Afternoon Tea Ideas

Old May 5th, 2015, 03:29 AM
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Afternoon Tea Ideas

Requests for afternoon tea recommendations come up on a regular basis. Perusing dinner menus on Bookatable this lunchtime I noticed they have an afternoon tea feature running at the moment. Pics, menus and pricing are included.

http://www.bookatable.co.uk/afternoon-tea-deals

As ever, I am not affiliated etc etc,
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Old May 5th, 2015, 06:21 AM
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What's the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea, if any?

And put the kettle on...

Good info for yes a perpetual question here...
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Old May 5th, 2015, 06:54 AM
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High tea is less fancy and more likely to include hot stuff.

Btw one of the hotels on that list does actually do a high tea as opposed to an afternoon tea.
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Old May 5th, 2015, 07:05 AM
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High tea is what you might call supper.
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Old May 5th, 2015, 10:00 AM
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The difference:
http://britishfood.about.com/od/faq/...teavafttea.htm

"When I were a lad" the evening meal was just known as tea, dinner was at midday.
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Old May 5th, 2015, 12:17 PM
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Thanks for posting this link! It seems very thorough and will help us in choosing a venue for "afternoon tea" this summer when we're visiting.
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Old May 5th, 2015, 03:14 PM
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Old May 5th, 2015, 06:10 PM
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My Aunt Judith lives in London and likes to take clients to Brown's.

I, personally, think it is daft to spend 50+ quid on tea.

I would just go to Pret A Manger for a tea and a scone (rhymes with John, not Joan).

Have fun in the Four-Gated City.


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Old May 5th, 2015, 08:28 PM
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Better still, go to the V&A - the tea rooms are gorgeous and the scone is big.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 06:06 AM
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Again, good suggestions. The Pret A Manger looks right for lunches (and tea) at any of the locations. The V&A museum is on our list, so is definitely a possibility.

Didn't know that scone rhymes with John, not Joan. All these years I've been pronouncing it wrong!
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Old May 6th, 2015, 06:18 AM
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On pronunciation see also: http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2...you-say-scone/
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Old May 6th, 2015, 07:04 AM
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Here's a photo spread to whet your appetite:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone...don#.ffrjZBjwn

When I lived in the England and had tea in London, I usually went to The Wolseley -- it's contemporary, buzzing, and good for someone on their own. Not so great for someone who wants to have quiet conversations -- this place can get loud.
https://www.thewolseley.com/afternoon-tea

I sometimes went to the cafe at Sotheby's auction house. Pleasant and more art and antique dealers than tourists.
http://www.sothebys.com/en/inside/se.../overview.html
http://www.sothebys.com/content/dam/..._April2015.pdf

You could also turn afternoon tea into a day out in small town near London. There are a few places in the charming, Thameside village of Marlow. One lets you have tea while you overlook the river:
http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/uk/sou...mpleat-angler/
http://www.theaa.com/hotels/marlow-m...-angler-377422


My favorite place for high tea rather than afternoon tea was The Plough and Stars in Philadelphia. A real high tea, esp. pleasant in winter when you could sit near the wood-burning fireplace. Alas, they don't serve it anymore.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 07:06 AM
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So, on my side of the pond it's more likely to be scone as in "cone" or "Joan". But since I'll be in England when it matters most, I'll remember that it's scone as in "con" or "John"! Thanks.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 07:18 AM
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. I grew up in England and I've always said it to rhyme with Joan. I have no problem being in a minority, lol.

If I'm going to do a full afternoon tea and the weather is good I go to the Orangery in Kensington Park.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 09:07 AM
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The English family we are staying with say both variations of "scone" . In Australia we say the one that rhymes with John.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 11:38 AM
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There's no "correct" pronunciation of scone in England (where sconn/scoon split roughly 50/50): in Scotland it's complicated still further by the politics of the Stone of Scone, which drags in both a third pronunciation ("scoon") and seven hundred years of victim posturing by the Scotch.

But most of those who rhyme the baked product with cone are convinced rhyming it with con is the mark of a yob, those rhyming it with con think the "cone" pronunciation is reserved for effete Southern snobs and no-one gives a stuff how other English-speakers pronounce it.

It seems to be one of the few cases where the lower-class pronunciation has moved overseas (Derby is another) - implying the allegedly posh variation is a relatively recent affectation by those effete Southerners.

The likelihood any tourist will find waiting staff in a London cafe who are native English speakers anyway is so remote that this should a complete non-issue. Except that TEFL courses typically teach the "cone" version
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Old May 6th, 2015, 12:35 PM
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Well, Jessica Mitford would have said s-con, not s-cone and she, as everyone knows, had a highly cultivated sense of the ridic.

But, you are correct. No one at The Connaught will give a toss as they have all become numb to class distinctions watching Macca's current wife parading around the lobby in yoga pants and a sports bra.


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Old May 6th, 2015, 12:47 PM
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My Irish immigrant family in the US called Irish soda bread scone, pronounced scon. They distinguished between scone, with no final "s", and scones, which was something Scots people ate, and what is now known throughout the civilized world.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 03:20 PM
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How about morning tea? A cuppa? Any nice tea stalls serving formal morning or mid-morning teas?
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Old May 6th, 2015, 03:47 PM
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What in the name of Lady Bracknell is formal mid-morning tea?

Do you mean elevenses?

I think most would make do with some Lipton's and Marmite spread on a HobNob.

Of course, if you were posh, you would have a nice chilled Chardonnay (absolutely no Vin de Pays!) and some savoury Bombay mix.


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