Comment

Image courtesy of Lainston House

It's time for a revival of afternoon tea, the pefect match to a summer's day t's a peculiarly English tradition, and one that is due for a revival in my book. Afternoon tea, with its dainty sandwiches and decadent cakes, has become a casualty of our busy work life and calorie-counting habits.

However, sat under a parasol in the gardens at Lainston House, bedazzled by a fully-loaded cake stand, I thought we really should do this more often.

Dating back to the 1830s, English Afternoon Tea is credited to the Duchess of Bedford who wished to alleviate late afternoon hunger pangs by introducing a small meal served with quantities of tea.

As luck would have it the Fourth Earl of Sandwich had already conceived the idea of placing ham between slices of bread, and so with these two events, afternoon tea became the fashionable way to meet friends and exchange society news.

And I have to agree. Stopping mid-afternoon, to enjoy culinary delights that have nothing to with sustenance and everything to with pleasure, is a fabulous indulgence. Add a glass of champagne and you are in tastebud heaven!

So we have put together a guide to Hampshire's finest afternoon teas - enjoy! JS

5:07pm Wednesday 11th June 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login