Afternoon tea in England is the time when, round about four, the concerns of the day give way to a series of delightful possibilities. Scones or currant buns? Strawberry jam or honey? Bread-and-butter sandwiches or salmon mayonnaise? Darjeeling or Lapsang Souchong? A bench on the terrace of a stone-faced inn beside a ripping brook on a sunny day or an overstuffed armchair by a bright fire in the beamed lounge of a centuries-old-hostelry as cold rain hits the face of bullseye windows?
Linda Hewitt, the award-winning author of this well-researched book, has explored those possibilities throughout much of the British Isles. Now she continues her explorations into the past and shares with us how this very pleasant diversion came to be.
Here's an entertaining summary of when tea came to England, the places in which it was first consumed, its growing popularity, and how the custom of afternoon tea developed and continues to be enjoyed today. Among the specific historical topics covered are the British East India Company and the tea monopoly, taverns, pleasure and tea gardens, coffee houses, clubs, unsavory aspects of the tea trade, the appeal of tea for all social classes, critics and supporters of tea consumption, the design and manufacture of tea utensils, the role of the aristocracy in the evolution of afternoon tea, different styles in the presentation of afternoon tea throughout different eras, and the kind of food served. Also included are discussions of afternoon tea menus today, the difference between "high tea" and "afternoon tea," and the very special atmosphere surrounding the afternoon-tea custom.
The text is approximately 16,500 words. Nine detailed pen-and-ink illustrations drawn specifically for the overview by award-winning artist Robert Hewitt and digitally colored for this edition demonstrate various aspects of the custom of afternoon tea. In addition, there are thirteen nineteenth-century black-and-white engravings showing tea gardens, coffee houses, and other places of entertainment in which tea became a beverage of choice, and nine original photographs related to English tea customs in more-recent times.
Linda Hewitt, a native of Alabama, attended Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama, and Georgia State University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in History.
Linda Hewitt, the award-winning author of this well-researched book, has explored those possibilities throughout much of the British Isles. Now she continues her explorations into the past and shares with us how this very pleasant diversion came to be.
Here's an entertaining summary of when tea came to England, the places in which it was first consumed, its growing popularity, and how the custom of afternoon tea developed and continues to be enjoyed today. Among the specific historical topics covered are the British East India Company and the tea monopoly, taverns, pleasure and tea gardens, coffee houses, clubs, unsavory aspects of the tea trade, the appeal of tea for all social classes, critics and supporters of tea consumption, the design and manufacture of tea utensils, the role of the aristocracy in the evolution of afternoon tea, different styles in the presentation of afternoon tea throughout different eras, and the kind of food served. Also included are discussions of afternoon tea menus today, the difference between "high tea" and "afternoon tea," and the very special atmosphere surrounding the afternoon-tea custom.
The text is approximately 16,500 words. Nine detailed pen-and-ink illustrations drawn specifically for the overview by award-winning artist Robert Hewitt and digitally colored for this edition demonstrate various aspects of the custom of afternoon tea. In addition, there are thirteen nineteenth-century black-and-white engravings showing tea gardens, coffee houses, and other places of entertainment in which tea became a beverage of choice, and nine original photographs related to English tea customs in more-recent times.
Linda Hewitt, a native of Alabama, attended Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama, and Georgia State University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in History.
