Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to Afternoon Tea at the Pendray Inn & Tea House accompanied by my parents. There are many tea houses in Victoria to choose from, but I found this one was a good choice because it was located downtown and it was an old English house. It was excellent for a Victorian style afternoon tea. It also wouldn’t be quite the same if it was in a strip mall, which is one of the other tea house locations in Victoria.
Pendray Tea House, Victoria, British Columbia
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” - Henry James
Afternoon Tea was first established around 1840 in England by a woman called Anna, seventh Duchess of Bedford. She was often hungry around four o’clock since dinner was served at eight. (I never knew people ate at such a weird time!) Anna began eating bread and butter along with tea at this time. Eventually she invited her friends to do this with her, and around then the sandwich was invented (he really just got the notion of putting something between two slices of bread) by the Earl of Sandwich, thus introducing sandwiches to the menu. She also had cakes served, and it became a habit of hers. Today, afternoon teas continue and are served 11 AM - 2 PM. Because the city of Victoria has a British influence, it is a tourist attraction.
I researched online what was on the menu, and as at most tea houses it was broken into three parts. Starting with the savouries, then the scones and finally the pastries. Not to mention the large variety of teas they offered. It all sounded very good, so my parents and I decided we would try it. I had never been to an afternoon tea, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I also researched the etiquette so I wouldn’t mess anything up! I read that there were a lot of do’s and don’t’s at an afternoon tea, and most websites had the rules in common. Though there were slight differences, such as how you should eat your scone.
Here are 7 rules of etiquette that seem most important:
Dress Appropriately:
You should dress smart casual and never wear jeans or sneakers. In some of my sources they say you don’t have to dress too formally, such as wear a tie and trousers or an extravagant dress. The other people in the room dressed very simply, one lady going as far as to wear jeans, though I stated earlier you likely shouldn’t. She probably hadn’t known about the etiquette, though. Since I wasn’t having tea with the Queen I didn’t go and buy a dress. I did though try to wear my best and cleanest clothes for the occasion. My father took dressing formally very seriously.
My parents and I.
Put Your Pinkie Finger Down:
Some might think you should raise your pinkie finger when sipping your tea, but it’s quite the opposite. I learned that it is actually considered ill-mannered. You also should always hold your cup by the handle.
Saucer Stays Put:
You should also NEVER pick up your saucer from the table, except in some occasions when you’re standing. Meanwhile I always thought, as with the pinkie one, that you should always hold it while drinking tea!
Don’t Guzzle The Tea:
Make sure to always take dainty sips of tea and not slurp it, as well as make any uncouth sounds. I made sure to follow this and I think I succeeded! Our hostess informed us while pouring our tea that if a host or hostess poured it clockwise it meant he/she liked you and was happy to serve you. Meanwhile if they poured it counterclockwise it meant they were obliged to serve you and didn’t really like you. I would’ve been quite alarmed if our hostess had poured it counterclockwise! The tea I chose was a Black 1837, which was the house special.
Break The Scone Up:
You should always break the scone into smaller chunks then lather them with cream, lemon curd, or jam. There is a long-standing conflict over if you should spread the jam first then the cream, or vice versa. The Cornish way is to put the jam on first then cream, while the Devonshire is cream then jam. It mostly depends on your preference. Most websites I looked at also state that you should never dunk your scone into your tea.
No Phones Allowed:
It is considered rude to have glasses, phones or anything else on the table. I had to remind my mom since she had her phone beside her to take pictures. This is obviously where modern times inflict on the afternoon tea.
Bottom to Top:
When you begin eating you should start with the savouries at the bottom of the 3-tiered tray, then make your way up. The savouries may include cucumber sandwiches (which I envisioned would taste better) along with an egg-salad sandwich. Since it was West Coast day, the menu was slightly different. There were a lot of seafood themed foods such as a smoked salmon. My dad ordered it and I didn’t go near any of it! The second tray was scones, and the last was pastries, in my opinion were delicious!
It seems that some etiquette is necessary and some isn’t. It depends on where you are going for tea. You can be fancy if you want, and it’s what you make of it. If you want to dress up, go ahead! I had a decent time at the afternoon tea, though I don’t think I’ll do it again. It was quite an expensive experience but to some it might be worth it. I’m glad I had the opportunity to indulge in it, and now I know what it’s like.
Want to go to the Pendray Tea House? Here’s the website:
https://www.pendrayinnandteahouse.com/pendray-tea-house.html
Cassia
Sources:
Choe, Jee. (05/24/2022). 21 Afternoon Tea Etiquette Rules. oh how civilized. https://www.ohhowcivilized.com/afternoon-tea-etiquette/
Pannunzio, Lu Ann. (10/05/2020). Afternoon Tea Etiquette: 12 do’s and don’ts. the cup of life. https://theteacupoflife.com/2019/07/afternoon-tea-etiquette.html
(08/03/2021) Afternoon Tea Etiquette - Top 10 Dos & Don'ts. Afternoon Tea.co.uk https://www.afternoontea.co.uk/news-reviews/the-afternoontea-co-uk-team/afternoon-tea-etiquette-top-10-do-s-don-ts/
