Tea Time - Gift Packs

When you have friends and you travel to Europe you kind of feel like it would be nice to bring something back that is reminiscent of the place you've been and at the same time doesn't cost a fortune to buy..so what to do what to do..ah I know how about some little packs of tea. Perfect for London. So being in Fortnum and Mason (known as the Queen's Grocer) and having Afternoon Tea (yes there is a difference from High Tea I will explain below) there I had the perfect opportunity to hit their store and find a nice assortment of teas.

One I got home I knew exactly what I wanted to do, wrap them up in some pretty ribbon and attach a gift tag. Hitting the Silhouette store I found a set of tea pots and cups and after ungrouping them I selected the cup and then resized it to fit the gift bags a little better. Then it needed a bit more so I spritzed the flowers with some Perfect Pearls to give it a little sheen and attached some leaves with the flowers..viola a nice gift for my friends for less than $5 ea.

What is the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea you ask. Well high tea is more of a working man's tea. When the workers would return home they would have a hot meal with tea which is more closely related to dinner.

Afternoon Tea was developed back in the mid to late 1800s by the 7th Duchess of Bedford. Basically tea was a high commodity imported from China and Japan and it was kept locked up to keep the servants from pinching it. The Duchess felt that taking tea late in the afternoon before dinner (even though they ate like 6 times a day was obviously not enough and dinner was often served around 8pm) found it to be very refreshing and began inviting other high society ladies. Tiny sandwhiches and petite desserts were served on the best china and thus it turned into a big social event with these women, sharing gossip and talking about all the latest fashions and of course you weren't anyone unless you were invited to one of these very elegant tea parties.

So whenever you want to try tea somewhere make sure it's an Afternoon Tea or Low Tea rather than High Tea otherwise you might be disappointed with what you are served.