Anna Maria Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, is reputed to have originated the idea of afternoon tea in the early 1800s. She conceived the idea of having tea around four or five o´clock in the afternoon to ward off the hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. She found a light meal of tea (usually Darjeeling)and cakes or sandwiches was the perfect balance. Some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread. These habits soon became a good reason for social gatherings, and started a trend. Afternoon tea quickly became an established and convivial repast in many middle and upper class households.
As the popularity of tea spread, it also became an essential part of people´s entertainment outside the house. Tea gardens then opened all over the country, with tea served as the high point of the afternoon. Dancing was included as part of the day´s festivities so from the tea gardens came the idea of the tea dance which remained fashionable in Britain until World War II, when they lost popularity.
But rapid urban growth in the early 1800s led to the closure of the gardens and the only places left serving tea were the inns, taverns and hostelries. Tea now began to play an important role in the temperance movement´s battle against the very high levels of alcohol comsumption.
Between 1741 and 1820, industrialists, landowners and clerics tried to put a stop to the tea break, maintaining that tea drinking and rest made working people slothful. Nowadays. it is believed that regular tea breaks are a vital part of the day and help to maintain a positive balance and good health.
