Jam Tart
- Tastes like
- Tangy hibiscus and rosehip, like sharp berry jam
- Caffeine
- None
- Have it with
- Cherry Bakewell Shortbread, a scone
What is elevenses?
Elevenses is a British mid-morning break, taken around 11am, for a cup of tea or coffee and something small to eat — usually a biscuit or a slice of cake. It sits between breakfast and lunch. It's a snack, not a meal, and the point is to stop for ten minutes.
We named a set of our teas after it, because the blends taste of the things you'd put on the plate: jam tarts, sticky toffee pudding, Battenberg.
Where the word comes from
"Elevenses" is a double plural of eleven — eleven, elevens, elevenses — named after the hour it's eaten. It started as a regional dialect word for an eleven o'clock bite. Dictionaries date it to the early-to-mid 1800s (Dictionary.com gives 1840–65; Merriam-Webster puts it around 1819).
It's an old-fashioned word now, but the habit isn't. Plenty of offices, building sites and farm kitchens still down tools at eleven.
Elevenses in books and films
- Paddington Bear takes his elevenses with his friend Mr Gruber, at Mr Gruber's antique shop on Portobello Road.
- Winnie-the-Pooh is partial to a little something at eleven o'clock.
- The hobbits in The Lord of the Rings films count it among their meals, between second breakfast and luncheon.
What time is elevenses?
Around 11am, give or take half an hour. It comes roughly halfway between an early breakfast and a 1pm lunch.
What do you eat for elevenses?
Something small and sweet that goes with a brew:
- Biscuits: shortbread, ginger thins, digestives
- A slice of cake: Battenberg, lemon drizzle, fruit cake
- A jam tart, a scone or a teacake
Keep it small. Elevenses that turns into a second breakfast is just breakfast.
The best teas for elevenses
Mid-morning is the one time of day a strong black tea and a caffeine-free blend both make sense. Match the tea to what's on the plate.
Sticky Pudding
- Tastes like
- Honeybush, liquorice and cinnamon; warm toffee sponge
- Caffeine
- None
- Have it with
- Sticky Toffee Pudding Shortbread
Battenberg
- Tastes like
- Vanilla rooibos, rose and sweet woodruff; marzipan-sweet
- Caffeine
- None
- Have it with
- A slice of Battenberg, obviously
Berry Compote
- Tastes like
- Strawberry and hibiscus
- Caffeine
- None
- Have it with
- Shortbread or a plain sponge
Russian Caravan
- Tastes like
- Malty black tea with a thread of smoke
- Caffeine
- Yes
- Have it with
- Ginger Thins, a bacon butty if you're honest
The first four are from our Teatime Treats, and the biscuits for the brew are on our Eat page.
Jam Tart
For sponge and jam — tart hibiscus, rosehip.
Ingredients | Caffeine-free
Hibiscus flowers, rosehip
£9.49 · 25g · approx 20 cups
Sticky Pudding
For sticky toffee lovers — sweet honeybush, liquorice, cinnamon.
Ingredients | Caffeine-free
Honeybush, liquorice root, cinnamon
£9.49 · 25g · approx 20 cups
New blendBattenberg
Pair with Battenberg — Vanilla rooibos, rose petals, hibiscus, marigold, sweet woodruff
Ingredients | Caffeine-free
Vanilla rooibos, rose petals, hibiscus, marigold petals, sweet woodruff
£12.49 · 50g · approx 40 cups
How to have elevenses properly
- Put the kettle on at five to eleven.
- Brew a pot or a mug: 5–7 minutes for the caffeine-free blends, 3–4 for black tea. Times for every tea are in our brew guide.
- One biscuit or one slice. Plated, not from the packet.
- Sit down. Ten minutes, no screen.
Elevenses questions
A mid-morning break for tea or coffee and a small snack, taken around 11am. It's mainly a British word.
It's a double plural of "eleven", after the hour it's eaten. It began as a dialect word and was first recorded in the early-to-mid 1800s.
No. It's a snack between breakfast and lunch, usually a drink and a biscuit or slice of cake.
A strong black tea like Russian Caravan for a malty, smoky cup, or a caffeine-free blend like Jam Tart or Sticky Pudding to match something sweet.
Sources: Dictionary.com, 'elevenses'; Glossophilia, on British meal names.
From our customers