Afternoon tea at four o'clock -

When I met DH he was working on a farm where they all stopped for afternoon tea. The farmer's wife was a fantastic baker and on the occasion I was invited, I marvelled at the array of cakes and pastries. Those were the days when I suppose the calories were worked off and the evening meal was probably quite basic and light. These days we cut out afternoon tea and fall on our dinner/supper like ravenous wolves. I feel like Harry Hill......which is best????

Gally At our local monthly craft market there was a stall selling only those
3 tier 'cake stand thingies' very sweet and nostalgic.assembled from well known china patterns.
I was tempted to buy one but didn't want to acquire more clutter.I might buy one next month for my GD -she loves making cakes.I'd better ask my DD first.
Another sign that afternoon tea is becoming trendy again.

Aaah yes, but surely this should open up the great scone/cream tea debate, don't you think??

Oh yes! Tea in the garden. My parents went on a three week camping trek through Europe with the local vicar and his wife in 1956 leaving two sets of elderly grandparents in charge of four children. The GPs got together in the afternoons and we had stunning tea parties. These were swiftly followed by sundowners and cigarettes (adults only of course) and I can still remember the scent of gin and Senior Service in the early evening air.

A month or so after the parents returned the vicar's wife was pregnant. Don't know why, but I always associate this with afternoon tea in the garden.

Innocent or what?

I've just received an invitation to a friend's champagne tea party to celebrate her birthday, it's very trendy here in Devon to have tea parties at the moment. When I was a child, living in Enid Blyton fantasy land, I longed to have the sort of family where 'afternoon tea' was the norm. Now I host a tea party on the last Sunday of every month - it's an open table event and I never have any idea how many people will turn up, but there always seems to be enough food to go around and my lovely friends are very generous in supplementing the cakes etc.

My Granny used to give us afternoon tea (we didn't get it at home). We had tea out of a teapot with proper cups and saucers and cake or flapjacks.

In summer we had it outside.

It was wonderful.

I had a stay at home mum and we always had afternoon tea when he came home from school. I remember the smell of baking when I opened the door, scones, fairy cakes, coconut haystacks and baked egg custard. I can cook but I never mastered the egg custard, I would give anything to taste it again.

susiecb. Two stone is too much! How did it happen? And why didn't we put on weight when we were young and had breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea and supper? Was it because we walked and cycled everywhere?

We always had afternoon tea when I was a child - 'Vicar's' sandwiches, cake and jelly.
When I was 60 I took 9 of my friends out for afternoon tea - all presented on one of those cake stand thingies - absolutely delicious and rounded off with champagne. Very yummy

I love cream teas - tea and scones with lots of jam (only time I eat it) and clotted cream.
I have a tape with Noel Coward singing 'Everything stops for tea' - very English!

A pub local to us has started to do afternoon teas. You can just have the tea and scone/cake kind, or one with sandwiches included. I think it is catching on with pubs.

Soooo tempting!

When I retired a couple of years ago I promised myself that DH and I whatever else we were doing would have afternoon tea. So I baked and baked and within six months had put on two stone - we also had pub lunches and lots of nice restaurant meals! We have a cup of tea at four now but I do miss the cakes.

jeni.Glad to hear about afternoon teas on the cruise.Look forward to that.
Once had afternoon tea at Fortnum & Masons in the 80s.We couldn't get into the Ritz.I think it was approx £12.
Cambridge in 60s.For student wives afternoon tea was the only entertaining as men had main meals in hall.First time I had China tea -hated it.

We were not posh enough for afternoon tea when I was a child - my mother didn't get home from work until 5.30 pm and then we had our evening meal, which we called tea - dinner was what is now called lunch.
When I was comparatively well off in the 1980's, I would treat myself to a tea dance at The Ritz whenever I was back in England. There was a small orchestra and wonderful sandwiches and cakes, etc. I think it was about £15 then. Just occasionally, there would be some on their own so I would get a dance, but I was quite happy just to watch, listen and eat.
I appeared on After Five with the lovely late Carol Keating and we discussed the various afternoon teas offered in London. (I was asked to appear to represent 'Glamorous Grannies').

