I don't get it...what's the difference between tea, supper and dinner?

[sidesplittinglol]

Just that really.

Do people have all three or just two or?

[Ollivander84]

I'm up north
Dinner - is midday lunch time
Tea - evening meal. Or a brew. Gets confusing when I talk to my friend in London and say "time for tea"
Supper - what I shouldn't be eating after my tea

Confusingly I also work shifts so may say "I'm late going on my dinner" when my dinner could be at 11.30am or 10pm but it's always referred to as dinner because it's our mid shift/longest break

[IrritatedUser1960]

Lunch at around midday

Tea if anyone has afternoon tea these days 4 o clock, cake and tea

Supper in the evening if it's a family meal, dinner a more formal evening meal.

[Crumbs1]

There are several sorts of tea.

Nursery or high tea is the children's evening meal taken around 5pm.
Afternoon tea is a little earlier and is a drink of tea with cake, crumpets, scones or similar to tide you over until supper or dinner. Nowadays afternoon tea has been hijacked as a commercial venture by most hotels.

Supper is an evening meal taken informally- a kitchen supper in its simplest form or television supper on trays whilst watching television.

Dinner is a more formal evening meal with a minimum of three courses. Usually with or as guests and requiring the diners to change out of daywear.

[sidesplittinglol]

Yes it is bump!

[Bumpsadaisie]

Tea could also be a children's meal - eg if your kids have friends to play after school, probably the kids have pizza for "tea" at about 5.30, then you and DH have "supper" later.

Its complicated isn't it!

[Bumpsadaisie]

Tea is at about 4, could be just a cup of tea or with biscuit/cake.

Supper is the ordinary evening meal - about 7/7.30, eg stew, spag bol.

Dinner is something you invite others round for and it is after 8pm. You make a bit more effort with the food. If its a very close friend and they are just coming around to share a stew then they are coming for supper, not dinner.

[aweewhilelonger]

Middle class Scottish here.

Midday meal - lunch

Evening meal 6pm - dinner / tea used interchangeably

Slice of toast / biscuit and a cuppa before bed - supper.

Lunch at midday, supper in the evening = middle class / posh

Dinner at midday, tea early evening, supper before bed = not middle class, not posh.

Varies with region, class and generation. My grandparents had dinner at midday, my parents started saying lunch, I've never said dinner, always lunch.

[sidesplittinglol]

They say the best time to have your main meal is at 7pm as this allows plenty of time to digest your food

[RoseVase2010]

Lunch mid morning
Tea around 4pm, a light meal or a child's meal
Supper is your normal evening meal
Dinner is a more formal occasion

Im confused by supper at 10pm, you'd not have time to digest anything before bed (and woe betide anyone who makes a mess in my kitchen that late at night!)

[RoseVase2010]

Tea is around 4pm, a light meal.
Supper is your big standard evening meal.
Dinner is a more formal occasion.

[sidesplittinglol]

Haha I never thought of that nightsky!
If dinner is at midday and tea is at 4pm etc, when is lunch?

[musicalmama]

My 2yo shouts "tea time everybody!!!" to summon the family to the table for our evening meal anytime between 5pm and 6.30pm.

You go out for dinner. Usually 7.30pm.

Supper is toast before your bed.

[mycatloveslego]

Totally depends where you're from.
Growing up dinner was around noon and tea was around 5. Supper was something posh southerners had.
Where I now live we have lunch at noon, dinner in the evening, tea is something you drink and supper? Still not sure about that one....!

[stuntcamel]

Why is dinner at Midday and not an evening meal for some? Does it depend on where you're from? No, it probably depends on whether or not you happen to have your main hot meal in the middle of the day, and then a smaller/cold meal later on. It varies for us from day to day. Usually Sundays is when we have dinner at lunchtime, but on the other hand, we often call it 'Sunday Lunch' as well... and can sometimes be eaten at getting on for 4pm which is actually teatime... (this is getting quite confusing now)

DC1 had breakfast at about 11 today - hang on, should we have called that 'Elevenses'?

I give up

[reallyanotherone]

Dinner= main meal, regardless of time of day.

Lunch = light meal, midday.
Tea= Light meal, evening.

Supper is just for posh people.

[Copperspot]

And if someone wants a drink of tea, it is a brew. So no confusion if someone invites you round for tea

[Herbpatch]

Afternoon tea and high tea are entirely different things, though.

[Copperspot]

West yorkshire gal here

Midday meal = dinner
Evening meal = tea

Supper is a snack before bed you have as a kid. Usually a slice of toast and drink of milk / hot choc in winter. Actually i think i may restart the supper thing

[chowmeinchick]

I thought dinner and tea was the same - about 5/6

Supper was like a Latish snack before bed.

[thenightsky]

If dinner is in the evening why do schools have dinner ladies, eh? Dinner is mid day meal.

[Eolian]

Regional and class-based. Tea, dinner and supper often all refer to the one evening meal, even though historically they referred to different types or timings of evening meal.
I call it dinner, my posh friend calls it supper and the people where I now live (NW) call it tea.

[thismeansnothing]

Dinner - what you have between midday and one
Tea - what you have between 5 and 6
Supper - brew n toast in your Jamie's while you watch Corrie 😂

[greendale17]

Tea- 5pm - really old fashioned and I don't know anyone who says this

Dinner-6pm onwards. Same for supper

[CheesesOfNazereth]

Tea as a name for the evening meal sounds so wrong to me. Tea is a drink or an occasional treat with tiny cakes and sandwiches, its not an actual meal.

[sidesplittinglol]

Thanks for your replies! So many different ones.

For me lunch is at midday

Tea is the drink unless it's for kids

Dinner is main meal at 7ish


Why is dinner at Midday and not an evening meal for some? Does it depend where you're from??