The taking of tea in the afternoon originated in Britain in the nineteenth century. It is attributed to Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford. Anna was a friend of Queen Victoria and a lady who got a bit peckish mid-afternoon. Unable to make it through the long stretch between breakfast and dinner, Anna took sandwiches, cake, and a pot of tea in her private rooms between 1500 and 1700 (Oh, did we mention we’re nurses? Yeah, it’s all 24h clocks, all the time, baby). Over time, she began to invite select friends to join her and the practice became so popular that afternoon tea as a social custom was born.

                                        Anna, Duchess of Bedford and fellow afternoon cake eater

Now, we know what you’re thinking. That explains afternoon tea but what about high tea? Are they even the same?

No. *gasp*

While the duchess and her pals sat on comfy chairs and feasted on cake, the lower and middle classes were standing up at high tables for a hearty afternoon meal. These were not three-tiered feasts but rather small, packed lunches of a sandwich and a scone, eaten without even the luxury of sitting down. This practical meal eaten after work but before supper was described as high tea because of the high, standing tables it was served on. Thus, high tea was originally a workers’ meal and had very little to do with the high tea we think of today.

So what happened? Well, as Britain got all colonial on the rest of us and the tradition of afternoon tea made its way around the globe, the terms afternoon tea and high tea became interchangeable. Countries outside of Britain, including Canada, adopted the term “high tea” to describe the fancy afternoon feast we eat while pretending to be seated aristocrats. Meanwhile in Britain, this lovely practice is still called afternoon tea.

The anatomy of high tea here in Victoria is fairly consistent: three tiers comprised of sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and sweets. This is usually served with a pot of tea, milk, and sugar. Does it matter how you eat it? Maybe. But heck, we’re not hungry duchesses bound by corsets and social convention. We’re just nurses with a penchant for bastardized traditions and sitting down.