What is High Tea?

I've heard you speaking of cooking tea so I surmised thats supper, but what is High Tea or Afternoon Tea?

Re: What is High Tea?

Ah, now that's what you have if you are 'posh' or of a 'certain age' - or if you just want a somewhat expensive treat.

China cups, saucers and plates.

Sandwiches with the crusts cut off and cut into triangles. A selection of dainty cakes and linen napkins to delicately remove any stray crumbs. All these goodies served on a tiered cake stand.

Tea has to be Lapsang Souchong (sp?) or a similar high quality variety.

Needless to say, I ain't 'ad a 'high tea' - I don't even drink tea!

Gwyn

Re: What is High Tea?

Afternoon tea: a meal taken about 4:00pm, usually involving dainty sandwiches, cakes, biscuits. Served in the drawing room/sitting room.
It would be followed by Dinner about 8:00pm.

High tea: a meal taken about 6:00pm, usually involving salads, cold meats etc., served in the dining room before going out - to the theatre or cinema.
Followed by supper whenever you arrived home again.

Re: What is High Tea?

Mmmmmm, I'm getting hungry.

I was so enticed by a thread regarding mugs or teacups here, that I went & bought a cute little teapot & china cup with saucer. Second hand of course AND they don't match, ha ha but I love having my tea like that now, ha ha.

Re: What is High Tea?

My son bought me a gift card for Christmas for afternoon tea for two.

I have just booked to go with a friend in a few weeks' time .... here's the link for the venue (the only one within reasonable travelling distance)

http://www.heylittlecupcake.co.uk/

Re: What is High Tea?

To be honest AC, I'm as confused as you are about the terms used for different meals!
There's breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper.
Some have their dinner at lunchtime, or some cook their dinner at tea time.
Some have a tea at teatime (which isn't a cooked meal) others still, like their dinner at supper time.

High tea is making a comeback, with lots of little shops opening up selling high teas. A friend of a friend has opened one, with all sorts of mis-matched blue and white china, pretty table cloths and napkins .. she is doing a roaring trade, especially to tourists.

Re: What is High Tea?

I went for tea with my Steampunk friends to The Alchemist's Tea Emporium in Wells, it don't get more "tea" than that, one of the topics of conversation was "tea dueling" (it wasn't really but it should have been. They sell every sort of tea you can imagine!

Re: What is High Tea?

I always believed that 'afternoon' tea was merely a cup of tea, or two, served with dainty finger sandwiches and tiny individual cakes; whereas 'high' tea was of a more 'substantial' nature, a bit more than 'afternoon' tea, but still quite a light meal, not quite enough to be considered a proper dinner, maybe something on toast, or as said earlier a salad, pork pie maybe, with perhaps more substantial portions of cake/fruit pie.

Re: What is High Tea?

Many years ago when I spent a year at a residential college, 'high tea' was Sunday's suppertime meal - a full sit down knife & fork meal around 6.30pm, but we still had a pile of sandwiches brought to us as supper about 9.00pm. I never ate so well as that year I spent at college. In the first 3 months I managed to gain a stone (14Lbs) in weight.

Re: What is High Tea?

Tea is what pommies used to call their evening meal at about 6pm (or did when I was growing up there 50 years ago) they would then have a small snack for supper before going to bed

Afternoon tea was just a tea and bikkie (or perhaps a piece of cake) whereas High Tea involved more of a meal usually involving visitors or a special occasion.

Dinner was at midday (ish)

I suspect it has all changed now probably more like Australia where lunch is midday and dinner is in the evening but I don't know for sure.