A cup of hot tea in the cool English climate has been a favorite of the British ever since Assam tea was discovered in India. In the mid-1800s, the Duchess of Bedford, who got hungry before dinner, started having a small meal with her afternoon cuppa(English shorthand for “cup of tea”). Soon bakers began making special pastries for teatime, naming the treats for the places where they were first served ? Bath buns, Banbury cakes, Cumberland current cakes. Workers coming home from factories made “high tea” their early supper, eating toad-in-the-hole(sausages cooked in a pancake-like batter), or Welsh rarebit(a melted cheese mixture served on toast).

　　But for most of England today, tea is at 4 pm. It starts with a pot of tea served with sugar and milk(not cream)and includes thin slices of bread and butter, muffins, or scones with jam. Sometimes little sandwiches with egg, cucumber, or tomato are served, along with a pudding(which is what the English call all desserts).

　　春季英国茶

　　自从在印度发现阿萨姆茶以来, 在寒冷的天气喝上一杯热茶便成了英国人的最爱。19世纪中叶，贝德福德公爵夫人晚饭前觉得有点饿，便开始就着下午茶稍微吃一点东西。很快，面包师开始烘烤配茶的点心，并以其第一次出现的地名命名，例如， 巴斯圆面包、班伯里夹心饼、坎伯兰流行饼。下班回家的工人把“下午茶”当作早一点的晚餐，吃面糊烤香肠（裹上面糊烤的香肠）或者威尔士干酪吐司（熔化的干酪糊抹在吐司上）。

　　但是，现在在英国大多数地方，茶点为下午四点钟。端上的是一壶热茶，同时还有糖和牛奶（不是奶油）。除此之外，还有薄片面包配黄油、松饼或者烤饼配果酱。有时也会上夹有鸡蛋、黄瓜或西红柿的小三明治，以及布丁（英国人称其为全甜点）。