Ignore the rabbit on the floor, all the luminous cakes spread liberally ” or carelessly? - across the furniture and the lady”s suggestive look - it”s the stuff in the silver pot we”re interested in.
Homage will be paid to the quintessentially British tradition of afternoon tea next month - all Langhams hotels around the world will serve tea on 10 June for the equivalent of 1 shilling 6 pence (that”s 15 US cents, or seven pence). That was how much a cuppa cost in 1865, when The Langham, London opened.
What”s interesting is how the tradition started - a quick glance on the trusty internet and one finds websites dedicated to the afternoon event. Apparently it was all down to some woman called Anna - alright, she was 7th Duchess of Bedford-” who complained of a sinking feeling in late afternoon (obviously not hard at work, then).
Then genius struck - she”d invite friends round for tea and a light snack! It all went swimmingly, and when she returned to London - the idea emanated while at her country pad, the not insubstantial Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire - the ritual took off like gossip among the chattering classes.
So there we are. Not particularly amusing, but perhaps enlightening. And ”char”, by the way, is from the Chinese word for the stuff - ”ch”a”.
What is that rabbit doing on the floor though?