High Tea in Gramercy Park

Let’s talk about one of my favorite topics – English High Tea

Unlike afternoon tea, high tea is not so dainty. High tea is the divider between day from night, sometimes around six in the afternoon, and not at the more idle and elegant afternoon-tea hour of four to five.

In the north of England and Scotland, high tea still reigns! In such surroundings, what you’ll find is a large table spread with a white cloth; a heavy brown Firestone teapot pouring tea strong enough to trot a mouse on.

A side of smoked ham, maybe an eggs and bacon pie; a generous wedge of cheese; a dish of tomatoes and a bunch of watercress. Let’s not forget a plate of sandwiches, hot toasted tea cakes; and appetite-cutting cakes, often baked from recipes unique to the region, full of dried fruit and oatmeal and ginger.

Do not expect to find delicate pretty cakes like mille feuilles or meringues; frosted confections; creamy gateaux; little fingers crooked over teacups, silver tea pots and fine porcelain – and social chit-chat, at an English High Tea.

Yes, High Tea is totally unlike what we have here in America, and what we get served at the usual posh places.

Sandwiches define the English afternoon tea: its presentation and filling; its size and shape and slenderness; whether it is with or without the crust. Tea sandwiches should know their place—that is, before the scones and well before the cake.

The British custom of thwarting late afternoon fatigue with a steaming cup of black tea, delicate sandwiches, tea cakes and biscuits dates back to Victorian times. According to lore, the Duchess of Bedford popularized the meal in Queen Victoria’s court. A simple, infallible mood-lifter, it’s easy to see why afternoon tea persists as a habit today in England and abroad in Australia and New Zealand.

What we consider High Tea here in America is in fact afternoon tea. The next time you decide to stop by the Peninsula Hotel, or Lady Mendl’s for a “spot of tea”, keep in mind that at the end, you will be served with a very “high” bill, but not necessarily High Tea.