Teatime Treats

“A cup of tea is a cup of life” goes the old saying, and here at the Oakeley Arms self catering cottages in North Wales we couldn’t agree more! In the UK a staggering 165 million cups of good old tea are consumed every single day. And we don’t stop at just tea, because Britain is the home of the traditional Afternoon Tea, a delicious custom that dates back almost 200 years. And now, the Oakeley Arms are offering a daily treat – with their very own Afternoon Tea selection.

It’s thought that Afternoon Tea was first devised in the 1840s by Anna Maria, the Duchess of Bedford. In high-society, lunch was eaten in the early afternoon and dinner wasn’t served until much later in the evening, so the Duchess requested some tea and bread to quell her hunger until dinner.

It soon turned into a celebrated social occasion, and the Duchesses friends and local ladies were invited to join her. Of course the teas were elegant affairs; the best china and crockery were brought out and dainty finger foods like small cakes, tiny sandwiches and slices of bread and jam were presented to the guests. The fashion for these genteel gatherings continued to grow right up to the early twentieth century, but fell out of favour sometime during the Second World War – resources were stretched and tea was rationed. Afternoon Tea wasn’t fashionable, and soon the coffee generation took over in the 1960s and 70’s.

But, in recent years however, a revival in Afternoon Tea has rumbled its way across the teashops, cafes and hotels of Britain, as tea drinkers look for unique and social experiences once more.

So, come along the the Oakeley Arms, a hotspot for Afternoon Tea in North Wales. And in this beautiful weather, you can even enjoy your teatime treats in our sunny garden, overlooking the beautiful Snowdonia hills.

See you soon, for Afternoon tea!

 Did you know…..?

•  Tea was first brewed in China over 5,000 years ago
• Tea contains only about half the amount of caffeine as coffee
• And other health benefits include anti-oxidants and hydrating qualities and a cup of tea is also a good source of fluoride.
•  Tea was first introduced to Europe in the 16^th century
• Over 165 million cups of tea are drank in the UK each day
• But only 4% of those are brewed from loose leaf tea
• There are approximately 1,500 different varieties of tea, from all over the world
• China has almost 1.5 million hectares of land planted with tea, and on one hectare there are roughly 12,000 tea bushes.