Everything Stops For Tea!
This year’s Afternoon Tea Week takes place mid-August (until 14th April) and is a celebration of one of the nation’s favourite traditions. Afternoon tea is attributed to the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who complained of having a ‘sinking feeling’ during the afternoon. The solution was a pot a tea and a light snack. Taken privately at first, she went on to invite her friends to join her, until all fashionable society was sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches in the middle of the afternoon.
Keith Newton, Managing Director, AfternoonTea.co.uk said “Afternoon Tea is a uniquely British experience to enjoy during the summer, whether you are on holiday or having a ‘staycation’ closer to home.”
Afternoon tea is fashionable again – whether enjoyed in an elegant hotel, traditional tearoom, or a homemade treat in the garden at home. We all love the combination of savoury sandwiches and sweet cakes, pastries and freshly baked scones with jam and cream, accompanied by some of the 100 million cups of tea we drink each day in the UK.
Afternoon tea can be a special experience enjoyed at a smart venue, perhaps with a glass of local fizz. Try Balmer Lawn, Careys Manor, Chewton Glen, Lime Wood, The Montagu Arms and The Pig in the New Forest, The Grosvenor in Stockbridge, Lainston House near Winchester, Four Seasons, near Odiham, The Queens, Southsea, and The Hambrough on the Isle of Wight.
Lots of cafes and farm shops also offer a great afternoon tea options. Just a very few suggestions include Long Barn, Alresford; Rosebourne Farm Shop, near Basingstoke, Cassandra’s Cup in Chawton, White’s Café, Selbourne, and Forte Kitchen, Winchester. Find more places on the Hampshire Fare website including the Local Produce Guide on the publications page HERE.
Some venues hold special afternoon tea experiences - once such is Hambledon Vineyard for an afternoon tea among the vines that is available until the end of September.
As for the perfect cuppa: try New Forest Tea Company to find the perfect brew to pick you up or calm you down. For your own afternoon tea, bake your own with Katie Bakes, or add New Forest Shortbread, cakes from Little Bee Bakery, brownies from Homemade Brownie Company and so on. Some cafes and caterers can provide afternoon tea in a box, eg Bay Leaves Larder in Chandler's Ford.
Where is your favourite afternoon tea destination, and what do you think makes the best afternoon tea? Let us know at info@hampshirefare.co.uk