Our Indian Afternoon Tea was inspired by the book "Tea Parties Around the World" by Tea Time Magazine. This book is fantastic and is full of recipes for themed afternoon teas as well as suitable tea pairings. We adapted some of the recipes and served our Indian teas from The London Drum tea collection.
If you are wanting a bright, colourful and flavoursome afternoon tea, an Indian themed tea is the perfect choice. Your everyday teaware can be used, you only need bright flowers and a nice tablecloth to really set the scene.
Remember to have milk available for the Masala Chai, as well as jaggery or honey for those who like a sweetened Masala Chai. 

 India grows some of the worlds most globally acclaimed tea, so naturally, serving Indian grown tea just makes sense! What we served:
INDIAN MASALA CHAI is probably the most well known Indian style of tea and a favourite for many people, Blended with an bold Assam tea base with the addition of ginger, cinnamon, clove, cardamom and peppercorn, Indian Masala Chai is warming, smooth and very flavoursome. It pairs very well with any style of Indian food and in this case, paired perfectly with our Nankha Tai Cookies. Delicious black and unsweetened or equally delicious simmered with any style of milk and the addition of jaggery or honey.
DARJEELING MARGARET'S HOPE Darjeeling teas are famous worldwide for its unique characteristics. Lighter than most black tea, Darjeeling Margaret's Hope is picked later in the season, imparting the muscatel and apricot flavours this tea is famous for. This tea is best served without milk due to its lighter nature and pairs well with the Pistachio and Rose Scones.
​ASSAM DIKOM Assam teas are famous for their bold malt notes and robust flavour. This tea perfectly stands up to strong tasting foods like the Curried Egg Sandwiches and the Chocolate, Date and Coconut Tarts. While delicious without milk, this tea also takes well to milk. 

As always, refer to the label or our website tea page for the reccommended brewing instructions.

As previously mentioned, these recipes are an adaption from the book "Tea Parties Around The World". We used our base Scone Recipe with the addition of a few ingredients, omitted the ginger in the Chocolate and Date Tarts and added egg to our curried sandwiches. Here we go..

Serves 4 people (makes 8 slices)

INGREDIENTS
8 slices of your choice of sliced soft bread (we used white)
4 eggs, hard boiled
2 teaspoons of curry powder
1/4 cup of natural greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons of chopped corriander leaves
Pinch of salt

1. In a small sized bowl, mash the eggs, set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, stir the yoghurt, curry powder, corriander and salt with a spoon until combined. Add the mashed egg and stir together until all of the egg is coated in the yoghurt mixture.
3. Spoon mixture evenly over 4 of the bread slices, using a butter knife to spread evenly over each slice.
4. Place a plain slice of bread over top of each egg mixture slice and using a serated knife, carefully slice off the crusts and slice each sandwich into 2 rectangles.
​

Serves 8 (makes 8 whole scones)
Cook time: approx 12 minutes

​INGREDIENTS
2 cups SR triple sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tb spoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons food-grade dried rose petals
1/4 cup finely ground pistachios
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
Garnish: ground pistachios and rose petals
​Serve: orange marmalade

1. Pre-heat oven to 220 C
2. Sift flour, add pistachio and salt into a bowl together.
3. Rub butter into flour mixture using fingertips
4. Add rose petals, mix into a soft dough with the milk using figertips (do not over mix)
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until just combined and smooth
6. Roll out the dough to approx 2 cm thick and cut shapes using a round cookie cutter
7. Arrange on the tray (the further apart, the crustier the outer will be) and glaze with milk
8. Place above the middle tray in the oven and bake for approx 12 mins or until a light golden brown colour 
9. Lift onto cake cooler (scones do not need to be cool to add icing)
10. With a spoon, mix the cream and icing sugar in a small bowl. Use a spoon to spread icing mixture on each scone. Sprinkle scones with rose petals and pistachio.
11. Serve with orange marmalade

Makes 12
Approx 12 minutes cooking time

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup super fine caster sugar
1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter), soft
2 tablespoons ful-fat greek yoghurt
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup chickpea flour (gram flour)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Note: Splash of milk may be needed if mixture becomes too dry

