Press Relations: MAYOR OF BEDFORD RE-LAUNCHES AFTERNOON TEA IN FAILSWORTH

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

February 03, 2010.

MAYOR OF BEDFORD RE-LAUNCHES AFTERNOON TEA IN FAILSWORTH.

11am for 1130am, Thursday, February 4, 2010.

The Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson, will be in Failsworth, Manchester, on Thursday, February 4, to help give the inventor of the traditional afternoon tea her rightful place in history.

The Wickentree restaurant at leading home furnishings store Housing Units’ retail park is to rename its afternoon tea “The Bedford” after Anna, 7^th Duchess of Bedford, who in the 1840s created the idea of the mid-afternoon snack to ward off hunger pangs between lunch and dinner.

Mayor Hodgson will unveil the new Housing Units afternoon tea at 1130am on Thursday, February 4, 2010.

But there’s growth in the “afternoon tea economy” – Housing Units is currently serving up six times as many afternoon teas as it was in the middle of 2009, with bookings being taken for parties of up to 25. The 2010 afternoon tea, to the recipes of Wickentree chef Rick Dunkley, has several modern-cuisine twists to it.

“The Earl of Sandwich created what became known as ‘the sandwich’ after demanding some of his meals be delivered between two slices of bread, but the Duchess of Bedford was never afforded the same honour after her invention, so we’re re-naming our afternoon teas accordingly,” said Nick Fox of Housing Units.

“We’ve invited the Mayor of Bedford to come along to the store to officially rename and launch ‘The Bedford’ which will take its place on our menu and he will be welcomed and joined by the Leader of Oldham Council, Howard Sykes.

“The traditional afternoon tea has grown massively in popularity since we introduced it, and the Champagne Afternoon Tea is proving particularly popular.”

The traditional afternoon tea consists of sandwiches, cakes, tea, coffee or champagne.

Having conceived the idea of having tea in the afternoon to ward off the hunger pangs between lunch and dinner, the Duchess started having a tray of tea with bread and butter served to her in the mid-afternoon.

It became a regular occurrence and she began to invite other high society ladies to join her. Along with tea, there would be small pastries with clotted cream or preserves, delicate sandwiches and scones.

These habits soon became a good reason for social gatherings and started a trend that is still very much a part of British life.

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk