Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

British people. I need clarification

327 replies

Steaktartar · 16/07/2019 22:21

So how many different types of ' tea times ' do you have? Is high tea the fancy one with sandwiches and cakes? And just 'tea'? Is that lunch? Also how often do you have high tea? Someone told me everyday or as often as possible? Surely you can't eat cake EVERYDAY?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2019 12:04

Well I might have scrambled egg for tea, but I'd never call it nursery tea Confused.

Question for the fish supper people - I understand that the supper part actually means 'and chips'. Do you still call it that if you have it at lunchtime?

PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:06

It's called a fish supper here(Glasgow) no matter when you buy it. It's just the local term for fish and chips. I never hear the term supper used in any other context.

PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:08

I really shouldn't read this thread when I'm hungry.

AdaColeman · 17/07/2019 12:08

"Surely you can't eat cake EVERYDAY?"

In a perfect world, yes you can eat cake every day.

PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:09

Off topic but I don't understand why some English fish and chip shops leave the skin on haddock. It's much nicer without.

louise5754 · 17/07/2019 12:10

If school dinners are eaten around mid-day.

If the ladies (or men) serving this food are called dinner ladies.

Why do people call their 5pm meal dinner also?

Surely it's tea? Tea-time?

PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:12

No it's not tea. It's dinner! Tea is a drink. I always had lunch at school even though the people who cooked and served it were known as dinner ladies. Don't ask me why.

Stationeryqueen · 17/07/2019 12:13

In our household we have

Tea/Brew - Cup of tea- any time of the day
Tea Break - Cup of tea, biscuit, mid morning 11ish
High Tea - early evening meal, 4.30ish served with toast- quite substantial.
Afternoon Tea - Dainty cakes, finger sandwiches, pot of tea, scones.
(Champagne afternoon tea, Strawberry Afternoon tea- as above but serves with either champagne or a bowl of strawberries and cream.)
Tea -Meal what some would call Dinner, substantial evening meal.
Chippy Tea - Fish and Chips
Cream Tea - Pot of tea with Scones, jam and cream or a slice of cake. (also see Cornish cream tea, and Devonshire cream tea- not totally sure the difference...maybe cream first on your scone?)
Sunday Tea - My Grandmother would make a buffet type meal on a Sunday, always consist of Salmon baps, sausage rolls, pork pie, sandwiches, quiche and homemade cake. Lightish meal as we would have had a Sunday Roast.

bigKiteFlying · 17/07/2019 12:14

No idea as I think I grew up with dinner ladies - but I've heard lunch ladies and lunch time supervisors and lunchtime where I am now.

I’m not actually sure what the local term is for midday meal here – presumably it’s lunch but I don't rememeber hearing it.

Pythonesque · 17/07/2019 12:15

I've only scanned about half the thread, I see someone's mentioned elevenses. If you grew up in Australia as I did, you will be familiar with calling a mid-morning snack, morning tea.

BigGlasses · 17/07/2019 12:18

In scotland (maybe just east cost Scotland, I'm not sure) High tea is a food fest served late afternoon. I hadn't heard of it for years since the mid 80s but seems to be coming more of a thing again. This is a picture of a local pub/restaurant which serves it. I know of at least 2 more local eateries that do it.

Caused DH lots of confusion when he was expecting afternoon tea (little sandwiches and cakes) and he got high tea - but he was very pleased as it's much more of a scoff!

British people. I need clarification
PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:20

Yes high tea seems to be an East coast thing.

PineappleSeahorse · 17/07/2019 12:31

Sorry but pork and vegetable stir fry with toast, scones and cake? WTF? I can't decide if it's genius or madness.

My life will not be complete until I've had high tea. Perhaps I've been missing out all these years.

Whereismyfigleaf · 17/07/2019 12:34

Can you blame us forriners' for being confused 😁

I wouldn't know if I was invited for a cup of tea or dinner if invited for 5 o'clock. And now you tell me dinner can be lunch as well 🤪. Or was it the other way around?

How much of a regional thing is this and how much of a class thing?

(not uk, just curious, sorry)

4cats2kids · 17/07/2019 12:35

Depends on class/region

In my family tea is the third meal of the day in the early evening.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2019 12:41

Adding to the confusion will be people like me who are inconsistent in an attempt to not confuse the people I'm talking to.

I'm northern working class, so was brought up with dinner and tea, with supper being milk and biscuits before bedtime (is that still a thing?)

But if I'm talking to people who I know are more likely to have lunch and dinner, I'll try to say that, but sometimes forget.

It also makes me feel a bit Hycynth Bucket (trying to be posh but failing spectacularly) if I say lunch and/or dinner meaning the evening meal not the mid day meal.

myrtleWilson · 17/07/2019 12:56

Re the supervising staff in educational establishments serving a meal at around midday.... is it only my DD who called them "dinner nannies" ?
I have never heard anyone else use the term and not even sure when she started using it...

She's 16 now and saw an aforementioned dinner nanny (from primary) when we were out and still used that terminology... Have no idea if she used it at secondary school....

BigGlasses · 17/07/2019 12:59

Its all very regional (and probably class based though that is less noticable as people move around more, what is posh in one area isn't in another).

If I was inviting someone round for food at 6pm I say 'do you want to come round for tea?' Which probably really doesn't help people.

If I was only inviting them for a drink I would say 'come round for a cup of tea or coffee'. But to be honest I would never specify coming round for a cup of tea, as tea would be offered to anyone who crosses the threshold....

Whereismyfigleaf · 17/07/2019 13:03

In my part of the world, we are taught in school that it is breakfast, lunch, dinner end of, imagine our confusion when encountering the real world 😁.

please, can you tell the equally confusing toilet, loo, restroom etc. Word use, what is the nice/polite word?

Whereismyfigleaf · 17/07/2019 13:08

bigglasses sorry slow typyin.

I would be none the wiser with your invite, atleast for 5 pm. Blush

bagsofbats · 17/07/2019 13:15

In the Uk loo and toilet are fine, I believe American's are squeemish about the word toilet and will use any other word to avoid it (bathroom, washroom, restroom) this hesitancy can cause confusion and they may well end up in a room with a bath and sink.

BertrandRussell · 17/07/2019 13:18

“In the Uk loo and toilet are fine”

Loo is fine everywhere. Toilet isn’t in some places- my family being one such place!

Rachelover40 · 17/07/2019 13:24

Toilet is OK but lavatory is strictly the correct term.

Whereismyfigleaf · 17/07/2019 13:25

I'm confused, to me loo sounds for lack of better translation as ' bog', in my language not very nice. I heard Stephen fry tell his dm didn't accept the word toilet.

Can you please tell me how toilet is perceived?

Whereismyfigleaf · 17/07/2019 13:27

Oh rachel you just added to my confusion 😁.

I was taught that loong ago, but thought it was very old fashioned?

Swipe left for the next trending thread