We used to have high tea at my grandmas (both of them) whenever we visited, which wasn't very often as they lived in a different town. I remember the paternal grandma ones best because she always supplied flaky pastry vanilla slices with real custard. She, my mum and I adored these. One of us kids had to sit on the arm of the settee to get to the table as gran didn't have enough chairs for a family of seven.

DD likes to have a Tunnocks teacake when she gets in from school and a drink. She props her book up and reads. It's a valued relaxing time.

We seemed to develop the habit of having afternoon tea on Sundays - like the roast 'dinner' (which never tastes the same any other day). It's something my daughter has always grown up with, my son in law loves it (they have nothing like that), and certainly the grandchildren although now grown up, took it for granted that grandma would have afternoon tea. When my children were at school, we always had a cup of tea and toast in the winter time, or cake in the summer time, as soon as they arrived home. Time for catch-up on the day. Now, during the week, we don't bother that much, we are such odd creatures sometimes.

I read those hotel reviews with some surprise. DD treated me to tea at the Savoy a few years ago as a thank you for helping her with a house move, we also went on the London Eye. I couldnt fault it,, food, including sandwiches were perfect, we could choose from a wide range of teas and supply of tea and food was unlimited. I do not think I would want a glass of champagne, or indeed any alcoholic drink with afternoon tea. It is and always has been an alcohol free meal.

Not per se but I always give the GC sandwiches and cake after school and we all call it afternoon tea. It's become a feature and I like to think I've brought a bit of the 'olden days' into their lives. Woe betide me if I forget the cake! I think it's a nice little ritual but don't really have the time to do it when the GC aren't there.

jeni Just think if you stay on glasses programme and loose loads of extra inches you can really treat yourself when you are on board,extra champagne and cream cakes !!! lovely.

I must keep my eye's peeled for when these offers come available. oh i have just had a thought I will wait until after September I can't afford to have too many lumps and bumps for my pals wedding,i need to look sylth like.

jack I bought one of those champagne afternoon teas for an hotel in Manchester, opposite Granada TV studios. It was perfect! We sat by a window overlooking the river and had lovely dainty sandwiches, pastries and cream with scones, and were offered more champagne and given a fresh pot of tea, all at no extra charge. The staff were lovely and there was no hint that we only paid a discount price - we got really good service.

I do love afternoon tea

You are all welcome to come here for afternoon tea at any time. And I don't charge!

Meanwhile I do think tea the Ritz is still rather marvellous (a friend treated us a couple of years ago and it was a wonderful experience - especially for DH who made a beeline for the lady pianist who spent the rest of the afternoon fluttering her eyelashes at him over our pyramid of cakes and sandwiches).

Don't bother with the Waldorf (Aldwych) though. We had tea there fairly recently and it was awful - uncomfortable chairs, surly waiters and mean portions.

We had an even worse experience last week. I bought an afternoon tea treat voucher through Groupon as a little extra birthday present for DH (worth £39.99 apparently) and we spent a miserable hour in the freezing glazed annexe of a large local hotel. The champagne (one small glass each) was mediocre, there was no choice of tea and when the tea did arrive it was cold, the tasteless sandwiches had comes straight out of a very icy fridge (if not a freezer) and the cakes were horrible.

I haven't got round to complaining yet because we have both been so ill (bronchitis, pleurisy, asthma - you name it) but I fully intend to do so when I'm firing on all cylinders again.

PS: Carol. Because I am new to Gransnet I did not know there had been previous discussions about afternoon tea. I'll have a look at the link. Thanks.

Afternoon tea on Cunard is still the old ritual. I love it. It's probably why I'm on glasses weigh in! All those gorgeous little sandwiches, cakes scones with cream and jam and the most scrumptious fruit cake, all served be white gloved staff!

Glamma I read that article too. Ridiculous prices and it seemed they offered way too many cakes (can't believe I said that!) as you couldn't possibly eat them all!
Why don't they just reduce the price and then more of us could go!