Who Invented the English Afternoon Tea?

The credit goes to the Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford (1788 - 1861) - one of Queen Victoria's Ladies in Waiting - at Belvoir Castle in the early 1800s. At that time the meals of the day were only two - a large hearty breakfast and an even larger dinner served late in the evening. In order to stave off her afternoon hunger pangs, the duchess invited a group of lady friends to join her for an additional meal at five o'clock in her rooms. Here, the group was served small cakes, assorted sweets and, of course, tea. This practice, which began in the summer when the duchess was 'in the country', proved so popular that she continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for 'tea and a walk in the fields'. Leading social hostesses quickly picked up the practice of inviting friends to afternoon tea, and the etiquette of the British tea ceremony soon developed. The emphasis was on conversation and presentation. A pot of tea was brought from the kitchen to the lady of the house and her waiting guests. The hostess would then dispense tea from the fine porcelain teapot into equally elegant teacups. The pot was then recharged from another pot, usually of silver, that contained water kept heated over a small flame. The cuisine quickly expanded to include wafer-thin crustless sandwiches with shrimp or fish pastes, toasted breads with jams, and regional specialties such as scones and crumpets. Initially the fine porcelain used by socially correct hostesses also came from China.

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