High tea at Kensington Palace

High tea has been a British tradition for over a century.  Today we all partook in the tradition and enjoyed some high tea right next to Kensington Palace at the Orangery.  My flatmates and I wore matching fascinators to our tea time today to class things up a bit while we enjoyed our tea and snacks.  The fascinator, if you do not know, is a headpiece that is an alternative to a hat for formal attire.  

Fascinator Friends

Flora enjoyed showing off her fascinator for tea today

High tea began as Afternoon tea for the upper class to bridge the gap between lunch and their evening meal and became sort of a mini meal in it's own right.  Afternoon tea was a social event that was taken seated in low, comfortable chairs or sofas.  For the working class, tea time was their evening meal after returning home from a long day of work.  Tea was taken with bread, vegetables, cheese, and occasionally meat.  Variations could include the addition of pies, potatoes and crackers. This was referred to as high tea due to the fact that it was eaten at a table rather than in low chairs and sofas.  Today, Afternoon tea has taken on the name High tea to attract tourists from overseas.

My classmates and I enjoyed a variety of triangle tea sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and assorted cakes and tarts along with our delicious English tea.  I only have pictures of the tea as my table mates and I were a little overeager when our food arrived, haha. I do not normally enjoy tea, as I do not tend to drink hot drinks, but it was a wonderful experience to take part in a long tradition in British culture.