Tea (meal)

Until the late 18th century dinner was eaten at what is now called "lunchtime", or in the early afternoon; supper was a later and lighter meal.

[4] In 1804 Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière wrote (in French) about afternoon tea in Switzerland: Towards five o'clock in the evening, the mistress of the house, in the midst of the sitting-room, makes tea herself, very strong and barely sweetened with a few drops of rich cream; generous slices of buttered bread accompany it.

In most opulent houses, however, coffee and light pastries of all kinds are added, many of which are unknown in Paris, preserved or candied fruits, macaroons, biscuits, nougat, and even ice cream.

[6] The ritual was invented by the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell, one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, in around 1840.

Due to increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, wealthy English people were having their evening meal later and later, but still eating lunch at midday.

[7] The Oxford English Dictionary provides citations dating back a century before this, in reference to tea as a social gathering.

The earliest is from Jonathan Swift's satirical etiquette guide, A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation (1738), "Whether they meet..at Meals, Tea, or Visits".

It became ubiquitous, even in the isolated village in the fictionalised memoir Lark Rise to Candleford, where a cottager prepares what she calls a "visitor's tea" for their landlady: "the table was laid... there were the best tea things with a fat pink rose on the side of each cup; hearts of lettuce, thin bread and butter, and the crisp little cakes that had been baked in readiness that morning.

"[11] Commercial establishments known as teahouses or tearooms (similar to a coffeehouse) were once common in the UK, but they have declined in popularity since World War II.

tea shops and Lyons Corner Houses were successful chains of such establishments, and played a role in opening up possibilities for Victorian women.

The food is often served on a tiered stand ('serving tower'); there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones with butter and jam, or toast, muffins or crumpets.

[18][19] This snack, often a form of or part of afternoon tea, is associated with the West Country, i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

High tea is a late afternoon or early evening meal, sometimes associated with the working class, farming, and eating after sports matches.

[23]A stereotypical expression "You'll have had your tea", meaning "I imagine you have already eaten", is used to parody people from Edinburgh as being rather stingy with hospitality.