High Tea at Regal Palms

Venture through Regal Palms around 2 o'clock in the afternoon and you'll find an old English tradition come to life – High Tea! It is a popular pastime for residents and guests to relax in the afternoon while enjoying a nice cup of tea from our Silver Tea Set and Tea Caddy, with an assortment of teas and cookies.

This afternoon tea dates back to the mid-1800s, when the Duchess of Bedford started having a tray of tea with bread and butter served to her in the mid-afternoon. In those days the English custom was to serve lunch at noon, but dinner was not eaten until 8 or even 9 o'clock at night. The Duchess found herself hungry during those long afternoon hours.

This afternoon snack became a regular occurrence in her home and when this practice was exposed, she was not ridiculed as she had feared, but instead her habit caught on and the concept of snacks and tea in the afternoon became popular.

Tea has a long and storied history, and today 20 million cups of tea are sipped each day in England. By the time Thomas Twining bought Tom’s Coffee House in 1706, coffee houses had become a popular feature of London life. Men of all classes would gather there to drink, to gossip, and to do business, but women were not allowed.

Twining had worked for the East India Company that imported goods from all over the known world, and the knowledge he had learned there gave him an edge over his coffee house competitors – in addition to the standard coffee-house menu of coffee, brandy, rum and drinking water, Twining offered fine teas.

Despite efforts to repress tea-drinking through punitive taxes, tea became increasingly fashionable in England during the early part of the 18th century. The clergy and the medical profession were united in their opposition to tea, but the upper classes couldn’t get enough of it. Soon, Thomas Twining was selling more dry tea than wet. He even sold it to competing coffee houses.

Women were served tea in the London tea gardens of the early 1730s. Tea gardens were outdoor gardens with flowered walks and music for dancing, which were open during the spring and summer months. These tea gardens charged an admission fee, and the working class was not admitted. However, upper class women were allowed at tea gardens if they were accompanied by a male chaperone.

By the mid 1800s, most of the coffee houses had become exclusive clubs, and while the men were out in the clubs in the afternoons and early evenings, the women could not frequent any of the public establishments to visit with other women. As a result, women invited other women to their homes. The ‘at home tea’ became a common practice.

After deciding on a day of the week to hold ‘at home hours,’ announcements were sent to friends, relatives, and acquaintances. On that particular day of the week one would remain at home all day and receive visitors. Some entertainment might be provided for the guests, but usually conversation, after the model of the French salon, was the primary entertainment.

Tea and cakes, sandwiches, and other treats were served. Tea became available on a wide scale in England when Lyon’s tea house opened in 1887. This tea house was a public establishment, serving men and also women, if they were accompanied by a male escort. At Regal Palms, the afternoon tea is alive and well, providing a lovely opportunity to enjoy an afternoon snack and some great conversation.