It seems that everywhere I look at the moment i'm seeing articles, tweets and Facebook posts about people enjoying Afternoon Tea in London.
It's a very current thing to do for both foreigners and Brits and I can’t say I blame them.
There are lots of different stories about how afternoon tea came to be, but essentially it's roots date way back to the 17th century when it became a light meal for the upper classes that was eaten between 4 and 6pm.
The table was laid with the best china and loose tea was brewed in a pot and served with sugar and milk, not cream as many think. Remember that the tea trade in the UK was predominant during that era.
Small "finger" sized sandwiches were served first and then cake and scones along with more tea.
For the lower classes, tea soon became popular and was drunk at every occasion during the day.
It was thought that the combination of caffeine and sugar served as good protection from the doldrums often suffered by the lower classes.
Tea is still the drink of choice in the UK and in most houses the first thing you will be offered is a cup of tea.
In fact the answer to most things in the UK is to have a cup of tea, makes all bad things go away!
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