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English afternoon tea (or simply afternoon tea) is a British tradition that involves enjoying a light meal of tea, sandwiches, scones, and cakes in the mid-afternoon, typically between 3:30 and 5 pm. It originated in the 1840s as a way for the upper class to bridge the gap between lunch and a late dinner.
A nippy was a waitress who worked in the J. Lyons & Co tea shops and cafés in London. Beginning in the late 19th century, a J. Lyons waitress was called a "Gladys". From 1926, because the waitresses nipped (moved quickly) around the tea shops, the term "Nippy" came into use. [1] [2] Nippies wore a distinctive maid-like uniform with a matching hat.
Queen Victoria reportedly ordered "16 chocolate sponges, 12 plain sponges, 16 fondant biscuits" along with other sweets for a tea party at Buckingham Palace. [2] The afternoon tea party became a feature of great houses in the Victorian and Edwardian ages in the United Kingdom and the Gilded Age in the United States, as well as in all continental Europe (France, Germany, and the Russian Empire).
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Philosopher Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane Welsh Carlyle invited guests for 7 pm to their teas in the 1850s, although "afternoon tea" before dinner was also becoming established by this time. [9] After inventing the ritual of afternoon tea, the Duchess of Bedford started inviting her friends to join in.
Sometimes the meal is also called "tea". Although its function varies widely depending on the culture, teahouses often serve as centers of social interaction, like coffeehouses. Some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses of different types that all qualify under the English language term "teahouse" or "tearoom".