FOOD+DRINK
TOUR YOUR WAY AROUND
KENT’S FINEST
AFTERNOON TEAS
WHETHER IT’S AN INNATE SKILL WE’RE BORN WITH, OR IT’S SOMETHING WE’RE TAUGHT FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE,
BEING ABLE TO SPOT A GOOD AFTERNOON TEA IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL BE PROUD TO BE ABLE TO DO.
OF COURSE, IT’S ALL ABOUT TRADITION AND IT’S ALSO SOMETHING THAT DATES BACK TO THE 1660s IN ENGLAND.
THIS IS WHEN TEA FIRST BEGAN TO BECOME POPULAR, DUE ALMOST ENTIRELY TO THE FACT THAT KING CHARLES
II AND HIS PORTUGUESE WIFE, INFANTA CATHERINE DE BRAGANZA ENJOYED IT IMMENSELY. THE ‘COMMON’
PEOPLE, WANTING TO FEEL A LITTLE CLOSER TO ROYALTY, STARTED TO TAKE TEA THEMSELVES. IT’S NOT UNLIKE
SEEING A CELEBRITY ENDORSE A PARTICULAR PAIR OF TRAINERS AND THEN WATCHING EVERY TEENAGER IN THE
COUNTRY RUSH TO BUY THEM...OUR BEHAVIOURS HAVEN’T CHANGED DRASTICALLY IN HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
Yet, afternoon tea as a meal rather than a standalone drink didn’t really come
into being until the middle of the 19th century. The idea was introduced by
Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in 1840. She would often become hungry
at around 4pm and because her dinner wouldn’t be served for another four hours
(she ate at the fashionably late time of 8pm), she needed to have a snack. So she
asked that some tea, bread and butter was brought to her room each day. Soon,
she began to invite friends to enjoy this ‘afternoon tea’ with her. And so, a great
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tradition was born – we’re just glad that the bread and butter became properly
filled sandwiches and scones and cakes were added to the menu too!
In Kent, you’ll find a wide range of afternoon teas across all kinds of venues from
traditional tea shops to hotel dining rooms and castles. It’s one of our favourite
pastimes and, luckily for us, it isn’t too tricky to find a good one. Here are some
of the finest examples across the county.