A British staple

Here at Budock Vean Hotel & Spa, afternoon tea is served daily from 1–4pm, inviting you to take a quiet moment in our conservatory or out on the terrace, with peaceful views across the gardens and golf course.

Our Summer Afternoon Tea is serving throughout the season, made for lingering a little longer. Expect delicate sandwiches, a traditional cream tea and beautifully crafted cakes, including vanilla and dark chocolate opera cakes, raspberry and rose macarons and passion fruit and coconut tart.

But how did this simple afternoon pastime become one of Britain’s most enduring traditions? To celebrate Afternoon Tea Week, we’re pouring a cup and looking back at the story behind afternoon tea, from its early origins to the treat we know today.

Time for tea

Tea, such an iconic beverage for the UK, arguably an important part of everyday life and a much-enjoyed pastime for many. The evolution of tea is one with a story to tell, rumoured to have dated back to 3rd century AD in context to medicine in China’s Shang dynasty. A myth states that an emperor was simply sipping boiling water when a leaf was gently blown into the bowl, thus changing the taste and colour – much to the emperor’s delight – and perhaps the start of what would become a world phenomenon.

Fast forward to 17th Century where tea drinking became popular in Britain, and with a royal stamp of approval, as the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza became wife to Charles II, which would put tea on the British map. Her love of the flavoured water triumphed, becoming somewhat fashionable to drink in which the wealthy followed in her footsteps which filtered down and now we say, the rest is history.

A sweet treat

Nowadays, the popular hot beverage is best accompanied (in our opinion) with a quintessential English tradition. Afternoon Tea began in 1840, when Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, would become hungry in the afternoons. It was usual for people to eat only two main meals a day, breakfast in the morning and dinner at around 8 o'clock in the evening. With dinner being a little later, the solution for the Duchess was a pot of tea and a light snack of bread and butter, taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon. Afternoon Tea has since moved on from bread and butter and now features all manners of decadent sweet treats.

Afternoon tea at Budock Vean Hotel & Spa

Whether you are marking Afternoon Tea Week or simply making time for a quiet moment with a spot of tea and cake, join us at Budock Vean Hotel & Spa and enjoy this timeless tradition in peaceful Cornish surroundings.

Book your Summer Afternoon Tea and savour the season at Budock Vean before it ends on 1st October 2026.