Gift wrapped Afternoon Tea with a loaned China Set from Teapot Catering - Credit: Teapot Catering We've gathered some afternoon tea delivery companies in Norfolk that are perfect for a decadent mid-afternoon treat Afternoon tea is an institution in Britain. And we have Queen Victoria’s close friend Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford to thank for this rather delightful custom. It is said that the Duchess would get peckish in the afternoon and complain of a ‘sinking feeling’, as it was common for most people to eat their evening meal rather late at around 8pm. So, one afternoon in the mid 1840’s, Anna Maria Russell requested a pot of tea and some snacks to sate her appetite and in that moment afternoon tea was born.