by Finger sandwiches, scones and bone china tea have long been enshrined as British rituals. But a tradition once seen as the preserve of the upper and middle classes – as well as older generations – is finding a new audience.
Afternoon tea hamper sales are on the rise, and more hotels, restaurants and cafes are creating their own offerings, some with increasingly experimental menus. Surveys suggest it is becoming more popular among young people, partly motivated by how it will look on social media.
There are cafes and hotels close to family attractions offering a wide range of themes such as Peter Rabbit, Paddington Bear and science experiments. Adults can enjoy more sophisticated options at places such as the Fife Arms, an Aberdeenshire hotel run by Hauser & Wirth gallery owners in London, with an art tour of Pablo Picasso, Lucian Freud and Bruegel followed by smoked trout tea that. , ham with Arran mustard and hot choux cross bun.
Benugo, which runs cafes and restaurants in museums and historic buildings such as Westminster Abbey and Edinburgh Castle, is launching its first afternoon tea at the Natural History Museum this month, featuring a dinosaur footprint macaron and ammonite cookie.
Ben Warner, the founder of Benugo, said the royal family had brought new popularity to the tradition. “We noticed a huge increase in the number of people wanting to book afternoon tea during, and after, the Queen’s jubilee in 2022 and the coronation of King Charles in 2023, and not just overseas visitors,” he said. “Since then, the big increases have been Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.”
This is not a tradition for the middle class or just the middle class, either. A survey of 2,000 people by One Poll for Jing Tea found that 43% of those aged between 25 and 34 had celebrated a birthday with a trip to tea and sandwiches. Companies including Fortnum & Mason offer tea hampers that can be delivered as gifts. Waitrose.com has seen a 600% increase in searches for these treats, and at Marks & Spencer, sales of afternoon tea hampers are up 80% year on year.
Sarah Taylor, product developer for hampers at M&S, said: “Customers don’t just see afternoon tea as a tradition; it is an opportunity to take a moment to ourselves. My favorite is our pink prosecco afternoon tea hamper featuring Devon scones, strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream with pastel macarons, red velvet cake, gold tea and a bottle of Bellante rosé prosecco… [it’s] worthy spread on Instagram.”
Warner reckons social media has helped drive people to afternoon tea with its photogenic array of “colourful cakes, elegant teapots and even a celebratory glass of bubbles”. He said the restaurant at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford had brought in a tea to celebrate the Color Revolution exhibition which included beet and matcha bread and strawberry battenberg cake.
It may be a surprising luxury during a cost of living crisis, and when the hospitality industry is facing really tough times. But for hotels and restaurants it is easy to prepare a pre-ordered meal during two sittings when dining rooms would otherwise be empty. For customers, it’s an occasion meal, often in an exclusive place they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to eat.
Warner noted that customers often chose afternoon tea over a pricier lunch, which was always the heart of the meal.
“It arose among the wealthy in the late 18th century,” said food historian Annie Gray. “Although there is no truth to the tiresome myth of an invention that the Duchess of Bedford dreamed it up.” The Duchess, Anna Maria Russell, is said to have started the tradition of taking tea, bread and butter and cake in the late afternoon around 1840.
“It was codified as a middle-class meal by writers in the last quarter of the 19th century,” Gray said. “It was very popular as a cheap way to fill up, especially on holiday, in the early days of car tourism between the wars. Because it always has a noble foundation, it still has a cachet that can easily be played to market it to a new audience.”
Opinions differ on how innovative afternoon tea should be. A survey carried out by Tesco in 2023 found that 20% believed that cold meat would improve it – perhaps confusing the occasion with high tea, a very different meal in Britain, with hot food, eaten in the early evening. 32% requested cocktails, and 17% suggested hummus.
Gray, who is the author of The Greedy Queen: Dining with Victoria, she thinks the meal should stick to its origins, even if it doesn’t involve the Duchess of Bedford. “The cakes and sandwiches should be fairly bland, reflecting the feminine stereotypes of the 19th century, when it was invented. I was once served spring onion sandwiches for afternoon tea at Claridge’s. I was apoplectic with rage.”
