I often see the terms “afternoon tea”, “high tea”, and “cream tea” being used interchangeably. They are actually different variations on the same thing: snacks or a meal served with tea. I thought I’d break it down for you by explaining those differences so you can use the right term for your next tea party.

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea is a selection of finger foods like cake, scones, tarts, and other treats that is usually served more casually than a High Tea. It may also include small finger sandwiches with no crusts. Traditional British Afternoon Tea was served in drawing rooms on couches or chairs rather than at a table. It was our equivalent of an afternoon snack, although certainly much classier!

It is this kind of tea that is what most people think of when they hear the words “tea party”. Afternoon Tea usually features china cups and saucers and more delicate brews.

High Tea

High Tea is served at a dining table, hence “high tea”, and is more of a meal. Many High Teas will include cold meats, jam, tea cakes, fresh bread, more substantial sandwiches, pork pies, etc. High Tea is usually served on regular plates instead of fine china, and is a precursor to a light dinner which may be served later in the evening. It is what many workers would consume after a long day in the fields or factories in the UK. Tea served for High Tea is usually strong and most often black, however this is based on preference.

If you search Google or Pinterest for High Tea ideas, you’ll get a misleading number of pictures and articles about things that are technically Afternoon Tea.

Cream Tea

Cream Tea refers to scones with clotted cream (also called Devonshire cream) and jam. If you visit the UK, you will find Cream Tea available on a lot of cafe menus, especially near tourist hot spots like castles or cathedrals.

Clotted Cream originated in Devon and Cornwall, although it is now easy to find all over the UK. A popular question related to Cream Tea is whether the cream or jam should be put on the scone first. If you’re in Devon, the cream goes on first, followed by a hearty scoop of fruit jam. If you’re in Cornwall, the jam is put on first. Regardless of the way you order your toppings, a Cream Tea is an absolute must if you’re visiting the Western regions of England.

Cream Tea is a common addition to Afternoon Tea.

Some regions of the UK will also refer to dinner or supper as “tea”. This term for an evening meal originated in Scotland, but I can tell you from experience that it is also used in a lot of other areas. This confused me when I first moved to the UK, especially as many of my friends would have their “tea” and not actually drink any tea with their meal.

Now that you know the difference between Afternoon Tea, High Tea, and Cream Tea, you’re ready to plan an amazing tea party!

London Fog

The original idea for this Earl Grey tea latte is said to have originated in Vancouver, British Columbia. The creator remains unknown but we think whoever it was is clearly a culinary genius.

• Serves 1 Person
• Makes In 5 mins
• Difficulty Easy
• Dietary V

Ingredients

• 1 Earl Grey Teabag
• 100ml Boiling Water
• 20ml Monin Vanilla Syrup
• Steamed Milk

Method

1. Infuse the Earl Grey teabag in 100ml of freshly boiled water for 2 – 3 minutes.
2. Discard the teabag.
3. Fill one third of the latte glass with the Earl Grey tea.
4. Add 15-20ml of Monin Vanilla Syrup ( = 3 Tsp.)
5. Top with steamed milk and serve immediately.

London fog drink is a cozy cup of Earl Grey tea spiced with vanilla and honey, and topped with steamed foamy milk.
You’ll feel like you’re walking on foggy clouds as you sip this cold weather tea latte that warms you up from the inside out.

What’s in a London Fog?

Simply put, a London fog recipe is steeped tea combined with sweetened, frothed milk. It’s like a vanilla latte, but made with tea instead of coffee.

How to Make a London Fog Drink

With just a few tea bags, honey, vanilla extract, and your milk of choice, you can have this cozy drink in minutes.
This recipe below makes two Earl Grey tea lattes, but you can scale it up, as needed.

What is in a London Fog?

• Earl Grey Tea. My preference for tea is always loose-leaf tea, because the leaves are larger and they have more room to unfurl and release flavors when they’re not constrained to a tea bag. We need 2 teaspoons of loose Earl Grey tea for this London fog drink recipe, but you may substitute two tea bags. If you can find double-strength or double-Bergamot Earl Grey tea, grab that.
• Milk. Your milk of choice here, but note that cow’s milk and oat milk are going to get the foamiest results.
• Vanilla Extract. A small splash of real vanilla extract is the signature addition to a London Fog drink.
• Honey. The best type of sweetener to use is one that dissolves easily in warm liquids, like honey, but you can use regular granulated sugar as long as you stir it together until it fully dissolves.

