How National Afternoon Tea Week Came to Be

Afternoon tea is defined by the United Kingdom’s premier afternoon-tea guide, afternoontea.co.uk, as a “tea-related ritual, introduced in Britain in the early 1840s, that evolved as a mini meal to stem the hunger and anticipation of an evening meal at 8 p.m.” It’s a delightful assemblage of petite sandwiches and savories, scones served with jam and clotted cream, and delicious sweets, typically consisting of pastries, small cakes, and more. The scrumptious fare is often elegantly presented on a tiered stand brimming with the aforementioned bites and perfectly paired with pots of hot tea of the guest’s preference. It’s a brilliantly British tradition and poised pastime steeped in history that has been passed down through the generations to remain prevalent in society to this day.

Every year for over a decade in the month of August—this year, running from the 11th to the 17th—tea lovers around Britain pause to appreciate the beloved meal during National Afternoon Tea Week, a holiday dedicated to the art of taking tea. The tea-filled celebration resulted as a sort of accidental blessing for a man who searched for a creative outlet for his IT skills. A true “techie at heart” and tea afficionado, Keith Newton realized that there wasn’t a website dedicated to afternoon tea, and so he created one himself in 2002. “Afternoon tea is usually associated with 5-star hotels, like The Dorchester and Claridge’s, and London is the center of the afternoon-tea world,” Keith states. “Lots of people wonder if they have to wear a shirt and tie, where they sit once they arrive, proper etiquette, etc.