served and the location of the meal,

Therefore, afternoon tea (also referred to as Low tea) is a light meal typically eaten between 3:00 pm and 5:00 p.m. Traditionally the tea and food are served on a lounge (or low) table, which is where it gets its name.

A formal afternoon tea is, nowadays, usually taken as a treat in a hotel, café or tea shop. In everyday life, many British take a much simpler refreshment consisting of tea and biscuits at teatime.

High tea is served later, typically between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm and consisted of a full, dinner meal for the common people. Tea was still served, but there would also be meats, fish or eggs, cheese, bread and butter, and cake. High tea was eaten at a regular high table, hence the term "high" tea.

In recent years, high tea has become a term for an elaborate afternoon tea, though this is an American usage that is not recognized in Britain (and frowned upon by etiquette advisors).

Serving vegan and gluten-free items with tea between 11 AM and 2 PM, the Thyme Wisper Tea Room will be deviating from the typical mid-afternoon hours of a British afternoon tea. The menu will offer a choice of teas to be served with a delicacy (Simple Tea) or with a light meal served on a three tier curate stand (Afternoon Tea).