Afternoon Tea Week will run from August 8 to August 14. Venues across the world will offer discounts and exciting events.
Although the English culture of drinking tea dates back to the 1660s, the concept of afternoon tea was introduced by the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna Russell, in 1840.
According to The World’s Healthiest Afternoon Tea, with a long period between lunch and dinner, the Duchess often became hungry, so she requested tea, bread, butter and cake be brought to her room at about 4pm. She then invited friends to join her.
The Duchess’s long-term friend, Queen Victoria, later embraced the idea, enjoying her tea with a light cake with buttercream and fresh raspberries, later known as the Victoria Sponge. This led to afternoon teas becoming a social event…
