Although this Afternoon Tea left much to be desired, to mark Afternoon Tea Week, here are 5 etiquette tips to keep in mind if you want to partake in this traditional English pastime.
1. Little finger in when you drink.
2. Finger sandwiches are eaten with (you guessed) the fingers.
3. Scones are a sweet bread, so break it with the hands.
4. Add jam/cream to the plate first, not the scone.
5. Jam or cream first? Outside of Cornwall or Devon - it’s up to you.
A good Afternoon Tea requires good service - a change of plates for each course ideally, a pastry fork, and a dedicated spoon for each ramekin (otherwise, you're mixing your own knife in a communal ramekin and the jam and cream together). Plus, a dry scone just crumbles and well... there we are. Sandwiches were very cumbersome as opposed to dainty like they should be, and the tea cups were evidently 'all-purpose'. My honest rating? A pretty generous 5/10.