Hold a Dignity Tea

Afternoon tea activity and recipe ideas.

This can be having that cup of tea or coffee, you’ve been meaning to find time for, with someone you know , or who is lonely and isolated.
Have an afternoon tea with those you support, or with colleagues. This can be to celebrate an event, or the fact that you’ve come through another year unscathed, or just taking time to stop and chat over nice cakes.
Have a Tea Dance – ok this takes a bit more organising, but it enables you to invite others to join in the celebrations. Basically it’s about having afternoon tea to music, you can use records, streamed music or get the local dance school, or Morris Troop to do a demonstration.

Afternoon tea

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.

Afternoon tea gave people the chance to show off the best china and table linen. Upscale hotels and restaurants became popular meeting grounds for patrons of afternoon tea. The concept has lost popularity since the end of World War II, though it has revived in modern time, and now often includes a glass of Prosecco. A typical afternoon menu would include some or all of the following.

Savory items: Finger sandwiches with fillings like cucumber, egg salad, smoked salmon, or cream cheese.
Scones: Warm scones served with clotted cream and jam.
Sweet treats: A selection of cakes and pastries, such as Victoria sponge cake, Battenberg cake, scones, or fruit tarts.
Tea: A pot of freshly brewed tea, such as black tea, Earl Grey, or oolong tea.

Notes on the history of Teapots and afternoon tea

The following notes are designed to give you some ideas to talk about, or even have your own ‘tea ceremonies’. You could use pictures of different types of teapot, or just chat about what people know about tea, from the tea we all know from our childhoods, to the herbal teas that are used today to aid digestion or relax us.

The different types of tea, that you might use are Earl Grey; Orange Pekoe, Oolong, English Breakfast, Darjeeling,

Or try a herbal tea- peppermint aids digestion; lemon and ginger eases sore throats; apple and cinnamon is refreshing cold with lemonade; camomile is relaxing.

The history of the teapot is a journey from ancient China to global tea culture. Originating in China during the 14th century, teapots were initially small and used by the wealthy. Europe embraced tea and teapots in the 17th century, developing larger, sturdier versions with elaborate designs. Today, teapot design continues to evolve, reflecting various artistic and cultural influences.

China

The switch to specialized vessels for tea brewing was powered by the change from powdered tea to leaf tea and from whipping to steeping in China. It is hard to pinpoint the time of the invention of the teapot since vessels in shapes similar to the modern teapot were known in China since the Neolithic period but were initially used for water and wine, as boiling or whipping tea did not require a specialized container. When tea preparation switched to infusion (during the late Yuan dynasty] an ewer-like vessel was first used Tea preparation during previous dynasties did not use a teapot

In the Tang dynasty, a cauldron was used to boil ground tea and serve it in bowls. Song dynasty tea was made by boiling water in a kettle and then pouring the water into a bowl with finely ground tea leaves. A brush was then used to stir the tea. Written evidence of a teapot appears in the Yuan dynasty text Jiyuan Conghua, which describes a teapot that the author, Cai Shizhan, bought from the scholar Sun Daoming. By the Ming dynasty, teapots were widespread in China There are early examples of teapots, like the ones made in Jun ware and the eight-lobed celadon pots of the Song-Yuan times. Still, an expert on Yixing ware, Kuei-Hsiang Lo, believes that the first teapots made especially for tea appeared around 1500 as copies of much earlier Yixing wine pots. The earliest example of such a teapot that has survived to this day seems to be the one in the Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware; it has been dated to 1513 and is attributed to Gong Chun, the "father of Yixing teapot

Early teapots, like those still used in modern Gongfu tea ceremonies, were small by Western standards meant for individual tea consumption They use a higher ratio of leaves to water, which enables the brewer to control the brewing variables to create several small infusions. After brewing, tea would be decanted into a separate vessel, distributed into the small cups of several drinkers, and brewed again. This allows the tea to be brewed skilfully and allows the flavour changes to be experienced through the various infusions

Teapots made from pottery materials such as clay have been hand-fired for tens of thousands of years, originally in China. Clay is a popular material for teapots, as they tend to retain heat very well.