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. In a food processor, cream the sugar, ghee and yoghurt until fluffy
3. Add the flours, baking powder, bicarb soda, cardamom and nutmeg until combined (should resemble coarse bread crumbs). If too coarse to come together, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until correct consistency.
4. Shape doughinto a ball, cover in glad wrap and refridgerate for 30 minutes
5. Line a baking sheet with baking paper
6. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin 
7. Using a cookie cutter, cut cookie dough (you should get around 12 cookies).
8. Using a metal spatula, carefully lift the cookies onto the baking tray, leaving a space of about 2cm between cookies.
9. Place an almond into the centre of the cookie dough. Be careful not to press too hard or you might break the dough.
10. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, approximately 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 14

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup pitted Medjool dates, divided
150 grams of 75% dark chocolate, chopped and divided
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup coconut cream (not milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish: whipped cream, grated chocolate, fresh raspberries, mint sprigs.

1. Lightly grease 14 small silicone moulds (mini sized muffins)
2. In a medium sized bowl, cover 1/2 cup of the dates with warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Using a small glass or metal bowl, melt half of the chocolate by resting the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Stir until melted.
4. In a food processor bowl, pulse together soaked dates and almonds until finely ground. Add the melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt processing until incorporated.
5. Divide the date mixture among the moulds and freeze until firm.
6. In a medium saucepan, heat together coconut cream, 1 tablespoon coconut oil and remaining chocolate until the chocolate melts.
7. In a food processor, process together the chocolate mixture, vanilla, 1/4 cup dates and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth.
8. Divide chocolate mixture among the frozen date shells and freeze for at least 2 hours. 
9. Remove from mould while still frozen, let thaw for 30 minutes before serving.
10. Garnish with cream, raspberries, chocolate and mint!

There you have it! A delicious Indian Afternoon Tea for friends or family! Happy sipping!
Remember to share your Indian Afternoon Tea moments on our Facebook Page album!

​Kristy

 Devonshire Tea, also known as Cream Tea, is deeply embedded in Australian afternoon tea culture. 
Some sources reveal that scones have been around since the 1500's, with Scotland being the original maker of these delicious breads. Those of us with a British, Scottish or Irish heritage probably enjoyed our first warm freshly baked scone with home made jam and thick cream (with a cup of milky tea), at our grandparents house as children.
​We are keeping this delicious Australian tea time family tradition going with this guide to putting on your own Devonshire Tea at home! The main thing to remember here is to keep it simple. 
You do not need fancy tea ware to put on a nice afternoon tea. You only need your favourite tea and a few staple items to make scones.
You can even make a batch of this scone recipe and freeze them ready for unexpected guests!

You might think that the tea choice doesn't matter, but there are some basic food pairing rules that should be considered when choosing tea for your scones. Here are the teas we recently served with our Devonshire Tea and why:
ENGLISH BREAKFAST is a full bodied tea, traditionally blended to replace ale as the morning bevereage. Blended to be stronger in flavour and tanin, it is able to take milk and to cut through hevier foods such as bread and cream. 
EARL GREY is made with a Ceylon tea base, making it lighter in strength yet strong enough in flavour to accompany the scone with cream. Earl Grey has the addition of bergamot oil, giving a fresh citrus flavour to the tea. Citrus pairs well with berries (the jam).  
As always, tea is best seved pre-strained to avoid bitterness when sharing a larger teapot, but can be strained by the guest to their liking if using one person teapots. Please follow the brewing instructions on the tea label to ensure the best cup of tea!

Our scone recipe is adapted from the book 'Cookery the Australian Way' 2nd edition, 1974. Very few ingredients are needed for this recipe, making them easy to throw together in a pinch. Bakers tip: scones should be baked on a high shelf in the oven, on high heat to get a nice crust. This is a foundation scone recipe, one which can be added to if you would like to make flavoured scones in the future like dates or cheese and onion for example.
Here is our adapted recipe:

Makes 12
Temp: 220 C

INGREDIENTS
2 cups SR triple sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tb spoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp natural vanilla essence

1. Pre-heat oven
2. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.
3. Rub butter into flour and salt using fingertips
4. Mix into a soft dough with milk and vanilla essence
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until just combined and smooth
6. Roll out the dough to approx 2 cm thick and cut shapes using a round cookie cutter
7. Arrange on the tray (the further apart, the crustier the outer will be) and glaze with milk
8. Place above the middle tray in the oven and bake for approx 12 mins or until a light golden brown colour 
9. Lift onto cake cooler

THE RASPBERRY JAM
Want to make your own jam? Follow the recipe below - you only need two ingredients!

