Celebrate a quintessentially british past time with a spot of afternoon tea for twoafternoon tea has been a british institution since anna maria russell the seventh duchess of bedford asked her footman to bring her a pot of tea with light refreshment one afternoon in 1840 the ritual caught on and afternoon tea became the corner stone of high society dining these days taking tea as a light afternoon meal has become much more accessible without losing a crumb of its wonderful charmwith a