It's TEA TIME!

We all know that a little pause in the afternoon for a cup of tea and some snacks (sweet and salty) is a nice and delicious habit. In our school, students and teachers have a 20-minute break in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning; milk, coffee and chocolate are served in the teachers' room. But in the afternoon, at half past three (15h30m), the milk gives way to tea and between one chat and other, the teacher can enjoy a good cup of tea and whole-wheat bread with butter, jam or cream cheese.

But having tea in the afternoon is not only a habit among EG teachers. A good cup at tea, precisely at 5 o´clock, is a well-known British tradition – the famous 5 o’clock tea.

According to the site Historic UK, the 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 had 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.

As time goes by, this pause to the afternoon tea became a social event, which was considered very fashionable. Tea was served with very dainty sandwiches and special sweets and cakes, in a very exquisite silver tea pots and delicate chine cups.

Although the healthy habit of drinking tea still persists nowadays, it has changed through the decades and the afternoon tea in the suburban home in England (or at teachers' room in our school) is just a mug of hot water with a teabag (it is usually an herbal teabag, here) and some biscuit, bread or a slice of cake. For the Duchess of Bedford, it would be a sacrilege!

But if you want to have a genuine 5 o’clock tea, don’t worry, you can get it. The London’s finest hotels offer the most unforgettable afternoon tea experience you could have. Some of them are: Claridges, the Dorchester, the Ritz and the Savoy, as well as Harrods and Fortnum and Mason.

Indulge yourself!

Post Questions - Do you like to drink tea? Which one is your favorite? How often do you drink it? If you could, who would you like to invite to have a 5 o’clock tea with you in one of the London hotels or tearooms? Why?

Tip: There are some nice places around here where you can drink some tea or coffee (our most traditional beverage). It's not a 5 o'clock tea in a London's Hotel, but you can have some fun, for sure. Click here and you'll have a list of these places to visit with your friends or family (or both).