INGREDIENTS
500g raspberries (fresh of frozen)
2 cups of sugar

1. Put raspberries in a pan over a low heat and mash until the pulp begins to boil
2. Slowly begin adding the sugar to the pulp mixture by pouring in a steady stream as you continuously stir the mixture until it has boiled for around another 3 minutes
3. Cool before bottling  

And of course, serve with thickened cream! (Stay tuned for a future recipe on making clotted cream)

We hope you enjoy using these recipes and tea preparing tips. Devonshire tea really is one of the most fuss-free ways to spend time with the family over the weekend.
​Put the kettle on and enjoy the moment!

Kristy

​

We love a good reason for a themed afternoon tea; and nothing seems more appropriate than Easter. Why? There is something alluring about warm toasted hot-cross buns with softened butter, creamy milk chocolate and hot tea; They combine indulgently to make a comfort food heaven. If you are anything like me, tea, baked goods and chocolate are go-to comfort foods, and they all just happen to be 'in-season' at Easter time. 

"Keemun Mao Feng black tea is the perfect cup for this Easter afternoon tea with it's notes of chocolate, fruit and nut"
​
We were up bright and early this morning to ensure our White Chocolate and Raisin Hot-Cross Buns were ready in time for afternoon tea. Hot-cross buns are not the most simple bun to make. The bun dough requires a 'hard' flour and yeast and also requires resting time of two hours before baking, so ensure you start the process a few hours before the buns are required. We used a recipe from one of our favourite recipe books and altered to include white chocolate. You can of course omit the chocolate and replace with mixed peel or candied ginger.
The best tea to serve with an Easter sweet-feast should be a black tea that is robust and able to cleanse the palate between bites. Keemun Mao Feng black tea is the perfect cup for this Easter afternoon tea with it's notes of chocolate, fruit and nut.

​ Makes 16
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
1/3 cup caster sugar
625 g hard white flour (bread or pizza flour works)
1 teaspoon ground all spice
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1 cup warm milk
100 g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200 g raisins
150 g white chocolate chips

Glaze
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Cross Dough
60 g plain flour

1. Place warm water in a bowl and sprinkle with the yeast and a pinch of the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Leave in a draught-free area for 10 minutes until frothing.
2.  Combine the flour, spices and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a bowl and set aside
3. Combine the milk, butter, remaining sugar, eggs and 1 cup of the flour mixture with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the yeast mixture, raisins and white chocolate and stir. Add the remaining flour mixture and knead for 5 minutes until the mixture comes together. 
4. Transfer the dough to a bowl and coat lightly in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a draught-free place for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The mixture will raise and become airy.

5. Knock back the dough by punching it then turn out onto a floured surface. Press the dough lightly into a flat square shape and use a large knife to slice through the dough four time vertically, then 4 times horizontally, making a checker-board pattern and 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place in the baking tray about 4cm apart from the next. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C. To make the glaze, combine the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small pot. Boil over a high heat until sugar is disolved.
7. To prepare the cross dough, put the flour in a bowl and add 60 ml of water, stirring to form a dough. Roll out to 2mm thin and slice with a knife into long thing strips. Place two strips over each bun to form a cross. 
8. Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until golden brown . Brush with the sugar glaze.

​

A black tea with body will work perfectly with this Easter Afternoon Tea. Keemun Mao Feng is the perfect partner for this afternoon tea recipe as it delivers a smooth cup that is full bodied enough to cleanse the palate between bites. It also adds to the experience by complimenting some of the flavours found in the hot-cross buns and the chocolate. This is one of our favourite black teas, so it was a no-brainer to enjoy it this Easter.

1. Warm the teapot by filling with freshly boiled water. Let sit for 1 minute, then discard.
2. Place 3 grams of the tea (per person) into a teapot. Smell the beautiful aromas from the tea leaves against the warm pot!
3. Bring the kettle to the boil. Let the water sit for 30 seconds (95 C is ideal) and then pour the freshly boiled water over the tea leaves. About 200 ml of water per person is enough.
4. Let the tea infuse in the warmed teapot for 2 -3 minutes, then strain into cups 
5. Keemun Mao Feng is best enjoyed without milk, but of course- this is your cuppa, so enjoy as you please!
Don't throw out the tea leaves as you can re-infuse them for a second pot!

