What do the British and Hobbits have in common?

It’s true that like Hobbits the British can be a bit shy or reserved at times (but are nevertheless capable of great courage and amazing feats under the proper circumstances) however what I’m referring to here is the never-ending cycle of eating!

Hobbits: the only people with more meals than the British

You will be aware that the British like their food. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch (dinner) or tea (dinner… wait, what?*) we like to make sure our plates are piled high and our stomachs are filled. Of course, we can get hungry between these meals and so let me introduce you to your new favourite meal times… elevenses, afternoon tea and supper!

Afternoon tea and supper you may have heard of but what are elevenses (pronounced eleven-sez)? It is something you might not hear very often although you might see people doing it (even if they don’t realise that they are!). Elevenses is a snack that people eat between breakfast and lunch, usually at around 11am (which is where it gets its name). The snack would not necessarily be large, just something to keep your stomach from rumbling.

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Those who have elevenses choose to eat a biscuit or cake and will have this along with a cup of coffee or tea. Many people around the UK will participate in this although the term ‘Elevenses’ is no longer widely used. 

Much like elevenses, afternoon tea has slowly faded out of the British routine but it is still something the rest of the world considered truly ‘British’. This has been helped recently by TV shows like ‘Downton Abbey’. Afternoon tea is usually taken late in the afternoon, from 3pm onwards, and will consist of small sandwiches, scones, biscuits, cakes and of course, tea. Everything is served on fancy plates and the food is normally on a tiered stand. It is said that afternoon tea is where Britain first regarded biscuits as something that you can “dunk”.

You can still take afternoon tea in the UK as many of the larger hotels around the UK offer it. Many people see it now as a treat, something that you would do infrequently for fun. If you want to try it for yourself check the local hotels or check discount offer websites such as Groupon for vouchers at local hotels and tea shops.

Much like the end of the day, the end of this post will be about supper. Not content with a large meal in the evening, the British public decided to introduce yet another chance to eat before bed. Many in Britain will consider supper to be a small snack after the evening meal. Traditionally it would consist of a warm, milky drink and biscuits or some other light food such as buttered toast. Sandwiches can be served but many would find this to be too much before bed.

The term supper is considered by some to mean the evening meal. Others however might also use the term prefixed with the word “fish”, “chicken” or “pie” before it. This would normally mean that the person is going to the fish and chip shop for their evening meal and they will be eating chips with whatever meat they prefer!

What are your favourite between meal snacks? Is it something you do often or have your eyes now been opened to the wonderful world of snacking morning, noon and night? Leave a comment!

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*That’s right, you will find the British use the word ‘dinner’ for both an afternoon meal and an evening meal. I promise it’s not just to confuse you! The word a person uses usually depends on where they are from in the UK. In Liverpool most people will use ‘dinner’ for an afternoon meal and ‘tea’ for an evening.