On this sunny Sunday afternoon I find myself re-visiting my 1st year afternoon tea pastry exam, pouring through books for inspiration for this event. Of these books, I've a few key favourites including Joanne Harris' "Little book of chocolat", Rococo and Claire Clark. So I thought I'd give a little history about Afternoon Tea before posting some more recipes later.
Despite Afternoon tea arising from filling the Duchess of Bedford’s (Anna) 4pm-6pm gap between lunch and dinner in the 19th century, the light tea quickly became a fine social event known then as “At Home” (Lemm, [no date]). As this social event became more popular and frequent, society witnessed an influx of Tea Gardens, Rooms and Parties. High-end London stores such as Fortnum and Mason, along with the luxury hotel The Ritz began serving tea in tea lounges during the Edwardian period.
Whilst the rationing of tea during both World Wars greatly affected the event of Afternoon tea, it was the British interest with coffee bars after the war, with Gaggio opening a Mocha bar in Soho, London with his espresso machine in the 1950s that sent Afternoon tea into a downward spiral (Real coffee, 2013). However, the economic downturn in 2008 saw the 21st century fashion revival of Afternoon tea (Lemm, [no date]).
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