Anna Maria Stanhope, the Duchess of Bedford, is credited for the creation of the now world-renowned afternoon tea. In the 1800s evening meals were progressively served later and this left the Duchess suffering from a “sinking feeling” each afternoon at about four o’clock. Initially, the Duchess asked her servants to sneak a pot of tea and a few breadstuffs to replenish herself. In doing so, she found that an afternoon snack was the perfect refreshment and began inviting her friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and of course tea.

The afternoon teatime summer sessions proved so popular that the Duchess continued it upon her return to London. She sent cards to her friends asking them to join her for “tea and walking the fields”. Other social hostesses soon picked up the practice of inviting friends for afternoon tea and this has since developed into a traditional pastime.