Afternoon Tea on the Sea
A Signature Cunard Treat to Try at Home​
Cunard cruise ships offer the most quintessential British repast with their famous afternoon teas served daily in the Queens Room. Here is a look at how the tradition of afternoon tea began, paired with Cunard’s irresistible scone recipe to bake at home. Time for tea!
While tea drinking dates back thousands of years in China, it was only when Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese Infanta, married King Charles ll in 1662 – bringing the precious leaves with her as part of her dowry – that tea consumption among the wealthy classes in Britain was first established.

It was to be almost 200 years later, however, before the beverage became central to a new meal called ‘afternoon tea’, a concept introduced by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, around 1840 when she required a little sustenance to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner. She requested that a tray of bread and butter along with sweetmeats – including scones and, of course, a pot of tea – be brought to her room in the late afternoon. Soon friends began to join her, and before long, afternoon tea had become a daily event in fashionable society.

Today, the time-honored menu is much the same. Delicate finger sandwiches and savories, warm scones with jam and clotted cream, and – not least – a selection of irresistible cakes and pastries, served using stylish tea sets and starched linen, all of which combine to create a special occasion that never loses its charm.
The Signature Cunard Scone

​Watch as Cunard Executive Chef, Nick Oldroyd, shows you how to make your own delicious, golden scones – but of course, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s jam first, or cream. Serve with freshly-brewed tea, delicate finger sandwiches and perhaps some relaxing music for that familiar Cunard feel until you are able to travel the seven seas again.

Ingredients:
  • 500g plain flour
  • 25g baking powder
  • 125g diced butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 125ml whole milk
  • 60g sultanas
Recipe for 12 Scones:
  • Take the flour, baking powder, butter and sugar to breadcrumb stage by either rubbing or using a paddle on a mixer
  • Add the sultanas, mix again
  • Add three of the eggs and the milk, and mix well
  • Pat down on a lightly floured surface until smooth and leave to rest for 5 minutes
  • Roll out to 2cm thick, turning after each push to even the tension in the dough
  • Cut the scone mix out and place onto a paper-lined tray
  • Using the final egg, eggwash with the yolk and rest for a further ten minutes
  • Bake at 180°C for approximately twelve minutes
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Nick’s top tip: ’The Golden Rule is to not to over work the dough and give sufficient resting time after mixing and forming the scone dough and then again when you have rolled out and cut into the desired shape; about 5 minutes for each stage. Always use egg yolk for glazing as this gives a delightful golden-brown crust and a great enriched flavor and end result.’
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