March Newsletter
“It’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.” Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland
Our immensely talented Chef, Jeff Clark, is now serving a proper English tea every day.
Afternoon tea, more than any other British tradition, illuminates everything that’s decent about that island. The scones, the cucumber sandwiches, the teapot, the jam — the whole mad ritual exemplifies a gentle and civilized nation. It's the best of Britain. Just the mention of it conjures up images of nanny in the nursery, the Queen walking her corgis and the BBC afternoon news read in a posh English accent. It’s manicured lawns and pipes and Lord Byron.
We are fundamentally a lazy nation, so afternoon tea is the perfect antidote to a busy morning. The English are probably better than any other nation on earth at doing nothing. Afternoon tea means stopping everything stressful, sitting down and pausing the day. “The remains of the day,” as Ishiguro put it so beautifully in his novel of the same name. If you saw the film version, you will recall Anthony Hopkin’s butler and Emma Thompson’s housekeeper lusting after each other over darjeeling and crumpets. Some post Valentine’s Day advice for first dates: start with an invitation to tea. It’s non-threatening and it will make you look more refined. By the time she figures out the truth, you’ll be miles ahead.
Where did it all start? One afternoon in 1840, the Duchess of Bedford complained of a sinking feeling. She was feeling hungry and there were still four hours to go until dinner. Unwilling to wait it out, she requested her maid to embellish her usual pot of tea with a scattering of snacks. Afternoon Tea was born. Before long, it had spilled out from the parlors of the aristocracy into the fashionable streets of London. In 1855 The Langham Hotel claims to have been the first to offer afternoon tea to the public in its opulent Palm Court. In its earliest days afternoon tea was a simple affair — typically just a few finger sandwiches and a sweet treat or two. A century on and it had developed into a lavish repast.
Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel “Rebecca,” captured it perfectly:
“Those dripping crumpets, I can see them now. Tiny crisp wedges of toast, and piping hot, floury scones. Sandwiches of unknown nature, mysteriously flavored and quite delectable, and that very special gingerbread. Angel cake, that melted in the mouth, and his rather stodgier companion, bursting with peel and raisins. There was enough food there to keep a starving family for a week.”
The British Empire was built on tea. Between the 17th and 20th centuries, The East India Company’s monopoly on Chinese tea, followed by the establishment of plantations in India and Ceylon, generated immense wealth. Factory owners during the Industrial Revolution thought that afternoon refreshment could increase productivity amongst their workers. The stimulants in tea, accompanied by sugary snacks, could give their workers energy to last out the day’s work.
The best English pubs have always offered afternoon tea, especially the country pubs. Pubs are all about familiarity and afternoon tea is the most familiar meal of an Englishman’s Day because it’s generally always the same menu. Lunch and dinner are variable; breakfast often rushed without much conversation in most households. But afternoon tea is for talking. It’s leisurely reviving the lost art of conversation. A calm hour spent chatting about nothing relevant, nibbling at a warm scone smothered in jam and, if possible, cream.
