Afternoon tea, a dying tradition

Has the upper classes moved their meal time later and later into the evening from the original four or five pm it became very fashionable to keep those who ate as late as a10 p.m. - 11pm. going with what was termed and afternoon tea. Now people are moving their main meal time back with the practicalities of work and home the tradition of the afternoon tea is dying out .

It has been going out of fashion for some time even Mrs Beeton in her 1860 classic household and cookery manual spent very little time on the subject preferring to concentrate the vast majority of her menus for the dinner table.

If you are lucky today you can indulge in this ritual at the Ritz hotel in London.
Indulge in a slice of one of the finest British traditions and take Afternoon Tea at The Ritz.

Enjoy a selection of finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve, and a mouth-watering range of exquisitely presented pastries and teacakes.

As well as 18 different types of loose-leaf tea to choose from, why not sip a glass of Champagne to add some extra sparkle to the occasion.

This most charming traditional Afternoon Tea in Piccadilly, is served in the spectacular Palm Court, with glittering chandeliers and elegant mirrors, which add a light and stylish flourish to the room.

The Ritz London is the only hotel in the UK to have a certified Tea Sommelier, Giandomenico Scanu, who travels around the world to various tea plantations to source our wonderful teas.

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Indian cornmeal pudding circa 1829

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Evie B - Consulting Historian - Vintage food and recipe blog

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