March arrives with the promise of longer days, warmer afternoons, and spring — at least on the calendar, if not yet in the temperature. It gets me thinking about the season of bridal showers ahead: fancy little sandwiches, dainty desserts, and homemade scones. A chance to bring out Grandma’s china and pretend, just for an afternoon, that you’re sitting in a beautiful A-line gown among the Bridgertons, enjoying a leisurely late-day tea.

The refined afternoon tea tradition most people picture today began in the 1840s with Anna Russell in England. She reportedly began requesting tea and a small tray of food in the late afternoon to bridge the long gap between lunch and the fashionable late dinner hour. This habit caught on among the upper classes and evolved into what we now call afternoon tea: delicate finger sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and small pastries served with tea.

High tea, historically, was something else entirely. It was the evening meal of working-class families in Britain, eaten after a long day of labour. The word “high” didn’t mean fancy—it referred to the high dining table (as opposed to the low lounge tables used for afternoon tea). High tea was hearty and filling: dishes like meat pies, baked fish, eggs, bread, cheese, and strong tea.

Over time, hotels and restaurants began using the term “high tea” because it sounded grander and more luxurious than “afternoon tea.” As a result, many places today advertise “high tea” when they actually mean the dainty, aristocratic afternoon spread.

In modern usage, especially in North America, “high tea” has come to mean a lavish tea service often served on tiered stands with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jams, petit fours, cakes, and pastries and a pot of fine tea. 

One of the staples of the high tea of today is the clotted or Devonshire Cream that is served with scones and jam.  While you can find it in some specialty stores, it’s very easy to make.  It’s not a quick recipe, but worth it.  I made this myself for the first time when we served high tea for a large wedding reception.  

Clotted Cream

Ingredients 

4 cups heavy cream 35%

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175

Pour cream into shallow baking dish -cream should no more than 2 inches deep 

Bake in oven for 12 hours

Remove and let cool completely 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours

With a spoon, lift thick cream from the top leaving the liquid in the bottom 

Enjoy on your scones with jam – save the bottom liquid for the scone recipe that will be in Friday’s article!