Esmay
I think that afternoon tea was created by a Lady , who thought that the gap between lunch and supper /dinner was far too long .
Afternoon tea is a big tradition in my family .
Usually -
we have little sandwiches (
yes cucumber ! ) , cake , scones and if it's more of an occasion ( birthday , christening or a hen party ) savouries such as mini sausage rolls ,vol au vents and quiche .
Recently , we've served coffee as some people prefer it .
And lately , Cava Prosecco and Champagne has been requested too !
At the very least -shop bought cakes are okay .
If it's a grand occasion then it's home or especially baked cakes .
If we are having an early supper then afternoon tea becomes a cup of tea with a biscuit or two .
Whatever you have - it's sheer bliss and a welcome break in the day !
I believe the English afternoon tea preceded lunch in the scheme of things, as it came in during the Regency period, where the well-off stratum of society, who could afford to drink heavily taxed tea, ate breakfast at somewhere around 10. a.m. even if they had been up for three or four hours by then, and dinner at 4 p.m in the country and 6 p.m. in London, during the Season.
Afternoon tea bridged the gap between breakfast and dinner.
When luncheon became fashionable sometime during Victoria's lengthy reign, afternoon tea was retained because dinner had by then in affluent circles moved to 7 or 8 p m.
In Scotland, high tea was served as a meal after 5 p.m. or whenever the working day ended - dinner having been eaten at midday. Afternoon tea, if served at all, usually only when there were visitors, was a matter of tea, scones and cake.
If supper was served, in many households it was not, it consisted amongst the elder generation in my childhood either of a bowl of soup or even of porridge, taken by the fireside, not at a table, or a piece of bread and cheese. Scottish people disbelieved the common English idea that cheese before bedtime gave you nightmares.
In Denmark in my experience "natmad" is only served at large parties or formal functions, as a hint to the visitors that it is time to leave. Formerly, in the days of horse drawn vehicles, something warm before going home was considered a neccesity. There may, of course, be families who alway eat something before bedtime, but I have never met any that did, except at parties, or after coming home from a theatre or concert, which neccesitated eating dinner earlier than usual, or even not at all.