Afternoon tea is a tradition that dates back to the early 19th Century in the UK. It is believed to have been started by the Duchess of Bedford who wanted something to sustain her between lunch and dinner, which in those days was served much later in the day.
It quickly caught on and as well as being something that kept people’s hunger at bay in between mealtimes, it also became something that was a social occasion in high society, and many social events started to form around the afternoon tea.
With sandwiches and cakes being served as well as tea, this was something that quickly caught on and generally became popular within high society, as the working classes would eat something called high tea at around 5-7pm and due to the physical nature of many of the jobs that the working class people did, they needed a much heartier meal at this time of the day to be able to support their bodies, and stews and soups would be more likely to be served.
Nowadays, afternoon tea is not really a regular event, but it is a treat that anyone can enjoy. There are lots of places that serve afternoon tea, and there are also places like this https://www.afternoonteabox.com providing afternoon tea boxes that can send it directly to you so that you can enjoy it in your own home.