Finger sandwiches, scones and sipping tea from bone china have long been enshrined as a British ritual. But a tradition once seen as the preserve of older generations as well as the upper and middle classes is finding a new audience.
As sales of afternoon tea hampers soar, more and more hotels, restaurants and cafes are creating their own offerings, with some offering increasingly experimental menus. Surveys show the app is becoming more popular among young people, inspired in part by how it looks on social media.
Cafes and hotels near family attractions offer programs with themes such as Peter Rabbit, Paddington Bear and science experiments. Adults can enjoy more sophisticated options with smoked trout tea after an art tour of Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud and Bruegel at places like the Fife Arms, an Aberdeenshire hotel run by the owners of London’s Hauser & Wirth gallery. , ham with Arran mustard and warm cross choux bun.
Benugo, which operates cafes and restaurants in museums and historical buildings such as Westminster Abbey and Edinburgh Castle, is launching its first afternoon tea, consisting of dinosaur footprint macarons and ammonite cookies, at the Natural History Museum this month.
Benugo founder Ben Warner said the royal family had brought new popularity to the tradition. “We have noticed a huge increase in people wanting to book afternoon tea during and after the Queen’s anniversary in 2022 and King Charles’ coronation in 2023, and not just from overseas visitors,” he said. “Major increases since then have included Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.”
This isn’t just a middle-aged or middle-class tradition, either. A survey of 2,000 people by One Poll for Jing Tea found that 43% of 25 to 34-year-olds celebrate their birthday with a trip for tea and sandwiches. Companies such as Fortnum & Mason offer tea baskets that can be delivered as gifts. Searches for these treats are up 600% on Waitrose.com, while sales of afternoon tea hampers are up 80% year-on-year at Marks & Spencer.
M&S hamper product developer Sarah Taylor said: “Customers don’t just see afternoon tea as a tradition; It is an opportunity for us to take some time for ourselves. My favorite is our pink prosecco afternoon tea hamper, which includes Devon scones, pastel macarons with strawberry jam and Cornish cream, red velvet cake, golden tea and a bottle of Bellante rosé prosecco… [it’s] An Instagram-worthy spread.
Warner thinks social media has helped popularize afternoon tea, with its photogenic “colourful cakes, elegant teapots and even a glass of celebratory bubbles”. He said the restaurant at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is introducing a tea to celebrate the Color Revolution exhibition, which features beetroot bread, matcha and strawberry battenberg cake.
This may seem like a surprising luxury during a cost-of-living crisis and when the hospitality industry faces extraordinarily difficult times. But for hotels and restaurants, it is easy to prepare a pre-ordered meal served in two sittings when dining rooms will be empty. For clients, this is an event meal, often held at a special location where they might not otherwise be able to dine.
Warner noted that customers often opt for afternoon tea rather than an expensive lunch, and that frugality is always at the heart of the meal.
“It originated among the wealthy in the late 18th century,” said food historian Annie Gray. “Though there is no truth in the dull legend of invention that it was invented by the Duchess of Bedford.” Duchess Anna Maria Russell is said to have started the tradition of receiving afternoon tea, bread, butter and cake around 1840.
“It was coded as middle-class food by writers in the last quarter of the 19th century,” Gray said. “In the early days of car tourism between the wars it became very popular as a cheap way to refuel, especially on holidays. Because it retains the scent of aristocratic origins, it has a cachet that can easily be used to market it to a new audience.
Opinions vary on how innovative afternoon tea should be. A 2023 survey by Tesco found that 20% of respondents believed cold cuts would improve the situation; perhaps he was confusing this event with the very distinctive English meal of afternoon tea and the hot meal eaten in the early evening. 32% recommended cocktails and 17% recommended hummus.
Gray, author The Greedy Queen: Dining with Victoria, feels the dish should live up to its origins, even if it doesn’t involve the Duchess of Bedford. “Cakes and sandwiches should be quite soft, reflecting the feminine stereotypes of the 19th century in which they were invented. I was once served a spring onion sandwich for afternoon tea at Claridge’s. I was paralyzed with anger.