Mar/Apr 2007

Taking Tea

A time-honored tradition blends sweets, savories and sociability.

By Patrick Evans-Hylton

There are few traditions more special than taking tea with friends.

In the spring, the act becomes a wonderful experience, as bite-sized sandwiches and rich desserts are savored while long rays of light fill the room and thoughts of the cold winter fade over a warm cup of brew.

Although tea as a drink has been popular in China, Japan and India for thousands of years, taking tea as a special occasion has only been around for the past two centuries. It started in England with Anna, Duchess of Bedford, one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting.

In Anna’s day, the time between the midday meal and supper was a long stretch. As tradition goes, one afternoon she asked a chamber maid to bring her a pot of tea with some bread, butter and jam. This became a habit with Anna, and the experience was shared with friends. Soon, everyone wanted to take tea in the afternoon, with all of its refinement and assortment of delicate sweets and savories.

As afternoon tea moved to the American South, new traditions were established. Women wore fine dresses, hats and gloves. Hostesses used their best china, and foods took on regional qualities, with sugary sweet desserts and sandwich fillings, like pimento cheese and deviled ham, favored in the South.

But taking tea doesn’t have to be a formal affair. A simple assortment of delicious food, a pot of freshly brewed tea, and sociable conversation with friends makes for an afternoon to remember.

We recently gathered some of our friends at Riddick’s Folly house museum in Suffolk for an afternoon tea, and here we share some of our favorite recipes and tips for you to host your own.

For the rest of this story, including our recipes for the perfect tea fare, see the March/April issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.