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?

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!)

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

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.

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.

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!

Yes it is bump!

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.

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.

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