Tea on its own is heavenly, but the ritual of afternoon tea seems to have originated from Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who was rumored to have started taking tea and a light afternoon snack privately in her boudoir (possibly while visiting Belvoir Castle). This became such an integral part of her daily routine that she even started inviting friends to join her. 

Traditionally, a tea party is held anytime in the afternoon. It is typically held around noon (11:30 AM to 12:30 PM), or afternoon (3:00 PM to 4:00 PM), but one thing rings true – anytime is good for a tea party – even late at night after dinner.

It did not take long for this popular ritual to catch on among her circle of friends and soon after, by other fashionable hostesses. Thus, serving an elaborate afternoon tea became a respectable form of leisure and entertainment, but also a fashionable custom to be held within London’s aristocratic society. 

Whilst the popular tea selection for afternoon tea include black teas such as Earl Grey and Assam, as well as herbal teas such as chamomile and mint – a pot of brewed loose-leaf tea served with milk and sugar is the only must-have for a traditional afternoon tea event, with the possible addition of thin lemon slices, as a substitute for milk.

The perfect host/ness offers a variety of pairings to accompany an afternoon of light banter, merry and of course tea! Here are a few pairing guides to help you pull off a professional afternoon tea for friends and family.

• A Cream Tea Event generally consists of scones, jam and clotted cream (also called Cornish, Devonshire or Devon cream), thus the name “cream tea”.
• Light Tea is generally considered a cream tea plus sweets, such as cookies, cupcakes, cake, muffins, or pastries, such as fruit tarts, mini pies, etc. Light tea is a sweets-centric meal and you aren’t supposed to find more cakes, scones, and sweet fruit treats than you might at other tea gatherings.
• A Full Afternoon Tea is often referred to as “high tea”. This tea is considered a heavier and more gastronomically filling tea event, and consists of three courses: 
  1. Savories, such as finger sandwiches, appetizers, avocado sandwiches or more modern fusion foods, as well as bite size snack foods, including quiche, a variety of cheeses and seasoned nuts.
  2. Scones served with jam and clotted cream.
  3. Sweets such as cookies, shortbread, cake slices, cupcakes, small cakes, tarts and pastries. In more modern times this course also serves fruit concoctions.
• Champagne Tea is also actually a full afternoon tea served with a glass of champagne – something we don’t see very often in Sri Lanka. But we do see this at more high-end hotels found around the world, especially in London.