There's still one day left of the Easter weekend, so grab your apron, your tea cups and invite the family over!
  

​

Japanese Genmaicha may not be on the top of the list of teas to try for many people. However, Genmaicha can add an interesting and tasty element to your next Japanese culinary experience.
Genmaicha, also sometimes known as 'popcorn tea' or 'rice tea' is essentially Japanese green tea (usually sencha, bancha, or a mixture of both), blended with roasted rice grains, which sometimes pop into little pieces that look like popcorn - hence the name 'popcorn tea'. 
In Japan, rice was first added to the tea as a filler for those who couldn't afford the high price of tea. The roasted rice was added to the household tea stash, making the tea ration last longer, and became the 'people's tea'. Genmaicha is still enjoyed by the masses today, for it's fresh yet savoury taste.
The main tasting notes you should expect to find in Genmaicha tea include spinach, fresh grass, nut, popcorn and butter.
So, how can Genmaicha change your next dining experience?

Genmaicha is certainly more than a tea. 
Genmaicha can be used as an appetizer-
The thick mouthfeel and savoury flavour of the tea makes it the perfect miso soup replacement to start off a traditional Japanese meal.
It can be used as a soup base -
Try adding fried shiitake mushrooms and fresh sliced ginger to the tea as it is brewing, for a flavoursome, fresh and full bodied soup.
It can be used to coat tofu -
Grind the Genmaicha in a grinder and mix with fine breadcrumbs or polenta. Use this mix to coat your tofu before frying, for a tasty and crispy dish.
It can be an accompaniment -
Simply sip the tea between bites alongside your favourite Japanese cuisine.

If you have not yet tried Genmaicha, we recommend you give it a go! It will change the way you look at Japanese food, and tea!

​Enjoy!!

Who doesn't love lemon in a cake? Lemon is such a refreshing flavour in dessert that it almost makes it feel less heavy (and less naughty). The sweet tang of the lemon in this Lemon Delicious recipe is beautifully offset by the addition of heavy pouring cream. We suggest enjoying this beautiful dessert while still warm from the oven (as we did).
Tea is by far the best beverage to enjoy with sweet foods; and this time we decided to keep things simple by pairing like with like. In other words, citrus with citrus.
Earl Grey, the black tea which is traditionally scented with oil of bergamot, is highly aromatic, medium in strength and with slight astringency, making it perfect alongside sweets. Earl Grey may be enjoyed with or without milk and should be sipped between bites to refresh the palate. 
Our Earl Grey and Lemon Delicious pairing is best served in the quiet of the day, with a book.
   

70 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
185 g sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 eggs, separated
30 g SR flour
185 ml milk
80 ml lemon juice
icing sugar, to dust
double heavy cream, to serve

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Use a small amount of melted butter to grease a 1.25 litre baking dish (ovenproof ceramic is best).
2. Using an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a glass bowl until light and creamy. 
3. Gradually ad the egg yolks, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the flour and milk alternately to make a smooth but runny batter. Stir in the lemon juice.
5. Whisk the egg whites in a dry bowl until firm peaks form, and with a large metal spoon, fold a third of the whites into the batter. Gently fold the remaining egg whites, being careful not to overmix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and place into a large roasting tin. Pour enough hot water into the tin (not the mixture!) to come one-third of the way up the side of the dish.
7. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the top of the pudding is golden, risen and firm to the touch. *Keep an eye on the pudding as it cooks- as you can see, we may have left ours in a little long (it was still delicious!).
8. Leave for 5 minutes before serving. This is a good time to begin preparing your tea (see below). Dust with icing sugar and serve with the heavy cream.

PREPARING THE EARL GREY TEA
1. Warm your teapot by pouring freshly boiled water into it and let sit for 1 minute. Discard.
2. Using a metric teaspoon, measure 1 heaped teaspoon (per person) into your favourite teapot.
3. Pour around 250 ml or 1 cup of freshly boiled water (per person) into the teapot. Let the tea leaves infuse for 3-4 minutes, depending on your desired level of strength.
4. Strain the tea into your teacups or mugs.
5. Take your Lemon Delicious, your cup of tea and your current book to the couch. Sip and enjoy!
. 

