Jo Steer

We can't say for certain how or when these rules originated.

Perhaps some can be traced to the earliest days of tea drinking, while others were Victorian developments.

Here's one theory about another tea drinking tradition.

In the past, it used to be considered elegant to extend one's little finger or pinky finger while drinking tea.

Some of the first tea drinkers in Britain would have drunk from porcelain cups imported from China, which came without handles.

So the tea drinker had to spread their hand around the cup, perhaps raising their little finger to help with balance.

There are other theories too, but whatever the reason,

For some time, people would drink tea with their fingers raised as a sign of sophistication.

By the mid-19th century, a cup of tea was not just a drink.

It often came with a whole set of traditions and expectations.

Around this time, the lower and middle classes began the tradition of taking tea with their meal.

Referred to as high tea, this isn't to be confused with the far more formal version.

It was named as such because it was eaten at a high table as opposed to something lower like a coffee table.

High tea was essentially the evening meal, usually eaten between 5 and 7 p.m.

Food varied depending on the diner's budget.

Those who could afford it might enjoy a selection of meat dishes, while others would dine on bread and cheese washed down with tea.

It's likely that in wealthy households, too, tea was sometimes served alongside a light meal.

The tradition wasn't formalized, however, until the 1840s, when a certain duchess began to take afternoon tea.

Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and a close friend of the monarch.

the Duchess is said to have complained of a sinking feeling between the hours of 4 and 5 o'clock.