Who among us doesn’t love their "cupán tae," especially when it’s a formal afternoon tea, that lovely tradition where a fondness for tea and a penchant for sweets comes together most agreeably mid-afternoon. While we may be more of a nation of coffee drinkers these days, the ritual of afternoon tea is still alive and well in many parts of the world.

Historically, the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC
in China and appeared in England in the mid 17th century. Tea was imported to Ireland in 1835 where it became popular with the wealthy crowd, but it wasn't until later in the mid 1800s that it spread to the countryside and all of Ireland was hooked. Small grocers were opened in the towns and villages and they started exchanging butter and eggs for tea and sugar. The practice of having afternoon tea, however, wasn’t established until about 1840, a time when lunch was eaten quite early in the day and dinner wasn't served until 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening.

A proper afternoon tea is made up of three-courses — sandwiches and savories, scones and tea breads, and decadent sweets — and the trend now in many tearooms is to offer a themed tea adding champagne or chocolate “martinis.” If you plan to keep the tradition going any time soon, you might want to try these recipes from Tea & Crumpets, my latest book.

This Month's Recipes

• Goat Cheese and Fig Sandwiches on Raisin Bread

• Truffled Wild Mushrooms Tartlets

• Raisin-Apple Scones

• Tea Brack