Heading to England this summer? Well make sure you don’t miss out on a great British tradition: the afternoon tea.
The ritual of enjoying tea, cakes and scones at around 4pm has been around ever since one summer in the 19th century. The English used to have two meals a day: a hearty breakfast and then an even bigger dinner at the end of the day. While the Duchess of Bedford was spending her holidays in Belvoir Castle, she noticed that she always felt a ‘sinking feeling’ in the late afternoon. So she invited her friends to her boudoir and they had a snack together, accompanied by tea.
The trend quickly caught on and now people enjoy afternoon tea all year round. London has some of the most extravagant, quirky and authentic selection of venues for it. Click on the pictures below to get info on 9 of our favourites…
Find out more about London in our Dreamguides.
Have you been to any of the above tearooms? What’s your favourite venue for afternoon tea?
