High tea, I think you've heard of it, at least once. Tea drinking in the afternoon with tasty, tiny foods and of course, tea!
I'm going to tell you something about the history of the famous high tea and some funny facts.
Of course, after that, you can find recipes for making scones, sandwiches and other tasty 'finger foods'!
But first about...
High or low??
I was talking about a high tea, but actually the real high tea is something else. High tea, a long time ago, was eaten by men who came home after working and were very hungry. Their wives made a kind of dinner with typical English food and this is officially a high tea.
But we talking about: the afternoon tea, also called 'low tea' (because of the heigt of the table)! This was a little party for rich women in the afternoon (four or five o'clock) and they ate little snacks while relax, having a conservation and having a good time with your friends.
If we're now talking about a high tea, we actually mean the afternoon tea!
History
The afternoon tea was introduced in England in the 19th century. Anna, a duchess, was hungry between the lunch and the late dinner, so she asked her lady's maid for a pot of tea, some bread, butter and cakes. She invited her friends and this afternoon tea became very popular in England.
Tea has also a rich history, but I'm not gonna tell you that story, but if you're curious, you could take a look here: history of tea.
Funny facts
The tea time was for the rich people, so of course there was an important etiquette. Some facts about tea time:
- English people put milk in their tea
- It isn't a considerate gesure to raise your pink when you're holding a tea cup
- According to the etiquette, you have to strirring your tea very quiet and don't make noises by ticking the cup.
- There are different tea pots for a formal or informal high/afternoon tea
- When ladies went to their friends for an afternoon tea, they often bring their own tea cups with them, in a pretty, special box!
Afternoon tea
First of all, the invitation for an afternoon tea is very important and you have to think about all the things you need for a high tea, such as spoons, tea cups etc.
But you also have to know that there are different types of an afternoon tea and the order of the serving of the foods is also very important:
There's a cream tea, a light tea and a full tea and you always have to eat the savories, such as sandwiches first. After that, you can eat the scones with jam and clotted cream. And at the end, there are the cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets!
Recipes
I'm going to give you some recipes for scones (with jam and clotted cream), sandwiches, shortbread and a cake.
Scones (with jam and clotted cream)
Ingredients:
- 350g self-raising flour , plus more for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder- 85 gramme butter, cut in cubes
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
- 175 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- squeeze lemon juice
- beaten egg , to glaze
- jam and clotted cream , to serve
Method:
Heat the oven to 220 °C/fan 200 °C/gas 7.
Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder and then mix it. Add the butter, then mix it (with your fingers) until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir the sugar trough it.
Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it's warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set this aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
Add the liquid with the mix and combine it quickly with a knife - it will seem pretty wet at first.
Scatter some flour on the workplace and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it's a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep.
Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. By this point you'll probably need to press what's left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.
Bake for 10 minutes until it's risen and gold on the top.
Eat the scones warm or cold on the day of baking, topped with jam and clotted cream (you can find the 'how to' here!)
Sandwiches (French toast)
I don't think these are typically Brittish and 'real' sandwiches, but I like them very much! And I want to show them to you!
Ingredients:- 4 slices from a small sliced brioche loaf (or other bread if you don't want or can't find this)
- 3 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spreads (Nutella!!)
- 1 large egg
- 75 ml (whole) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cater sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- icing sugar
- ice cream (to serve)
- raspberries (to serve)
Method:
Thickly spread 2 of the brioche (or bread) slices with the hazelnut spread, then top with the remaining slics to make 2 sandwiches. Use a cutter to make the hearts or cut them in right form.
Mix the egg, milk, vanilla and caster sugar in a bowl. Put the hazelnuts onta a plate. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, leave for 1-2 minutes each side, then dip one side of each sandwich into the nuts.
Heat the butter in a wide frying pan until it's melted. Add the sandwiches and cook for 1-2 minutes each side until there golden brown.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream and raspberries.
Shortbread
Ingredients:
- 140 g golden caster sugar (and 4 tablespoons)
- 300 g plain flour
- 140 g rice flour
Method:
Mix the butter and sugar until smooth. Add both the flours and a pinch of salt and mix this.
Spread the mixture out in a (20×30×4cm) baking tray. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge, uncooked, for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Then heat the oven to 180 °C/160 °C/gas 4. Remove the cling film, then lightly mark the shorybread all over with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into thin slices.
Orange Almond cake
Ingredients:- 2 large oranges
- 6 eggs
- 1,5 cups ground almonds, divided
- 0,25 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 0,5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Orange slices (for garnish)
Method:
Wash the oranges and boil them whole in enough water to cover completely for 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Cut into quarters and remove any seeds. Mix until it's like a rough puree.
Beat the eggs in a bowl until thick and add the orange puree, ground almonds, salt, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Mix well and pour into a deep greased and floured cake pan.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or longer, until the center of the cake isn't soft anymore. Remove the pan and allow to cool.
Serve garnished with orange slices. You can dust with icing sugar or use a glaze. Before eating, cut the cake into small pieces.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you will enjoy your food and have a nice tea-pary with your friends!
Until next time!
Love,
Nathalie
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