The London Traveler

I remember once when I was travelling in France being asked whether we still had ‘le five o’clock tea’. Every Frenchman naturally identifies the English with cricket, a stiff upper lip, and afternoon tea – though somehow, cucumber sandwiches have never made it across the Channel.

But “tea” mean several things in English and it’s important to distinguish them. There are many hidden meanings in English tea culture – class connotations, ‘in’ and ‘out’ teas, and words that don’t mean what they seem to mean (‘high tea’ is a meal, not a beverage).

First of all, what I’d call “builder’s tea” but to many people would just be a “nice cuppa”. It’s the way my father takes it. (No, he’s not a builder; he’s a journalist.) Strong tea, often stewed in the teapot for half an hour before it’s poured, with a good dash of milk, and lots of sugar – three or four teaspoonsful. That’s why the tea needs to be strong – if it isn’t, all you’ll taste is the milk and sugar!

Secondly, though, “breakfast tea“. This definitely has a class connotation – if ‘builder’s tea’ is working class, ‘breakfast tea’ is leisured gentry. In fact, though, the mix of tea leaves is probably exactly the same as for ‘builder’s tea’… a black tea blend, with Assam, Kenyan and Ceylon teas often used.

In France, ‘English breakfast tea’ is popular, and nothing I can do will persuade my French friends that I really do drink coffee at breakfast.

Then of course there are the leaf types to consider. This is where you can tell the foodie or ‘nouveau tea drinker’ from the traditional type. Lapsang Souchong, with its dark smoky leaves, or Earl Grey with its distinctive bergamot flavour and aroma, are traditional teas for the more discerning drinker, often drunk without the addition of milk or sugar. So if ‘builder’s tea’ is for the rough and ready working man, Lapsang and Earl Grey are for the respectable lady and gentleman.

Pu Erh, on the other hand, is very much not for them! And green tea is just so un-English. But they are very ‘in’ at the moment and there are even fashionable new tea bars devoted to trendy teas. If you see these teas being drunk it will probably be by youthful persons employed in the media sector… or by Victoria Beckham, who come to think of it is still a relatively youthful person employed in the media industry.

Meanwhile herbal teas and fruit teas have their following too, but again, they’re rather untraditional.

I’ve already indicated that like so many other areas of life, tea has been made into a class-conscious minefield by the English. And while the English don’t have a tea ceremony, there are certain aspects of tea culture which need to be understood to avoid embarassment. For instance, mugs or cups and saucers?

The mug is certainly right for tea ‘on the job’. Take a five minute break from your labours to drink a cup of tea (in this context, a cuppa), and a mug would be right. But if you go to someone’s house or office specifically to drink tea with them, more formality is indicated – a cup and saucer is required.

Oh yes. Teabags. They have become more acceptable these days, but some people still frown on them. (A recent survey on teachat showed 52% of respondents believed teabags were inferior to loose tea.)

If you are not using teabags, English tea should be made in a teapot. (This surprises Russians and Turks who are used to tea made in a samovar.) A common mnemonic for how much tea to use used to be ‘One for you, one for me, one for the pot’ – so you can see English tea is typically made quite strong. The pot should also last for more than one serving of tea, ’stewing’ or ‘mashing’ as it rests, so you use a tea cosy to keep the pot nicely warm. Although you’ll not see a tea cosy in a posh hotel or tea shop serving afternoon tea; they are, as far as I’m aware, strictly a domestic item.

Now let’s take a look at another use of the word ‘tea’, meaning an afternoon meal. Some people will actually say ‘time for my tea’ meaning their main evening meal, but strictly, ‘tea’ is a meal for mid-afternoon, either staving off the hunger pangs between lunch and dinner, or – particularly when you’re on holiday – occupying an afternoon when you have nothing better to do (particularly in Devon, when it’s raining, which it always is when I visit).

“Afternoon tea,” “High Tea” and “Cream Tea” are all used for this afternoon meal. They are often used interchangeably, though High Tea originally referred to a later and rather more substantial meal, with cold meats as well as sandwiches and tea.

What you’ll get depends on where you’re eating. A typical ‘Olde Tea Shoppe’ will serve scones, jam and cream with a pot of tea. In one of the better London hotels, you’ll probably get sandwiches too, perhaps also crumpets (but not muffins – those are for breakfast!) or fairy cakes. Sandwiches are generally simple, thin affairs – nothing like the kind of sandwich you’d get for lunch from Pret a Manger. Cucumber sandwiches are traditional (and are supposed to have the crusts cut off), while salmon, fishpaste, ham or egg and cress are also frequent visitors to the tea table. Club sandwiches are definitely not welcome here.

Cakes are also traditional. Some people serve fairy cakes, but the Battenberg and Victoria sandwich (sponge cake with jam and ‘cream’ filling) are the most traditional cakes. You’re pushing the envelope if you go for carrot cake or flapjack!

In fact like many English traditions, afternon tea is of relatively recent standing. Shakespeare would have known nothing about it and it would have surprised Sir Christopher Wren, too. It was probably invented around 1800, and its high days were in the first half of the 20th century, when Lyons Corner Houses became a British institution. (The last one closed in the 1970s.)

Now, afternoon tea is kept for high days and holidays. Every village with half timbered cottages and thatched houses needs an Olde Tea Shoppe, serving cream teas. Of course, in Devon and Cornwall, where clotted cream is a speciality, there are a particularly large number of these Tea Shoppes, dedicated to increasing the cholesterol content of the British population. Next post – the best places to have afternoon tea in London.

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