When tea was first brought to England between 1652 and 1654, it was so expensive that only the rich could buy it. It was said that an old couple had some sent to them as a great treat. But they did not know how it ought to be used. Eventually they boiled the leaves, put some of them on a piece of bacon for dinner, ate the leaves, and threw the tea soup away. However, tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale as the national drink of England after King Charles II and his Portuguese wife began to follow this foreign tea tradition. Before the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals -- breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread and beef. Dinner was a long, massive meal at the end of the day. It was no wonder that Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 -- 1861) experienced a _ in the late afternoon. So she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields". The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses. A common pattern of service soon came into practice. The first pot of tea was made in the kitchen and carried to the lady of the house who waited with her invited guests, surrounded by fine porcelain from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small flame. Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose of the visiting being conversation. We can know from the passage that afternoon tea   _  .
leads to the wide planting and large production of tea in England helps bring King Charles II and his wife together in their childhood is not only an additional afternoon meal but helps bring people together contributes to the increasingly high price of tea and porcelain in England