It was meant to nourish the after a long day at work. Instead of small crustless finger sandwiches, a high tea menu consisted of meat dishes, potatoes, baked beans, and other heavy dishes. It consisted of hearty dishes and high tea time was between 5PM – 7PM after the working class came home from work.

High tea on the other hand was a working class family evening meal or supper.

RELATED: What is Afternoon Tea? What is High Tea? but the popularity grew once she started inviting her friends over and it became a social gathering for the wealthy social class.Īfternoon tea is also called ‘low tea’ since they were enjoyed on low tables with comfortable chairs and sofas in the drawing room. It started out as just tea and a small snack. The concept of afternoon tea started in England in the 1840s when The Duchess of Bedford wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner. The light meal is not meant to replace dinner but instead to tide you over until dinner which was usually at 8PM for the upper class. Everything is bite-sized and eaten with fingers.Īfternoon tea time is around 4PM, between lunch and dinner. Afternoon TeaĪfternoon tea is a light meal composed of three course of tea sandwiches and savories, followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and ending with sweet pastries. Afternoon tea and high tea are completely different types of meals.Īfternoon tea was for the upper class and high tea was for the lower class.

Nope! Many people refer to “afternoon tea” as “high tea” but this is simply incorrect. Is Afternoon Tea the Same Thing as High Tea? Is afternoon tea the same thing as high tea? Nope! Find out how they’re completely different meals.

What time afternoon