It's called Afternoon Tea NOT High Tea

[herbgeek]

My personal pet peeve: when people refer to afternoon tea and call it High Tea, thinking that the High refers to High Society or High Class. High Tea is actually supper, not in the afternoon, the high refers to the table. A high table is a kitchen table, as opposed to the coffee table (low table) used for afternoon tea. High Tea usually includes a hearty meat dish as well.

That pet peeve out of the way, are there any fans of afternoon tea? I love to have those itty bitty sandwiches and scones. I have a whole collection of recipes and fun ways to prepare things for tea, but I don't have any girlfriends who are really into this. I once worked at a place and a co-worker and I would end the week with a pot of tea and often some goodies in the lunchroom. Styrofoam was not allowed, you had to bring a real cup if you attended. We wound up attracting a few others, and I made some good friends that I might not otherwise have made.

A sort-of local herb farm did a couple of teas last year that I attended that were completely over the top with the variety of items and well executed preparation. They did a nice twist on the cucumber sandwich, where they spread some herbed cream cheese on white bread that had the crusts removed. The bread had the point/corner facing up, and they placed cucumber spears and red pepper sticks vertically- they then rolled up the sandwich and cut it in 2 pieces at the horizontal. It looked like a beautiful flower arrangement, but it was fairly simple to assemble once you knew the trick.

I've done tea at the Ritz in Boston, at the Grand Floridian at DisneyWorld and a few other places that I forget the names of. My poor husband is a good sport when I ask him to go when we are on vacation. I know its not his thing, though, and it takes away a little of my excitement.

[cdttmm]

I love afternoon tea. There is a great tea shop on Cape Cod that I love to go to and have tea and scones with clotted cream. Yum!!!

[Float On]

I'm a fan. And I'd accept an invitation anytime......except I don't make it to New England very often anymore.

[Nella]

I love having tea, especially when I get to travel to London. (I'm such an Anglophile geek!) Best place I've ever had afternoon tea there is in the restaurant/pub attached to the art museum on Trafalgar Square. It's lovely. Unfortunatley, here at home in Denver, there are fewer and fewer places to have a nice tea. A group of friends and I go occaisonally to different shops around town and the front range. Most fun one is in Ft. Lupton at the historical fort pioneer house. Least memorable, and not in the least worth attending, is the much touted one at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver. Way over priced and not really very tasty.

Long live English black tea, scones and clotted cream!

[treehugger]

I agree with your pet peeve and your appreciation of afternoon tea.

I have a group of friends who meet once a year for a holiday tea at someone's house. Everyone brings something savory or sweet to share, but we have strict “afternoon tea” parameters. We do eat at a high table, because that’s where everyone (12 people) fits best, but I still consider it afternoon tea for all the other reasons you mentioned. The hostess brews different types of tea and we pass the pots around the table. We also have prosecco.  This group used to go out to tea (at a tea shop, a hotel, etc.) but we have decided we like it at home better. Much cozier (and less expensive!). Last year I made soft rolls and served them with curry chicken salad tucked inside.
2.5 years ago, I traveled to Victoria, B.C., with 5 dear friends and we had afternoon tea at the Empress. What an event!

My mom loves afternoon tea as well, and she and I have tea every year at the Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco.

Kara

[razz]

A group of us decided to have an afternoon tea, sort of a tea tasting, where they brought their cup and saucer, ate tiny sandwiches plus other usual homemade afternoon tea goodies. It is still talked about as a special event. Have you considered a 'tea tasting' afternoon tea event?

[Gregg]

Tea newbie here. I just started to gain an appreciation of tea this winter when a very nice tea shop opened up not far from us. Who knew Celestial Seasonings wasn't the end all, be all? I am an absolute lover of iced tea on a hot afternoon. No ceremony, but refreshing none the less. I'm curious, are there any traditions involving cold tea from warmer climates or elsewhere or could I be flogged and sent to the gallows for suggesting such a thing?

[Merski]

OOOh! I like this thread! Went to a lemon tea a few weeks ago and we all made lemony desserts from lemons that was sent to the hostess from her mother's trees in California. I made scones and lemon marmalade (which I will make again if given more of those lovely lemons). Nice cups and Saucers of various patterns, which I found exciting. Can't say enough about it.

[Mighty Frugal]

I love afternoon tea!! My old boyfriend (I was with him for almost a decade) was English and would talk about 'cream teas' mmmm..that just sounded so yummy. He said it was in reference too the clotted cream they used on the scones (the word 'clotted' is not very appetizing...I like cream tea better)

Not sure if this is a regional thing (he was from Southhampton) but when we would visit there we would always go for 'cream tea' yum.

[iris lily]

We have a place downtown only about 2 blocks from where I work called "The London Tea Room" yet do ya think I ever go there!!!!??? I like having it there, I just don't spend money on lunch out or snacks or the like.

I tip I learned some years ago was when you go to a major city, have tea in the old ritzy hotel of the city, every city has THE hotel (and some large European cities have more than one.) We went to the, was it The Oriental ? in Bangkok and the--? in Hong Kong. I remember that the Oriental was nothing special to look at, I think that they were remodeling, but the one in Hong Kong was very nice.