British Afternoon Tea

Yesterday one of my new British friends invited a small group of ladies over to her apartment for a traditional afternoon tea. It was spectacular! We had tea, a variety of finger sandwiches, scones with strawberry jam and cream, cupcakes, and Victoria sponge cake (sponge cake with jam in between the layers and a dusting of powdered sugar on top). I tell ya, I could eat scones every day and not mind a bit. So yummy!

The beautifully decorated table

The history of afternoon tea
Although drinking tea became popular in Britain in the 1600s, the afternoon tea didn't come about for another few hundred years. One of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting - Anne, Duchess of Bedford - grew hungry during the long waits between lunch and dinner, so she began to request that tea and small cakes be brought to her private quarters. Soon, other ladies joined her and the popularity of "afternoon tea" spread. Queen Victoria herself would host tea, serving the sponge cake that now bears her name.