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26th June marks this year’s National Cream Tea Day, a celebration of one of the most quintessential British treats in the world and this year, the event is heading online!
Because of the ongoing uncertainty with the Coronavirus pandemic, we’re not going to be able to enjoy our favourite afternoon treat at our favourite hotel or tea room this year, but the team behind National Cream Tea Day have created a range of resources allowing you to celebrate from your own home!
Take part either by enjoying a cream tea on your own with a good book in your favourite arm chair, or head online and join in with people all over the UK celebrating – the choice is yours! Download a pack from their website here.
While we’ve all heard of a cream tea, you might not know that the cream tea that we know and love today was actually invented in Bedfordshire – Bedford to be exact. The West Country can claim ownership as much as they want, but it doesn’t get away from the fact that tea with cake, scones and sandwiches is from Bedfordshire.
We have the Duchess of Bedford to thank when it comes to the cream tea we all know and love today. She, like many of us, got annoyed about the long wait between lunch and dinner and decided to start ordering tea and treats to her room to help her get through to her next meal. She did this so often, that naturally, she would have company when her treat was brought up to her and this soon evolved into a huge social affair with fancy clothes and even fancier sandwiches and cakes to go with the tea. As the Duchess usually ordered these in the Afternoon, it became known as Afternoon Tea, but as the 19th century continued, and Afternoon Tea became a daily occurrence, it evolved into the more indulgent Cream Tea.
A cream tea is characterised by the spread of cakes, sandwiches, scones, cream and jam and is delicious whether you enjoy it with a friend or on your own – if you plan to get involved with this year’s National Cream Tea Day using the online packs and putting your own Bedfordshire twist on it, let us know! You can get in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
