Afternoon Tea Origins - Duchess of Bedford, 1840
The origins of Afternoon Tea can be found in the castles and English high society of the mid 1800’s. Anna, The 7th Duchess of Bedford is credited with starting the tradition of Afternoon Tea, in 1840.
The two main meals were breakfast and dinner (also known in England as “tea”), with a light meal at noon. The Duchess was feeling peckish between meals, with what she described as “a sinking feeling”.
She asked her maid to bring her a tray of bread, butter, cakes and tea to tide her over, until “high tea”, the main evening meal.
Afternoon Tea soon became a ritual for Anna, and she began to invite friends to Belvoir Castle to join her. Afternoon Tea consisted of a light selection such as tea, finger sandwiches, small cakes, scones and clotted cream.
Other social hostesses soon adopted the practice of having friends over for Afternoon Tea. The designated time was usually 4.00 or 5.00 p.m.
Nov 9th, 2007 at 5:51 am
[…] Tea in Victorian England was often about more than just food. It was an occasion said to have originated with Anna, Duchess of Bedford in the 1800’s. A Victorian Afternoon Tea was about social graces, interactions and establishing oneself in […]