Every time I see a headline that says 'high tea' I can't help but shake my head. High tea was in fact a lower class meal served to children and workers. The upper classes enjoyed afternoon tea. I grew up in Scotland where afternoon tea in my grandparents house was served everyday on a trolley wheeled into the living room. It consisted of tea, scones, little cakes and little sandwiches, which were served to fill the spaces before dinner at 8pm.

On the other hand high tea was a nursery meal served to children at 5pm. I have fond memories of sausages and eggs or little savoury tarts, even fish and chips on some occasions. Desserts were biscuits, trifle, custard tarts or tinned fruit. Dinner was for adults.

In many parts of Great Britain, high tea replaced dinner for the workers who were famished when they came home from the factories. Traditional high tea is now out of fashion although the lingering nostalgia means that there are a lot of fish and chips and meat pies consumed for dinner.

Afternoon tea is an elegant and charming way to entertain. The nibbles are easy and inexpensive to prepare, attractive to look at and versatile enough to serve at lots of different entertaining occasions. It is a lovely way to entertain for bridal showers or for Mother's Day. It can be casual or more formal depending on the occasion. It's also a fabulous excuse to wear a hat or fascinator. Here are a couple of afternoon tea recipes to enjoy including Cucumber and Watercress Sandwiches, Egg Pinwheels and Lemon Sponge Cake.