February 8, 2013, Chevron Island, Gold Coast, Australia

"Afternoon Tea"

"High Tea" or "Low Tea"?

Last Saturday we signed up for “High Tea” at an upscale hotel on Chevron Island, Australia.  The picture shows that at 3 PM we started with “Bubbly”…finished with coffee and in-between we had finger sandwiches, scones and small cakes.  (They call it “Bubbly” in Australia because only the Champagne region in France that produces Champagne is allowed to use the term “Champagne”.)  When I looked up “High Tea” on the internet, I found out what we had was technically called “Low Tea” which is served in the early afternoon.  “High Tea” is actually served between 5 PM and 7 PM and includes meat and a dessert.  What we had is also called “Afternoon Tea”.  Whatever…It was a treat and it was all good.  What I learned is that “High Tea” is a term often used in countries outside of England to indicate a snack between 4 PM and 6 PM…which, of course, includes tea or coffee.