Afternoon Tea, Houston Style

What is Afternoon Tea?

Afternoon Tea is a tea-related ritual, introduced in Britain in the early 1840s. It evolved as a mini meal to stem the hunger and anticipation of an evening meal at 8pm.
Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of sandwiches (usually cut delicately into 'fingers'), scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes. Interestingly, scones were not a common feature of early Afternoon Tea and were only introduced in the twentieth century.


Afternoon Tea was initially developed as a private social event for ladies who climbed the echelons of society. It was only when Queen Victoria engaged in the Afternoon Tea ritual that it became a formal occasion on a larger scale, known as 'tea receptions'. These receptions could have as many as two hundred guests with an open 'at home' invitation to visit between 4pm and 7pm, during which they could come and go as they pleased; this was the genesis of the Afternoon Tea as we know it.


In Britain today Afternoon Tea is usually enjoyed as an occasional indulgence or to celebrate a special event such as a birthday, or a pre-wedding or baby shower party with a group of friends.

McHugh Family Having Afternoon Tea in London

As a European, I have had the pleasure and opportunity to experience afternoon tea in a few of London's top hotels and they have been outstanding. The photograph above was taken in October 2012. During our extravaganza we discussed how great it would be if we could find a place in Houston that would serve Afternoon Teas with scones, clotted cream and jams...and of course sandwiches. Having our own store was a dream at that point.

At the beginning of 2013, that dream started to become a reality. Kim was finalizing her "Master of Tea" course. Kim's Mum & Dad were on board with the idea of starting a restaurant but finding the right location was critical.

July, 2013 McHughTea opened and after several months of planning the menu, I was glad to see Afternoon Teas took a prominent spot. Afternoon Tea in my mind should be traditional British.
Cucumber sandwiches, and it must be on the right bread. Home made scones with clotted cream and a choice of jams. Most importantly,a good choice of organic teas.

For those wishing to sample traditonal afternoon tea in Houston, please call and reserve a table
or make a booking via our website. www.mchughtea.com