All About High Tea
What is high tea?
"High tea" commonly refers to an afternoon tea of sandwiches, savouries, sweets and scones. These morsels are served on tiered stands and are accompanied by a pot of loose-leaf tea. Many variations exist, with venues offering champagne, coffee, themed menus and buffets. But whatever it involves, most people enjoy the rituals of high tea as a brief respite from our hectic modern lives.
How did it begin?
There is much debate about the origins of high tea, with many references to the Duchess of Bedford, who is said to have started the fashion of inviting friends over for an afternoon meal of sandwiches, sweets and tea. Whether or not this is true, by the late 19th century a refined afternoon tea was all the rage for entertaining one's guests.
Ironically, what was at first called "low tea" — an elegant tea served on a low table in the early afternoon — we now call high tea. And what was originally called "high tea" — an evening meal of meat, bread, cakes and tea — is more akin to what we now call dinner.
What is involved in a traditional high tea?
In a traditional high tea, the following items are served:
- Loose leaf black tea brewed in a teapot
- Crustless sandwiches, cut into either triangles or fingers
- Scones, served with jam and cream
- Small sweets, such as cupcakes and slices
The food items are served on a tiered stand, and eaten off china plates with silver cutlery. The tea is poured into china teacups with milk and sugar offered on the side.
High Tea Etiquette
Being an elegant affair, high tea requires certain etiquette. The following are suggestions of how to keep your high tea at the height of good manners and sophistication:
- Maintain good posture, and keep your elbows off the table!
- Begin with the sandwiches at the bottom of the stand, and work up
- Using your right hand, place food onto your plate, before cutting small pieces for eating
- Never cut scones — break them; spread jam on first and then the cream
- As much you would like to, don't lick your fingers!