READER COMPETITION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH CONTESSA HOTELS
HISTORY OF AFTERNOON TEA
Afternoon tea, that most
quintessential of English customs
is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively
new tradition. Whilst the custom
of drinking tea dates back to the
third millennium BC in China and
was popularised in England during
the 1660s by King Charles II and
his wife the Portuguese Infanta
Catherine de Braganza, it was not
until the mid 19th century that
the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ first
appeared.
Afternoon tea was introduced in
England by Anna, the seventh
Duchess of Bedford, in the year
1840. The Duchess would become
hungry around four o’clock in the
afternoon. The evening meal in her
household was served fashionably
late at eight o’clock, thus leaving a
long period of time between lunch
and dinner. The Duchess asked that
a tray of tea, bread and butter (some
time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich
36 wirrallife.com
had the idea of putting a filling
between two slices of bread) and
cake be brought to her room during
the late afternoon. This became a
habit of hers and she began inviting
friends to join her.
This pause for tea became a
fashionable social event. During
the 1880’s upper-class and society
women would change into long
gowns, gloves and hats for their
afternoon tea which was usually
served in the drawing room between
four and five o’clock.
To experience the best of the
afternoon tea tradition, indulge
yourself at the luxury Hillbark
Hotel, in Frankby.
Traditional Afternoon Tea costs £25
per person. Champagne Afternoon
Tea costs £33 per person. To book,
call 0151 625 2400.
WIN AFTERNOON
TEA FOR TWO AT
HILLBARK HOTEL
Hillbark Hotel are giving Wirral
Life readers the chance to win
Afternoon Tea for two.
To enter the competition, email your
answer to [email protected] along
with your name, address, email and
contact telephone number.
Question: At what time in the
afternoon, did the Duchess of
Bedford become hungry?
Entries close on Friday 8th June
2018 at noon.
Good luck!