Afternoon tea was invented by the Duchess of Bedfordshire to fill the gap between lunch and dinner. Long enjoyed by the aristocratic classes, this quintessential British pastime is the perfect social occasion to catch up with friends and family after long periods of lockdown.
As a movement, Afternoon Tea was all the rage in the 1920’s at the dawn of the jazz age when High Society women gathered for social occasions at the Ritz in London. Over the pond, Madison Avenue buzzed with glamourous art deco parties fuelled by cocktails and champagne epitomised by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Great Gatsby.
This year’s Afternoon Tea Week will take place from 9- 15 August and for those looking for a unique range of products perfectly placed to grace their table, look no further than Madison & Mayfair, for timeless products which add style and flair to such an event.
The range is inspired by Mayfair’s genteel Georgian townhouses, and its upscale cluster of galleries, tailors, and independent boutiques. It also takes muse from the refined modernity of Madison Avenue in New York City, with its paced fashion and spiralling skyscrapers.
Central to Afternoon Tea are the scrumptious sandwiches and sweet cakes which look perfect served on Madison & Mayfair’s black and gold dinner plates, best enjoyed while listening to the soundtrack of eclectic jazz music. Imagine yourself in one of the Georgian houses overlooking a leafy London park and as you tuck in, surveying the capital’s landmarks as you sip delicious tea from gorgeous gold and navy heron mugs found in the decadent Tea at Hyde Park hampers. Relax and unwind as the reed diffuser perfumes the background with soft cotton. If you love this range, then also take a peek at the Long Island Hamper the contents of which evoke all the exoticism of a 1920’s cocktail party, where flapper girls once sipped on elegant margaritas in golden glasses poured from a metallic cocktail shaker just like the one in this hamper.
Invite your friends’ round for a delicious tea served in Madison & Mayfair’s hand-crafted teacups and saucers in a Victorian-style navy, featuring gold, and green patterns and a signature flocking heron design that speak of afternoon tea shared amid the grace of an English garden, filled with birds and birdsong. Alternatively ramp up the elegance with the Chinoiserie Floral Footed Mug, decorated lovingly with a hanging floral design with a footed base. Or, why not jazz things up with some fizz in a pair of delicate Madison & Mayfair gold champagne saucers to toast a special occasion, just as Daisy and her Long Island ladies would enjoy, or envisage Tom or Gatsby himself enjoying whiskey in one of the Moscow mule mugs.
Whatever the occasion, be sure that Madison & Mayfair have the right table accessory to make you feel like you have stepped back in time to Gatsby’s glorious golden age of afternoon tea. Spotting a gap in the market for on-trend, luxury interiors at high-street prices, Madison & Mayfair has launched as a new homeware and gifting brand and is set to take over its market.
