subject: Afternoon Tea For Two - Or One Hundred… [print this page] Afternoon tea parties are making a comebackAfternoon tea parties are making a comeback. Perhaps they never went out of style among tea connoisseurs, tea grannies, teetotalers and the millions of people all over the world that love and drink tea. "Tea time" etiquette originated from English royalty who were the very first on the Atlantic to hold social gatherings which were focused around serving tea.
Tea traditions in Britain date back to the 17th Century. Tea trade which started in the 1670s as trade routes to the Orient was established by the English. Afternoon tea, initiated by the aristocracy, rapidly caught on among the middle class.
In North America, there is much uncertainty about the dissimilarity between "high" tea and "afternoon" tea. They aren't the same, although many hotels in Canada and the U.S. refer to afternoon tea as "high tea." High tea in England is also known as: "meat" tea and can be like dinner. Afternoon tea is served around 4 o'clock and was formerly known as "low" tea as it was served on low tables, normally in drawing or living rooms.
Today attending or having an afternoon tea can be a social or business affair. The greatest rule of etiquette, however, is common courtesy. That is, making your guests feel comfortable and being a graceful, gracious guest.
The rules around holding your cup and saucer are as follows: If you are seated at a table, lift merely your cup and keep the saucer on the table, returning the cup to the saucer between sips. If you're seated without a table - or if you are a lot more than 12 inches from the table, hold the saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the cup with your right hand. In between sips, return the cup to the saucer, which remains on your lap. (It is acceptable to put milk and sugar in your cup before or after the tea is poured.)
Savories (tiny sandwiches), scones and pastries are served at a full afternoon tea. But do not expect to replace lunch or dinner by attending a tea. Anything served is in elegant, small quantities - including the tea. (This was initially done because it was very expensive when tea parties first became fashionable and thus it was served in small quantities.)
There are 3 tiers to the conventional serving dish that holds the goodies. The top tier will hold the pastries, the second tier will hold the scones and the bottom tier would hold the savories. (The sweets go on top to show them off.) Note, also, that the correct way to eat a scone is to break off one bite-size section at a time and butter it sparingly on the plate provided.
