I was reading yesterday that very few people now have afternoon tea at home, with bread and jam, cakes and of course, a cup of tea.
I suppose some of us oldies still occasionally do so when we are watching "Countdown" - or in summer, in the garden.
The headline was "Teatime of old is now a preserve of the few' LOL
This is how it used to be:
Ah! I remember it well!
I suppose the only time we may have a formal afternoon tea nowadays is if we go out to a top-class hotel, like the Ritz in London.
The following is from their website:
TEA AT THE RITZ is an institution in itself and we are proud to be a member of the Tea Council's prestigious Tea Guild. Served in the spectacular Palm Court, a choice of several varieties of tea, finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones, jam and clotted cream and a range of delicate pastries, combine to make for an unforgettable afternoon.
It would have to be a special occasion though, as it costs £82 for two people, including VAT and service.
The menu is:
Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
Smoked Salmon
Egg Mayonnaise with Cress
Ham
Chicken and Mayonnaise
Cucumber with Cream Cheese
Freshly Baked Raisin and Apple Scones with Devonshire Clotted Cream and organic Strawberry Preserve
Assortment of Afternoon Tea Pastries with English Cream
Fruits of The Forest Compote with English Cream
Ritz Selected Teas or Ritz Blend Filter Coffee
You probably get 'repeats' as often as you wish.
The Palm Court at The Ritz
techieladybird
I still have afternoon tea regularly, particularly is my boyfriend and I both have a day off. We like to go out to a farmhouse about 20minutes up the road (how most of our friends would go to the pub) and everyday at work we start with a sit down cup of tea. This isn't formally arranged but we end up spending about 15 minutes chatting, passing on messages(both work e-mails and funnys) and joking before we start work. It often starts the shift in a calmer way to ease us in.