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We know you think we Brits drink a lot of tea, and you are quite right in thinking so because we’re a nation that is fond of this nice drinks! Since the 18th century, the UK has topped the list for highest tea consumption, getting through 165 million cups a day!

But why we love tea is a complicated matter. There is the lovely taste, of course, perfect to have with a biscuit or two. There is also its warmth, which is important in a climate such as in the UK. But mostly, drinking tea is a part of our culture in Britain. It is thought of as an iconic part of being British.

In fact, the legend of how afternoon tea came into being is another reason why we love tea so much. The legend says that afternoon or low tea was introduced to rich households by Anne Maria, who was the 7th Duchess of Bedford and a friend of Queen Victoria. She often asked her maid to bring her only tea, bread, butte, perhaps even a few scones at around 5 pm because she felt a bit hungry but could not eat a full meal yet. She did this on a daily basis, even inviting her friends to her house to join in. It quickly became a popular social event, and thus, the English afternoon tea was born. This practice soon came into the workers’ families. They found that having a small snack in between the midday meal and evening meal helped to boost energy as most people worked long hours.

Now we come to high tea, which is actually dinner. In the past, when afternoon tea could not be taken, high tea was the alternative, which combined a snack and a big meal together, and was usually served at about 6 pm. Soon it became common for working people to call their midday meal dinner and their evening meal – tea, while the rich people called their midday meal lunch, and the evening meal – dinner. Lots of people name afternoon tea as high tea, but this is wrong. Afternoon tea is actually called low tea because it was usually eaten in a room with low tables, like a coffee table.

Many visitors from abroad still believe that we are a nation where, in the words of the well-known song, “at half past three, everything stops for tea”. Sadly, these days afternoon tea is usually only an occasional event for the British, a birthday treat in a country house hotel, or a welcome break from a busy day shopping a town. If you’re looking to experience our traditional tea drinking, we recommend visiting a place where afternoon tea is served. There are a lot of places where you can take part in afternoon tea, but small tearooms are usually the best.

The article was written by a British person.

The UK is the highest tea drinking nation.

The British started drinking tea in the 18th century.

The author explains why British people love tea so much.

Queen Victoria is believed to have started the afternoon tea tradition.

Afternoon tea became popular with working people.

In the past, a midday meal was called dinner or lunch.

There are two types of afternoon tea – low and high.

Nowadays, traditional afternoon tea is served in hotels.

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