Afternoon tea @ Claridges
 

If we have afternoon tea, will we be hungry for dinner? If so,what time?
How long do you spend at tea?
melissa

Melissa-now, how can anyone else but you answer the question of whether you'll be hungry for dinner after teatime, huh? Doesn't that question strike you as a little silly?

What if I say no, will you then forego dinner?

Hi Melissa,

Excellent question. Most people don't give afternoon tea a second thought, but it is quite a ritual, if you don't already know.

Afternoon tea has a very long and rich history, which I won't go into. But in case you don't already know, here's a few things to keep in mind, especially since you're having tea at Claridge's - very swank!

This is a snack and is not intended to be a meal. Although, the British that are a part of the, shall we say, non-Claridge's class, will also refer to their evening meal as their tea. This is not what Claridge's will serve you. You will get a few little finger sandwiches, perhaps some scones, and few petit fors or what the British call fairy cakes, or something along those lines. It is intended, as I say, as something to tide you over until a later evening meal. It is not something to fill up on, and if you do so, you may be frowned upon.

Another hint: if you take milk with your tea, pour the milk in first, then the tea.

Appear nicely dressed - not a ballgown and tiara, but then not jeans, trainers and a windbreaker either, and think "diminuitive" in terms of etiquette and behaviour. They'll think you're an old pro!

Enjoy!!!

Anne

http://acrossthepondtours.com

Thank you Anne for all of the information

If you are really asking how much food you get - that is a whole different thing. Plus - what time you have tea makes a HUGE difference re whether most people need dinner too.

If you have a light tea at 2:00 p.m. - it won't hardly replace dinner later.

But if you have a full tea at 4:30 or 5:00 - then sure, you probably won't need dinner too.

A full set tea includes small sandwiches (and they usually keep them coming if you want more), pastries, scones/clotted cream/preserves, petit fours, etc. tea -- plus champagne if you want to pay th eextra.

My Anne, you are very sly. How a tour link has anything to do with Melissa's questions regarding tea is beyond me. I'm sure you know that you cannot advertise on this site.

Melissa, Claridges' website has a menu and it tells you exactly how many pieces of each tea "component" you will receive. I do not believe they will refill your plates for you.

http://tinyurl.com/fvacd

BTW - I was posting at the same time as our friend annabanana -- who <b>only</b> posts to advertise her website - a new and apparently under-capitalized tour company.

I haven't had afternoon tea at Claridges, but I have had the afternoon tea at The Dorchester and it replaced dinner. I think both times I ate about 3:30pm. You basically get all you can eat sandwiches, pastries and tea. There was only one serving of the scones. The first time I went I couldn't stop eating the little salmon sandwiches, they were so good. I had no room for dessert, but they were kind enough to box up 3 pastries I had chosen and I enjoyed those later in my room.

When we had tea at Brown's we could not possibly have eaten anything afterward except a late supper following the theater.

I thought &quot;milk in first&quot; was d&eacute;class&eacute;!

I have to agree with Underhill. Never put the milk in first.

My British mother in law swears by putting in the milk first. But on a recent BBC show, they interviewed one of the Queen's ladies in waiting about a tea service and it came out that the Queen prefers not to have the milk in first.
Fortunately, I can't stand milk (or lemon) in tea, period. So if I'm ever having tea with the Queen and my mum in law at the same time, I'm safe.

By the way, a Google of tea and &quot;milk in first&quot; came back with 14,400 hits!

One view:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected...27/ixconn.html
Another:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A906617

And finally, one more (the one I side with):
http://www.teamuse.com/article_050102.html

Now just a minute. That august authority on good breeding &amp; manner, Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's &quot;rock&quot; (or is that lunkhead?) said quite firmly that milk in first is a no-no. ;;)

Intersting. I would think that if you put the milk in first, you stand the chance of making your cup of tea too &quot;light&quot;.

I used to enjoy milk in my tea (with a bit of sugar), now I prefer it &quot;straight-up&quot; - no sugar or milk.

As did Underhill, I had afternoon tea at Browns at 3:30. I couldn't have possibly eaten dinner! The petite sandwiches and pastries were well and beyond plentiful!

My husband and I have had afternoon tea in just about every posh hotel in London. We go around 3:30 and don't have dinner that night, maybe just half a pizza. Who can afford more than that after the price of those teas, anyway. Some hotels are more generous than others, offering you more sandwiches [my particular weakness]. Alas, I can't remember which hotels were the more generous though I think the Claridge was. But we thought the Dorchester and Lanesborough were very good.

Having enjoyed 'tea' at only one 'posh' Londen hotel, I can give a personal and not very experienced (at least in the 'posh' hotel catagory) opinion. The 'tea' that I was served consisted of yummy little sandwiches, scones, and pastries and, as always, practically sent me into a high-carb coma. If you are like I am and need lots of protein, yes, you will need dinner following your 'posh' tea. Personally, I prefer small, local tearooms in villages where you can choose other goodies for your 'tea' and not need a nap after. Also, an extra perk to the small village tearooms is that frequently you will see lovely little ladies in mismatched skirts and sweater sets taking a rest from a busy day of shopping--instead of being surrounded by other tourists.
Tearooms in CA where I live are beautifully over-done, crowded with chintz, flowers, hats, and lots of tea merchandise. They are fun but almost a charicature of the traditional English tearoom. Rarely are men spotted in this environment and the ones seen tend to look a bit bewildered. I've noticed that most of these spots are (thank heavens) run by women who actually know how to brew a cup of English tea.
Milk first? An old stone-mason (head chap on the Canterbury Cathedral) told me 'milk first; English tea', 'tea first; Welsh tea'. I like milk first as the tea heats the milk instead of milk cooling the tea. Think I need a 'cuppa' right now. Cheers--bmk

I've had a number of afternoon teas around the world and maybe I'm just a big guts but to be honest I do get hungry later. There is nothing particularly nourishing in an afternoon tea, nothing to sustain you - oh yeah but it sure is yummy, yummy. I find that later on I am screaming out for a 'decent feed'.

So it's a pretty personal thing - what does it matter anyway - just enjoy it!

I can offer you no advice about milk in tea as I don't drink tea and always get my caffeine kicks from nothing but coffee.

&pound;28.50 per person for afternoon tea at Claridge's? You must be out of your tiny minds. There is absolutely nothing authentic or traditional about this at all.

I cannot believe I have ever met a U.K. citizen who would even contemplate spending such a sum of money on what is a mid-afternoon snack. You will be surrounded by other misguided tourists, not getting to live like the locals.