The concept of Afternoon tea was first practiced by Anna, the seventh Duchess Bedford, in the year 1840.
The tradition in fine homes at that time was that the evening meal was served at eight o’clock, so there was a long period of time from lunch to dinner.
To avoid feeling hungry, The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter would be brought to her at 4pm.
A short time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had the clever idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread, what we commonly call the sandwich today.
This was quickly adopted by the Duchess who asked that bread and butter with fillings and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon.
This became a regular practice and she began inviting friends to join her.