Afternoon Tea - how can anyone eat it all?

[wasntlikethisinthegoodolddays]

I've been looking at things to do next weekend. Looked on Wowcher, Groupon etc. A regular offer is Afternoon Tea for two. Whilst it looks lovely, they regularly feature about 6 sandwich corners each, a few savoury items and FOUR cakes each. I love my food, and I like cake, but there's no way I could eat all of that in one sitting. Can anyone eat four cakes in a row? Are we meant to take a doggy bag?

I bloody love a nice afternoon tea, and so does my American DP. Part of the fun is being presented with a little box to take any leftovers home in.
I'm size 6/8 (sizing being so stupid these days) and he's trim too. Indulging once in a while isn't going to kill anyone. 😂
(I love how threads like this bring out the competetive under-eaters).

I find most afternoon teas a complete swizz - 4 strips of sandwich. A few tiny cakes 1 bite size. And one scone. I have it as lunch but it’s usually very underwhelming unless going somewhere posh and paying £100 per head

Most have four little sandwiches and I usually end up bringing a piece of cake home with me as there is always too much cake !

The cakes are v.small, usually two bites and they’re gone.

if you rephrase this as “how can anyone POSSIBLY eat 8 mouthfuls of cake!!?!” you’ll see how possible it actually is.

I usually don't eat the cakes as im more of a savoury person but can just about manage a scone. I love the sandwiches though and would eat crates of it. For me personally, I don't eat breakfast on the day and don't eat dinner after having afternoon tea as it's very filling.

I haven't got a particularly big appetite, but I've never had a problem with an afternoon tea. The sandwiches and cakes are usually really tiny, and also really delicious. A good afternoon tea is a fantastic meal. Also, somehow everything being different makes it easier to eat more of it!

We do a brunch first, then afternoon tea.
Light supper in the evening only if anything at all.
You just reconfigure your day. It’s not rocket science 🤷‍♀️

I went to afternoon tea at Brown's Hotel in London a few years ago. Anything I ate was immediately replaced. I didn't need to eat for the rest of the day. Because everything was so tiny, I could continue on stuffing myself with "just one more".

Normally if I stuff myself I'm hungry after a couple of hours. This time I really overdid it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't have that uncomfortable stuffed feeling either. I think it turned my stomach into a TARDIS.

You’re right, just like a Mumsnet salad that would last you all month that amount of food

This has always happened without fail for me! I’ve also been for many! I think you are supposed to ask though

I can do it but I feel ill afterwards and experience a massive sugar crash a couple of hours afterwards.

Because usually they’re just honest about what they over-eat. Not making up diets that would be hard to survive on in the hope of sounding oh so tiny.

Everything is small. The sandwiches are maybe one and a half, but if crusts are cut off still small, the cakes are a couple bites each (and there's always one you don't like), the scones are also on the small side de. Plus don't eat lunch before so you are pretty hungry when it's served!
And you can always take the leftovers home.

I just ask for a bread less cucumber sandwich and green tea. It fills me up for days.

That’s what we do!

Personally I'd much prefer to drop into a tapas place and have a Manzanilla and savoury bits than afternoon tea with fizz. Too much sugar overload.

😂

It's really not that much food are you sure this isn't a competitive undereating thread? I struggle with afternoon tea because I haven't got that much of a sweet tooth but in terms of actual volume of food it's a totally normal amount.

I've never left an afternoon tea and not immediately come home and stuck a pizza in the oven. I'm not an overeater but they're never filling. The food is teensy.

I have quite a small appetite and even I can manage afternoon tea! The cakes and sandwiches are really small. I'd just have it as a late lunch too so wouldn't be fitting it in between lunch and dinner. Yet to meet someone who can't eat an afternoon tea

Yes, of course you take a plastic box to take home what you don't eat.

We do. Restaurants don't like waste either.

If you get a box to take away you can feed your whole family for a week with it. Saves on food shopping

The Ritz does. I've had two afternoon teas there and they keep refilling your plate (within your time slot). They do go heavy on the sandwiches but you do get at least two plate fulls of cake.

But I can eat an entire Victoria Sponge cake on my own in an afternoon, so it's not much of a challenge (also slim, run a lot, plus greedy and love cake).

No idea. I’ll admit afternoon tea is lost on me as I don’t care for sandwiches, pastries or cake, but we met some friends for one recently. Setting was lovely. Presentation and all round niceness I couldn’t fault. But who can eat all that? I felt bad as we left SO so much of it. It was £45 a head so it seemed quite wasteful.

(sorry quoted wrong post, I meant to respond to the one about not eating anything else before or after the afternoon tea).

But that doesn't sound very enjoyable tbh. I'd feel really ill if I didn't eat anything until mid afternoon and then the last thing I'd want is sandwiches and cake.

I think I like the idea of afternoon tea a lot more than the reality and the last couple of times I've been I've not really enjoyed it even though one of the times it was at Bettys.

I didn't realise you could ask for seconds (and it's expensive enough, I wouldn't want to be paying any more) but I can't see them doing that if you've not eaten the first lot.