​

 There is a good reason we married the flavours of banana and chamomile in this recipe - they taste great together! 
Have you ever explained the taste of chamomile tea as 'creamy'? Do you add honey to your chamomile tea? Do you smell the dried chamomile flowers and think 'ripe bananas'? This recipe takes traditional banana cake to new levels with overly-sweet ripe bananas and dried chamomile flower.
To really infuse the chamomile flavour into the cake, we need to do more than just add chamomile flower to the mixture. We take the milk in this recipe, add our chamomile flower, simmer in the milk on the stove and let cool in the fridge for an hour before adding to the recipe. We even add the now-soft chamomile flower to the mix!
The result? A wonderful tea-time treat!
​

Very ripe bananas work best in any banana cake recipe. Our bananas were ripened before being frozen for many weeks, leaving them very soft and very sweet!

RECIPE
Serves 8

Ingredients
125 g unsalted butter, softened
115 g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
150 mls milk
4 tablespoons of dried Chamomile flowers
250 g SR flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
​Coconut/nuts for topping

Butter Frosting
125 g unsalted butter, softened
90 g icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Start with preparing the chamomile milk. Pour the milk into a small pot, add the chamomile and bring to a simmer. Simmer the chamomile in the milk for approximately 5 minutes. Sit in the fridge until it cools.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 .C. Lightly grease a small cake tin and line with baking paper.
3. Cream the sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a small bowl until light and creamy. Add the beaten eggs slowly, ensuring to mix thoroughly after each addition. Then add the banana and and vanilla and continue to mix until combined.
4. Once the chamomile milk has cooled, dissolve the bicarb soda into the milk. Using a metal spoon, gently fold the sifted flour and cinnamon alternately with the chamomile milk into the mixture. Be sure to add some, or all of the chamomile flower into the mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are just combined and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula.
5. Bake for 1  hour, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean and not sticky. Once cooked, leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, than turn out onto a wire rack for cooling. 
6. To make the frosting, beat the butter, icing sugar and lemon juice using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread over the cooled cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut and almonds.

'Smoky' is not usually a flavour we would associate with a sweet iced tea, especially a milky tea. But trust us- this iced tea will surprise you. 
We formally introduce you to our own recipe, the Austin Iced Tea: A smooth and creamy tea that is both sweet and smoky, sweetened with Canadian maple syrup and finished with a pouring of milk, over ice.
One of our favourite things to do is find new ways of enjoying tea, and one of the seeming harder teas to work with is Lapsang Souchong. 
Lapsang Souchong is a black tea from the Wuyi Mountain area of Fujian province China. The tea leaves are smoked over a pine wood fire, imparting a deep smoky aroma and flavour. A very versatile tea, Lapsang Souchong can also be used as a natural seasoning in the culinary world.
So, this weekend we decided to try a new way of enjoying Lapsang Souchong, and surprised even ourselves with how well this iced tea recipe worked!

Recipe Makes 1 glass

INGREDIENTS
3/4 glass of ice
1/2 cup of pre-brewed Lapsang Souchong tea
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of Canadian maple syrup

TO MAKE THE TEA BASE:
3 teaspoons of Lapsang Souchong tea
1 1/2 cups of freshly boiled water
Steep the tea for 4 minutes, then cool in the fridge
(you may have left over tea base, keep for another drink!)

METHOD: Build
For this Austin Iced Tea, you are simply building the ingredients over ice. 
Start with the tea base, followed by the maple syrup. We pour the milk last, so you can control the amount and because it looks beautiful whirl-pooling with the tea!
Be sure to give it a quick stir, so the maple syrup does not settle to the bottom.

Most of all, enjoy!!!

Platters full of exquisite pastries, dense scones with cream and finger sandwiches, all adorned with silver tea ware and fine bone china cups. This may be what we call ‘high tea’ today; but this was not the case a century ago.
In this post, we will be taking a quick trip to England, as a part of our “Tea service around the world” articles. England has a number of tea service styles, so I will be giving a brief overview of service types in this article and will delve deeper into British tea service etiquette in a follow up post. Let us begin with the most famous;

