Some interesting facts about tea
English tea and literature
1) 10th-century monks invented Cream Tea
There is evidence in manuscripts that Monks served bread with clotted cream and strawberry preserves to local workers who helped rebuild the Abbey after it was damaged in a Viking raid in 997AD.
It was an instant hit among the locals, and the monks started serving it to passing travelers.
The Devonshire cream tea was born.
Today, Devonshire cream tea typically comprises a pot of tea, along with scones, strawberry preserves, clotted cream, and sometimes curds and butter.
2) Low Tea is “posher” than High Tea
Isn’t tea just a drink?
“Tea” is used to denote both a beverage and different types of meal.
Two terms sometimes used in the Victorian Era were “low tea” and “high tea“.
Low tea was served on low lounge chairs and sofas with low tables (similar to today’s coffee tables), and high tea was served on high chairs around a table.
But here’s the surprising part: “low tea” was enjoyed by the aristocracy and “high tea” by the working class.
Confusion has arisen because “high tea” simply sounds classier than “low tea“.
Which leads us to our next surprising fact …
3) Low Tea is “posher” than High Tea
Afternoon tea is derived from the social tradition started by the Duchess of Bedford. Taken at around 4 – 6 pm, it typically comprises Devonshire cream tea and an assortment of delicate crustless sandwiches, sweets, and cakes.
In short, this is the “posh” tea, served today in country tea rooms or city hotels.
High Tea is traditionally an end of day meal for the working class, comprising things like cold meats, pies, salad, pickles, bread and butter, cakes, and a pot of tea.
Usually shortened to just “tea“, the term is still used in the Midlands and the North of England.
If you visit the north of England today, you may hear someone say, “I’ve got to get home and make the tea for the kids“, or the northern tendency to personalize with “our/us”, as in “what’s for us tea?”