A Postcard from Sheridan

No wonder the Duchess of Bedford felt famished by late afternoon.
She began inviting friends for afternoon tea at five o’clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle.

Some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had been inspired to put a filling between two slices of bread and it was the combination of these ideas which started a trend that remains an integral part of British life.

Along with bread and butter sandwiches, the Duchess of Bedford also offered small cakes and assorted sweets. And wasn’t she the clever one. Afternoon tea parties are easier than dinner parties and you get rid of the guests sooner. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o’clock or five o’clock and no one dared stay after seven o’clock.

So popular did this summer practice become that she decided to continue it when she returned to London. Other social hostesses quickly followed her lead, inviting friends to tea in the afternoon to and vying with each other to produce the prettiest teapots and china and the most refined sweetmeats and elegant table settings. Food and tea were passed among guests, the main purpose of the visit being conversation. Or should that be gossip?
Tea cuisine soon expanded to include wafer thin crustless sandwiches, shrimp or fish pates, toasted breads with jams, and regional British pastries such as scones (Scottish) and crumpets (English).

During the late 1880s, fine hotels in both England and the United States began to offer tea service in tea rooms and tea courts. Served in the late afternoon, Victorian ladies (and their gentlemen friends) could meet for tea and conversation.
Many of these tea services became the hallmark of elegance of the hotel, such as the tea services at the Ritz (Boston) and the Plaza (New York). By 1910 hotels began to host afternoon tea dances as dance craze after dance craze swept the United States and England.
Today, High Tea (or Afternoon Tea) is one of the dining highlights at five star hotels all over the world, though the English seemed determined to confuse us all over again.

At The Ritz London, long famous for its lavish teas in the elegant Palm Court, there are now five sittings every day (11.30am - a low Low tea? - 1.30pm. 3.30pm, 5.30pm and a Champagne Afternoon Tea at 7.30pm) and it’s so popular that you need to book at least six weeks in advance. If you lounge around long enough, you might see the likes of Hugh Grant and his mum Kylie, Jennifer Saunders (Ab Fab), Liz Hurley and Bill Clinton (though not together).
I wonder what the Duchess of Bedford would have thought of that?


january 2006
Dear Reader, There were tiny vanilla bean cup cakes topped with pink icing and confetti, slender cucumber sandwiches, passionfruit yo-yos and freshly baked scones to scoff. Even a fashion parade. Everything (including glasses of bubbly and cups of steaming hot tea) a girl could dream of at a high twee. Fashion designer Leona Edmiston’s gathering at The Victoria Room in Sydney’s Darlinghurst earlier this year to promote a new range of hosiery revealed just how fashionable the ritual of “High Tea” has become. Sydney’s young things flock here on a Sunday afternoon for thinking girls‚ (hens parties‚ and to celebrate birthdays (21st‚ and 30ths are popular). But hold on a minute. I don’t wish to offend their sensibilities but we must be very careful when speaking of “High Tea”. Shocking as it may sound (girls, cover your ears) they were actually enjoying (Low Tea‚ - or the tea which was once served in the low or early part of the afternoon in aristocratic homes. The words “low” and “high” also refer to the tables from which the repast is taken, usually in a sitting room or withdrawing room where low tables are placed near the chaise lounges or chairs. I’m sorry to say that the only thing “high” about the tea - apart from the Queen Mary, Earl Grey and Prince of Wales teas - were the three-tiered silver trays from which the dainty repast was served. The more lofty sounding “High Tea” or “Meat Tea” was actually dinner or the main meal of the day for the middle and lower classes when items like roast beef, steak and kidney pie, shepherd’s pie, mashed potatoes and tea were served. It was called “High Tea” because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table. I don’t blame you if you’re feeling confused. We can thank the English for that. It was they who invented the genial domestic ritual of afternoon tea, though no-one is really sure when it began. From all accounts, it seems to have been introduced around 1840 when Anna, Duchess of Bedford, commented that afternoon tea, served with a little light refreshment, saved her from “that sinking feeling” she experienced between luncheon and dinner. Prior to the introduction of tea into Britain, the English partook of two main meals - breakfast (which consisted of ale, bread and beef) and dinner (which was a big long meal at the end of the day).	No wonder the Duchess of Bedford felt famished by late afternoon. She began inviting friends for afternoon tea at five o’clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. Some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had been inspired to put a filling between two slices of bread and it was the combination of these ideas which started a trend that remains an integral part of British life. Along with bread and butter sandwiches, the Duchess of Bedford also offered small cakes and assorted sweets. And wasn’t she the clever one. Afternoon tea parties are easier than dinner parties and you get rid of the guests sooner. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o’clock or five o’clock and no one dared stay after seven o’clock. So popular did this summer practice become that she decided to continue it when she returned to London. Other social hostesses quickly followed her lead, inviting friends to tea in the afternoon to and vying with each other to produce the prettiest teapots and china and the most refined sweetmeats and elegant table settings. Food and tea were passed among guests, the main purpose of the visit being conversation. Or should that be gossip? Tea cuisine soon expanded to include wafer thin crustless sandwiches, shrimp or fish pates, toasted breads with jams, and regional British pastries such as scones (Scottish) and crumpets (English). During the late 1880s, fine hotels in both England and the United States began to offer tea service in tea rooms and tea courts. Served in the late afternoon, Victorian ladies (and their gentlemen friends) could meet for tea and conversation. Many of these tea services became the hallmark of elegance of the hotel, such as the tea services at the Ritz (Boston) and the Plaza (New York). By 1910 hotels began to host afternoon tea dances as dance craze after dance craze swept the United States and England. Today, High Tea (or Afternoon Tea) is one of the dining highlights at five star hotels all over the world, though the English seemed determined to confuse us all over again. At The Ritz London, long famous for its lavish teas in the elegant Palm Court, there are now five sittings every day (11.30am - a low Low tea? - 1.30pm. 3.30pm, 5.30pm and a Champagne Afternoon Tea at 7.30pm) and it’s so popular that you need to book at least six weeks in advance. If you lounge around long enough, you might see the likes of Hugh Grant and his mum Kylie, Jennifer Saunders (Ab Fab), Liz Hurley and Bill Clinton (though not together). I wonder what the Duchess of Bedford would have thought of that? *return to current Postcard*