Step into any of London's best hotels (and many of its best dining establishments) on a Saturday afternoon, and you will see an ancient ritual in progress: people sitting down to afternoon tea, complete with porcelain tea pots, delicate cups and saucers, matching side plates and silver tea strainers. And yet few of us indulge in the same level of formality at home. We think this is a shame: nothing enhances a good cup of tea like beautiful china, and now that so many of us are spending our time on elaborate coffee rituals, doesn't our historic national drink deserve the same attention?
Matching porcelain tea sets have been popular in Britain since the 18th century, not long after Europe figured out how to replicate the Chinese technique of porcelain manufacture. This was also the period when tea began to become more affordable for a wider range of people. By the 19th century, afternoon tea was taking off in earnest, and the Victorians, who never met an elaborate dining ritual they didn't like, made it into the extravagant production you'll now find replicated in Fortnum & Mason or Claridges.
The classic image of a tea set in most minds is likely to be white porcelain decorated with flowers, a much-imitated Victorian style which we adore, and there are hundreds of antique examples and more modern editions available. Look for sets made under the ‘Royal Albert’ brand, which was set up at the beginning of the 20th century as an independent pottery, and now continues as part of Wedgwood. Royal Crown Derby, whose history stretches back to the 18th century, is also a name to know for quintessentially British styles. For classic blue and white china, Spode, the company responsible for finding the formula for bone china in the 1790s, is still the place to be. Look for antique sets or buy the modern editions of the ‘Blue Italian’ design; either way they are genuinely timeless.
While such traditional tea sets will always have a place in our hearts, there are also plenty of beautifully made contemporary styles that will elevate your tea making while avoiding the feeling that you've turned into your grandmother. Look to slipware for a feel of 20th-century studio pottery in your kitchen, or go for a simpler white set: Wedgwood make some particularly graceful designs, and Astier de Villatte's exquisite terracotta shapes are set to be future heirlooms. If green or white tea is more your style, these can be beautifully served in styles inspired by Chinese and Japanese traditions, with handleless cups and earthy glazes.
This story originally appeared on House & Garden UK.
