Teatime “kiddush”

NGLO-JEWRY ADOPTED afternoon tea with alacrity, possibly because it can resemble a sort of kiddush deluxe, with the bonus of being able to boil the kettle. Now there has been an afternoontea revival, with hotels putting serious resources into grand menus, even featuring champagne, while specialist tea rooms are making a comeback.

Opened this summer in Finchley, north London, Emporium exemplifies the trend, with its bunting, period wooden chairs with polka-dot seat covers, floral tablecloths, ivory-handled knives, china crockery, teaspoons in Tate & Lyle syrup tins on the tables, ancient signs and posters and the sounds of Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong rolling out from the serving hatch.

Rochdi Rhazouani, the owner says that in the 1940s the shop next door to his was “Joe the baker”, a bakery and a tea room, both very busy. Since then, there has been no tea room in North F i n c h l e y b u t Emporium has found a following among Barnet’s sizeable contingent of older residents as well as its younger Great British Bake Off fans. “Everyone loves the older furniture, the décor and the music,” says Rochdi. “Why should we have plastic when we can have china?”

A setting such as this demands a menu of classics — home-made cakes, such as Victoria sponge, plum and orange and lemon drizzle, shortbread, finger sandwiches, scones, cream, strawberries and strawberry jam — which Emporium serves at any time of day (although you can order a more time-appropriate lunch, if you really want to). I visited at 10.30 on a Monday and three ladies were having afternoon tea. The food is not under supervision but there is no meat or non-permitted fish.

One reason for the tea-room trend may be pricing. While a hotel tea costs tens of pounds, even with a discount coupon, Emporium’s “one-tier” tea, with scone, clotted cream, jam and tea is £4.50; a two-tier tea at £7 adds cakes; the £12 three-tier tea adds finger sandwiches, including smoked salmon and egg mayonnaise, to all the rest. Tea and coffee are unlimited. The room downstairs can be hired for parties and hol d s l e s - sons in jammakingand crafts.