“High Tea”
Today’s tea houses offering high tea service will likely serve highly decorated two or three tier platters with warm savouries, dense scones and exquisitely colourful sweet treats; Often served alongside more than one choice of tea, poured from an elegant glass teapot. What we have here is actually called Afternoon Tea, or the historically named, “Low Tea”.
So, if the fancy service often served between 3 and 5pm isn’t high tea, then what exactly IS high tea?
During the 1800’s in England, High Tea was a meal, served later in the day, and always consisted of meat and bread with butter. Not fancy meat pastries and artisan breads- just meat and bread, often served cold, with a pot of strong boiled tea. The type and amount of food was dependant upon the families budget, but ‘high tea’ was very common among poorer families. For those who could afford it, the spread may have consisted of bacon, fish, potatoes, eggs and cheese. It was served at around 5:30 or 6:00pm in the afternoon, a welcomed meal for the working class. It was called ‘high tea’ because the meal was served on high tables and chairs (at the supper table) and was also referred to as ‘meat tea’. It was often the largest meal of the day and would be what we now call ‘dinner’.
Have you ever wondered why some Australian’s call the evening dinner meal ‘tea’?
This might be thanks to our British ancestors, describing their evening meal simply as, ‘tea’.
  “Afternoon Tea”
Afternoon Tea or ‘Low Tea’- the tea service we mistakenly now call high tea.
The practice of serving tea in the afternoons is given credit to Anna Maria, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, during the early 1840’s. To stave off hunger pains caused by the long wait between Luncheon and the evening meal, which was becoming more fashionably later in the evenings, Lady Bedford requested tea and bread with butter be brought to her bedchamber at 5:00pm. She later began inviting close friends to her bedchamber to share tea with her, and thus, the ritual of ‘afternoon tea’ among the elite was born. By the late 1840’s, afternoon tea with elegant cups and saucers, held in the drawing rooms of grand houses, became very vogue. The practice of afternoon tea didn’t spread to the lower classes until the mid 1860’s and early 1870’s and was often a less extravagant affair, but still an important part of a lady’s day. Afternoon tea was almost always served on less formal, yet more comfortable low chairs and tables (much like what we would now call a ‘coffee table’), hence why it was also referred to a ‘low tea’.
As described in Mrs. Beeton’s 1879 Book of Household Management;
“The afternoon tea signifies little more than tea with bread and butter, and a few elegant trifles in the way of cake and fruit. This meal is simply to enable a few friends to meet and talk comfortably and quietly”.
Of course, as expected since the 1800’s, afternoon tea has evolved to focus more on food, offering fancy pastries, artisan breads and decadent sweets showered with chocolate, fruits and flower petals.
Although many modern tea houses will serve their afternoon tea with glass teapots and heavy crockery, traditionally afternoon tea should be served with fine china cups and saucers, silver cutlery, bowls and serving utensils and a silver teapot. The service is very formal and might be referred to as “Queen’s Tea”. We will cover this type of tea service in a later post.

“Cream Tea” or “Devonshire Tea”
Cream Tea, or Devonshire Tea is a much lighter affair than Afternoon Tea and traditionally only consists of tea, scones, jam and cream. The cream served with Devonshire tea is not just any whipped or aerated cream from a can, but clotted cream. Clotted cream is a crusty yellow cream, hailing from southwestern England, where the rich pastures enabled the cows to produce richer milk with a higher fat content. Devonshire Cream was produced in the county of Devon, while Cornish Cream came from the county of Cornwall. Although made in different counties, both are referred to as clotted cream. The biggest divider between the counties is whether the jam or the cream is placed on the scone first.

“Strawberry Tea”
Strawberry Tea is another take on Cream Tea. It includes tea, scones, jam, clotted cream and fresh strawberries.

“Elevenses” or “Morning Tea”
Morning Tea as it is known to Australian’s, is known as “Elevenses” in England.  To some, it is even called “second breakfast”.  Regardless of what it’s called, the meaning is the same; a mid-morning break for refreshments. This mid-morning break comes after breakfast and before lunch  (at eleven o’clock), and is a very casual affair, usually consisting of tea (not coffee) and biscuits, small cakes or pastries. Stick with the comforting classics though.  Ginger biscuits, anyone?
Elevenses is thought to have come about during the 1830’s, where it has been referenced along with “fourses”, as additional times to take tea during the day.
In a follow up post, we will be looking at tea service etiquette for both Afternoon Tea and Devonshire Tea. ​

In 2017 we started a blog page to capture all of our tea related adventures. 
https://thelondondrumblog.wordpress.com/

We will be moving the old AND NEW blog posts right here to our website so you can find all of our tea recipes and ideas in one place, right here on our website.

We hope you enjoy what we have to share with you!
​