High Tea

I remember having high tea as a child, at a restaurant in town with my parents before going on to the theatre. That was in the 50s in Scotland, always thought of it as a special treat. Back then it wasn’t possible to dine out 24/7.

I was frequently taken out for high tea on a Sunday as a treat when at school. I am Scottish, from Fife.

As a child we often had high tea which was usually something like poached egg or cheese on toast followed by cake and we were in the South of England. My father used to refer to it as 'high tea diddly i-tea'!

I know that I’ll be repeating others here, but what the heck.
High tea and afternoon tea are different things.
High tea was the children’s evening meal served by the nanny in the nursery.
What’s known by certain folk as ‘nursery food’; eggy bread and so on. I’m sure that Smug will have referred to it on more than one occasion. Bless.
Afternoon tea is for the adults with all the faffing about with cake stands and cucumber etc.
To tide them over between kedgeree and a five course supper.

MawtheMerrier

We are talking country fate - for farm workers, other people who worked out of doors including manual workers,
You need a hot meal to keep out the cold - and I am surprised to sound as if I am in a minority to know of such things!

No you are not in a minority Maw we had high tea in Cumberland when I was young. You had a hot meal such as gammon or Cumberland sausage or fish with usually chips and a variety of vegetables. All served with bread and butter and a pot of tea, then out came the scones and [Fancies] cakes always currant cake and gingerbread,, vanilla slices etc. and if you were lucky a pot of rum butter.
People would pass the names on of good places I can remember going on the train to Keswick and on the train down the Coast to St.Bees and Ravenglass.
Now they seem to be mainly north of the Border, unfortunately.

High tea was served in hotels in Northern Ireland when I was a child. Once a year we would make the long journey to Belfast ( pre motorway) to go to Balmoral show which was the highlight for farmers. We always had high tea in The Kensington Hotel before making the nearly hour journey home. I remember they served things like mixed grill or plaice and chips. The Kensington Hotel ceased to exist a long time ago and that journey only takes 90 minutes these days. Not sure hotels in NI serve high tea any more.

Don't agree there FannyCornforth I'm from Yorkshire and high tea was served usually on a Sunday. Not a meal only for children, it was a family affair with a hot main course or salad followed by tinned fruit with cream or evaporated milk. Then there were cakes. We ate bread and butter as well with the main course.
High tea was often served when we had guests.
Afternoon tea is a delight with small sandwiches, fresh fruit & cream and lots of small cakes. My husband & I have done several of these for charity events in France.

I know of several WI groups who go on day trips to places of interest followed by a high tea at a hotel on the way home.

MawtheMerrier

Scotland and I am sure the North of England. Wakes too?
Yes, it is a knife and fork meal and I get incredibly irritated at people who refer to “posh” afternoon tea - the sort with dainty tiny sandwiches and cake stands of equally dainty scones and fancies, - as “high tea” !

Agree. I think the Aussies refer to afternoon as high tea…
At home if we had high tea it was instead of dinner? Evening meal

The difference is high tea includes a starter of something cooked/savoury, then all the cakes as per afternoon tea which starts with sandwiches instead. I havnt seen it anywhere here in the south other than the Savoy which did us proud.

Two gins cost £45 though in the American bar. A one off treat.
No doubt post covid it’s even more expensive.

As an aside what is supper? The Archers are always having it, does it replace evening dinner if you have had a main meal at lunch time ? Is it high and afternoon teas combined? Is it an excuse fir an extra meal? I should google but it’s nicer getting everyone’s opinion.

High tea here in South Yorkshire was the main meal that greeted those returning home from work in the early evening. Meat and veg, a stew, casserole or meat pie, fish on Friday, followed by something like rice pudding, or some other hot pudding. Very calorific. Salad was for Sunday tea only.

We have High Tea every week with our elderly neighbour. We always had it every Saturday growing up.

Gosh £45 for two gins! I paid £27 in Chester once for two and nearly fainted

In Durham what the OP has described as High Tea is what we’d call afternoon tea, served after 3.30. Nothing hot, although scones could be warmed. Surely it’s not a Northern thing as The Ritz in London does a roaring trade in this. Obviously (as I should’ve been born in Harrogate) I’ve got to give a shout out to Betty’s Tea Rooms, who’s offering, I think, beat The Ritz. I’m with Fanny on this one.

I’m not Scottish and I’ve definitely heard of it. Sounds like an excellent idea! Used to have something similar, a bit less substantial, at a GM’s house for tea.

My parents always had supper in the evenings, at about 9pm, after I’d gone to bed. I got to an age where I was convinced they were having all sorts of delights that we children were banned from having.

One evening I faked a stomach ache as an excuse to intrude on their supper, which, much to my disappointment, turned out to consist of a cup of tea and one rich tea biscuit each.

Grandmabatty yes ? I remember small restaurants (not cafes) that served this type of ordinary British food right up until about 1980s then they all but vanished.
Yes there were tablecloths and a choice of hot pudding with custard.
After that the wine bars seemed to take over with Quiche and salads?

Georgesgran

In Durham what the OP has described as High Tea is what we’d call afternoon tea, served after 3.30. Nothing hot, although scones could be warmed. Surely it’s not a Northern thing as The Ritz in London does a roaring trade in this. Obviously (as I should’ve been born in Harrogate) I’ve got to give a shout out to Betty’s Tea Rooms, who’s offering, I think, beat The Ritz. I’m with Fanny on this one.

What the op describes is not afternoon tea! It’s high tea! Even in Durham!

Used to see it a lot at seaside resorts when I was a child

These days you sometimes see places that confuse High tea with Afternoon tea as they think that "high" tea sounds posher
- High tea - was always a main meal - usually hot meal or substantial salad with bread and butter, cake and a pot of tea
- Afternoon tea was sandwiches, scones, cake and tea

Georgesgran

In Durham what the OP has described as High Tea is what we’d call afternoon tea, served after 3.30. Nothing hot, although scones could be warmed. Surely it’s not a Northern thing as The Ritz in London does a roaring trade in this. Obviously (as I should’ve been born in Harrogate) I’ve got to give a shout out to Betty’s Tea Rooms, who’s offering, I think, beat The Ritz. I’m with Fanny on this one.

No high tea and afternoon tea are very different - you don't get high tea at the Ritz!

High tea is a main meal, a hot dinner such as a roast, pie or fish and chips etc with bread and butter, cake and tea

Sorry, I seem to have misread the beginning of OP’s post. TBH at 70, I’ve never had or heard of what she describes as High Tea - it sounds like an awful lot of food at once? Of course afternoon tea is very different and a big money spinner now, especially with tourists.

We used to have High Tea on a Sunday at Boarding School. It was great.

My OH often used to go for a high tea with his parents on a Dunday afternoon, back in his boarding school days.
I've just asked him to describe it. All he could come up with was "ham, egg and chips"!

Sunday ..

SueDonim

My parents always had supper in the evenings, at about 9pm, after I’d gone to bed. I got to an age where I was convinced they were having all sorts of delights that we children were banned from having.

One evening I faked a stomach ache as an excuse to intrude on their supper, which, much to my disappointment, turned out to consist of a cup of tea and one rich tea biscuit each.

that is hilarious