How to make a London Fog

1. Gather all ingredients needed: the tea, water for steeping the tea, milk, vanilla and honey.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a tea kettle or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave.
3. Add both tea bags or the 2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea, and let steep for 5 minutes.
   Black tea is always made with freshly boiled water and allowed to steep for 5 minutes.
   If you steep it for too long, it can develop a bitter taste, so be sure to set a timer.
4. After 5 minutes, remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea, and divide the mixture between two serving mugs.
5. Finally, combine the milk, honey and vanilla in a milk frother, and froth until velvety and very voluminous.
   If you don’t have a way to froth milk, you can do it in a small saucepan on the stove and whisk is very well.
   Or, you can warm everything together in the microwave, and then add it to a blender to froth, but BE CAREFUL.
   Leave the lid of the blender cracked so steam can escape.
6. Divide the frothed milk mixture between the two glasses, and serve immediately.

London Fog Tea Latte Variations

• You can use any type of milk in this London Fog drink, from cow’s milk, nut milk, coconut milk, or oat milk. Just make sure the milk has enough fat in it to foam properly and create a velvet-like texture. Sometimes, almond milk lacks fat, so I add a teaspoon of melted coconut oil to it before heating.
• It’s possible to use any type of tea here, and make your own custom tea latte. The flavors of honey and vanilla go with so many different types of tea, from plain black tea, jasmine green tea, or even a rooibos red tea. Just follow the same method and you’ll have any flavor tea latte you like.
• This recipe makes 2 lattes, but you can scale it down or scale it up, depending on how much you need.
• To make this an iced London Fog drink, let the brewed tea cool completely in the fridge (you can do this a day ahead). Then, skip the milk frothing and pour the milk and vanilla directly into the chilled tea. To sweetened a cold drink, use a simple syrup or quickly dissolve honey in warm water and allow to cool before stirring in to the drink. Then, add a scoop of ice and a straw before serving.
• You can also add lavender to this recipe to make it even more fragrant and floral! The flavor of lavender is so good with Earl Grey tea! Add ½ teaspoon of culinary dried lavender buds when brewing the tea. The reason we use ‘culinary’ lavender is so they’re food safe and not for decoration and sprayed with chemical perfume.

Recommended Tools to make a London Fog Beverage

• Milk Frother. The one I love is linked. This is an essential tool in any kitchen to make coffee shop drinks at home. You need it to make my caramel latte at home, as well.
• Tea Kettle. This is totally optional, but it’s a lot nicer way to bring water to a boil than using the microwave. Plus, I love that I can keep it filled and just hit ‘ON’ to bring water to boil quickly.
• Tea Strainer. If you’re using loose leaf tea, this is a great way to let it steep freely in plenty of water, but also quick and easy to remove. I prefer to use this over tea bags, because it lets the large tea leaves unfurl in plenty of a space.

How to serve a London Fog Tea Latte (Iced or Hot)

I have a recipe for an Iced London Fog, and a recipe for a hot version, called London Fog drink. Both recipes contain double-strength Earl Grey tea, your milk of choice, plus a sweetener. The only difference between the hot and cold version is that the iced version contains ice and requires a brief chill time for the brewed tea.

London Fog Drink FAQs

What’s the difference between Early Grey Latte and London Fog?
An Earl Grey Latte and a London Fog are essentially the same thing, if you’re adding sugar to your earl grey latte. However, because an Earl Grey Latte contains the word ‘latte,’ it will be made with frothed milk and no sweetener. If you add a pump of vanilla or simple syrup to your earl grey latte, they essentially become the same thing. Both a London Fog and an Earl Grey Latte contain Earl Grey tea, milk and a sweetener.

How many pumps of vanilla are in a London Fog?

Technically, one pump of anything at Starbucks is ¼ fluid ounce. Depending on the size of drink ordered, a London Fog will come with 3-5 pumps of syrup.

What is a dirty London Fog?

Anytime a drink at a coffee shop is called ‘dirty’, it means they add a shot of espresso. You can also add a shot of espresso to a chai latte recipe to make a dirty chai. You can do it with this London Fog drink, too.

Does this London fog recipe have caffeine in it?

Yes, all black tea contains caffeine. You can seek out caffeine-free Earl Grey tea bags, if you need to!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp grated ginger
  (Or 1 inch of finely chopped ginger)
• Honey to taste (optional)
• ½ tsp lemon juice (optional)

Recipe:

1. Into a heating pot add in the water along with the grated ginger (or freshly and finely chopped ginger) and let it come to a boil.
2. When it starts to boil, lower the flame and let it simmer for a minute or two and then turn off the flame.
3. Strain it into a cup, add some honey and lemon juice to taste (which is optional), stir and consume hot.

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or mint
• 24 slices thin white bread, crusts removed
• 15 sliced fresh strawberries
• Garnish: fresh baby basil leaves

Instructions

1. In the work bowl of a food processor, place cream cheese, mayonnaise, and salt.
   Process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
2. Stir in basil or mint.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture onto half of bread slices.
4. Top with sliced strawberries.
5. Cover with remaining bread slices.
6. Cut into triangles.
7. Cover with a damp paper towel, and store in a sealed container to keep bread from drying out.
8. Garnish with basil or mint, if desired.