In Britain, tea is more than just a drink, it’s a tradition. For centuries, the British have indulged in the act of sipping on a warm cup of tea as a way to unwind and socialize. The tradition of drinking tea with milk and sugar, accompanied by biscuits, scones, or cakes is deeply ingrained in the country’s culture and history. However, a recent survey has revealed that this age-old tradition might soon come to an end.
According to a survey of 1,000 people by the United Kingdom Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA), younger generations in Britain are now ditching biscuits in favour of savoury snacks like samosas. One in ten people between the ages of 18 and 29 reportedly prefer granola bars as their tea-time snack, while eight per cent prefer samosas. However, no one over the age of 65 chose samosas as their preferred tea-time snack.
Dr Sharon Hall, Chief Executive of the UKTIA, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, “I think granola bars are probably also quite filling, so maybe people are having that as a snack with their tea to fill them up. They may be looking for something a little bit more substantial. The same would apply to a samosa,” she said.
Halls suggested youngsters likely preferred “nutty or spicy flavours” as they evoked memories of dishes eaten on gap years while travelling around the world.
She further added, “One thing that we are interested to find out more about is maybe such food reminds them of recent travels they have taken and a cuppa with a samosa takes them back to that memory. We know from the data that a cuppa (tea) triggers many sorts of positive emotions, and that’s something that cuts across all age groups.”
This shift away from biscuits is not limited to just the UKTIA’s survey, as a further survey conducted by market research firm Mintel found similar results. The Mintel survey, which surveyed 2,000 tea drinkers between August and October last year, found that those between the ages of 16 and 24 are around half as likely to prefer a sweet biscuit with their tea as those over the age of 55.
Mintel warned that if younger generations do not establish the habit of having sweet biscuits with their tea, future sales of sweet biscuits might be at risk. This shift in tea-time preferences highlights a change in the taste buds of younger generations in Britain and could signal a shift away from traditional tea-time snacks towards more diverse options.
While the tradition of drinking tea in Britain remains steadfast, the snacks that accompany it might be changing to reflect the tastes and preferences of the younger generation. Whether this change will be embraced by the older generation and become a permanent part of British tea culture remains to be seen. But for now, it seems like samosas and granola bars might just become the new biscuits for tea time in Britain.