Many traditional Chinese teaware are Yixing ware. Yixing and other regional clays are left unglazed. This allows the clay to absorb the flavor of the teas brewed over time and enhance the taste of the tea going forward. Some Gongfu practitioners designate their unglazed pots for specific types, sometimes even particular tea varietals.

From the end of the 17th century, tea was shipped from China to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods. The ships that brought the tea also carried porcelain teapots. The majority of these teapots were painted in blue and white underglaze. Porcelain, being completely vitrified, will withstand sea water without damage, so the teapots were packed below deck whilst the tea was stowed above deck to ensure that it remained dry.

Japan

The kyūsu (急須), a common and traditional teapot in Japan, differs from the Chinese teapot in that it has a handle facing sideways to the spout However, some kyūsu, like their Chinese counterparts, have the handle opposite the spout. Kyūsu is frequently made of ceramics

The kyūsu has its origins in a Chinese tool used for tea ceremonies. Although the Chinese tool may have been used to boil water, it is unclear if it was used to steep tea back then. In Japan, kyūsu has been used since at least the 18th century.

The side arrangement of the handle is considered unique to Japan However, the same feature can be found in some Chinese tools mentioned above.

Morocco

In Morocco, stainless steel teapots are essential for making Moroccan mint tea. Moroccan teapots are heat-resistant and can be put directly on the stove. Colourful tea glasses are part of the Moroccan tea ritual. The tea is considered drinkable only when it has foam on top. Teapots have a long curved spout to pour tea from a height of around 12 inches (30 cm) above the glasses, which produces foam on the surface of the tea Their designs can range from simple to heavily decorated.

Tibet

Teapots for butter tea in Tibet evolved simultaneously with teapots in China, eventually settling on a pitcher-like shape.

America

In colonial America, Boston became the epicentre for silver production and artistry. Among the many artists in Boston, there were four major families in the city's silver market: Edwards, Revere, Burt, and Hurd. Their works of art included silver teapots Two new "colonial" shapes appeared in the late Georgian era: oval and octagonal teapots with flat bases, plain handles in the shape of C, and, frequently, straight tapering spouts.

Europe

The Yixing teapots came to Europe with the tea and became known as boccaro ("large mouth" in Portugese]. The Chinese teapot models were used since preserving the Chinese way of drinking was considered essential. The first known order for teapots "with covers and handles" dates back to 1639 Porcelain teapots were particularly desirable because porcelain could not be made in Europe back then, and tea drinking in Europe was initially the preserve of the upper classes. European teapots at the time were made of silver, with the earliest preserved English one at the Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1670, looking identical to the earlier coffee pots. They can be identified as teapots only through an inscription. At the same time, copies of the Chinese earthenware teapots were produced (Fulham Pottery in London had already been manufacturing these in 1670.] It was not until 1708 that the first successful experiments by von Tschirnhaus enabled Böttger and the Meissen factory in Dresden to start the operation in 1710, and produce good copies of Japanese Kakiemon and Imari porcelain.

When European potteries in Holland, Germany, and England began making tea wares, they initially imitated the Chinese boccaro designs. However, many English potteries decided not to risk money on the new material and continued manufacturing earthenware and stoneware pots; the famed creamware services made in Staffordshire reached popularity in the second half of the 18th century.

At the turn of the 18th century, the design and decoration of the European teapot started to deviate from the Chinese tradition, with the pear shape, or pyriform, being the first major novation. An early English pyriform teapot dates back to 1690. The shape became widespread at the time of Queen Anne and has remained in vogue since then. The other popular shapes in the 18th century were "globular" (sphere-like vessel on a raised foot) and a vase (or urn, Louis XV style), with the latter being a rare comeback to the wine-pot origins of a teapot.

In the last half of the 18th century, English factories introduced the matched sets of teaware. The original demand for "China" porcelain tea sets was eventually replaced, at least among the wealthy, with enthusiasm for silver pieces that were produced extensively by the end of the reign of George III. This period also saw a reduction in the price of tea, so teapots became larger. Also, cheaper pewter sets were made for the less affluent, mostly as simplified copies of the silver pieces