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Britain / Food / Teatime
Tea time in the UK
     
Sections:
Introduction
  Bread and spreads
  Tea
  Biscuits and cakes
  Further information
  Links
   
Related pages:
Cooking British food: Britain/Food/Cooking
  British food products: Britain/Food/Products
  Go back to main Food page: Britain/Food



INTRODUCTION


This page shows some of the foods and drinks commonly eaten in the late afternoon in Britain ("tea-time"). This custom has been popular in the UK since Victorian times.

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BREAD & SPREADS

Marmite
Marmalade
Strawberry Jam

Types of bread include white, brown/wholemeal, granary, rye
Popular spreads include: Jam (see picture); Marmalade; Marmite (see picture); Marmalade (see picture)

Cucumber sandwich
Hot Cross Bun
Cottage loaf
Chelsea bun

Crumpet
Toasted teacake
Malt bread

Types of bread often eaten at tea-time: Chelsea bun (see picture); Crumpet (see picture) with butter and jam; Cucumber sandwich (see picture); Currant bun with butter; Hot cross bun (see picture) with butter; Malt bread with butter (see picture); Teacake with butter (see picture)

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TEA


Some of the most common varieties of tea are:
Assam - a tea with a strong flavour (from the Assam region of North India)
Ceylon - a bright-coloured tea (from the island of Sri Lanka)
Darjeeling - a tea with a light, delicate flavour (from the Himalayan mountains of India)
Earl Grey - a blend (mixture) of black China teas with a fruity smell
English Breakfast - a strong blend of Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas
House blend - a popular general blend of teas (you will get this if you just ask for a pot of tea)
Kenyan - a bright-coloured tea (from East Africa)
Other types include Jasmine, Lapsang Souchong, Gunpowder, Keemum, Indonesian, Nilgiri, Dimbula, Uva

There are flavoured teas which are blended with fruit (eg: lemon), spices (eg: cinnamon) or herbs (eg: mint)
An infusion is a drink made using dried leaves or fruit (it does not contain tea leaves)

A cuppa is a slang word for a cup of tea

Afternoon Tea - perfect places for afternoon tea
Author: Martin Knowlden
Publisher: AA Publishing
Date: October 2006
Best Tea Places in England
Author: Tea Council
Publisher: Little Bookroom
Date: March 2003
Britain's Best Afternoon Tea 2006
Publisher: AA Publishing
Date: November 2005
   

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BISCUITS & CAKES

Shortbread
* See recipe for: Shortbread
Gingerbread man
Flapjack
* See recipe for: Flapjack
Scone, jam & cream
* See recipe for: Scone

Victoria sponge cake
Dundee cake
Meringue & cream
Christmas cake

Welshcake
Eccles cake
Saffron cake
Mince pies

Macaroon
Maid of honour
Custard tart
Rock cake


Biscuits: Custard cream; Digestive biscuit; Ginger biscuit; Gingerbread man; Rich tea biscuit; Shortbread / shortcake (see picture)

Cakes: Bakewell tart; Butterfly cake; Carrot cake; Chocolate cake; Christmas cake (see picture) - a fruit cake topped with marzipan (American English: almond paste) and icing sugar (American English: frosting); Custard tart (see picture); Dundee cake (see picture); Eccles cake (see picture); Fairy cake; Flapjack (see picture); Fondant fancy; Gingerbread man (see picture); Jam tart; Macaroon (see picture); Madeira cake; Maid of honour (see picture); Meringue (see picture); Mince pies (see picture); Rock cake (see picture); Saffron cake (see picture); Sally Lunn; Scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream (see picture); Sponge cake (see picture); Welshcake (see picture)

Tea-time Recipes
Editors: Jane Pettigrew, Margaret Willes
Publisher: The National Trust
Date: February 2006
Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down
Authors: Nicey, Wifey
Publisher: Time Warner Paperbacks
Date: September 2005

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FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information about drinking tea see the British Tea Council's site: http://www.tea.co.uk
See also: http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/cupoftea
For a detailed guide to some of the favourite biscuits in the UK, see: http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com

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LINKS

Making shortbread: Britain/Food/Cooking/Shortbread
Making flapjack: Britain/Food/Cooking/Flapjack
Making scones: Britain/Food/Cooking/Scone

A guide to British pubs: Britain/Food/Pubs
British manners: Personal/Manners

Home page: Home

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