Afternoon tea in London doesn't have to mean pomposity, primness and poncy waiters. WTG's Emma Field meets the brains behind Time for Tea, the vintage outfit bringing the 1940s into the 21st century with laid-back pots of tea and 'proper' conversation.

Next time you're in London for the weekend and want something a little unusual to do, take a chance and pop along to Time for Tea on Shoreditch High Street.

If you're lucky, the elusive Johnny Vercoutre will be home. This rather unusual man lives a 1940s lifestyle complete with 1940s house, 1940s cars, 1940s soundtrack, even 1940s socks, and he's happy to take you in for a cup of tea and a good dose of "grown-up conversation". But don't count on it - Time for Tea, one of London's undiscovered charms, runs very much on an ad hoc basis. I was lucky: I had an appointment with Polly Breton, Johnny's link to the 21st century. As she says: "The idea of somewhere not being open when it might be makes some people inexplicably furious!"

The Time for Tea ethos

This laid-back approach fits in very well with the 1940s ethos Time for Tea lives by. The period saw people take the time to chat over endless pots of tea with friends, neighbours and passers by - an idea that appeals to today's increasingly time-pressed, credit-crunched and lonely individuals, as the growing interest in knitting circles and allotments reflects. The war-time spirit of the 1940s was practical, strong and a world away from the decadence of the 1920s. It was a time of getting your money's worth and mend and make-do: an attitude that is more relevant than ever in today's recessionary times.

Time for Tea advocates taking pleasure in everyday things, such as having "proper" (ie full-fat) milk in your tea. It's all about being in the moment, savouring and appreciating it. "I think modern culture tends to make you think you are only what you own," Polly says. "Time for Tea is the antithesis of people who have to have really white trainers!"

There is something very comforting about it all. Time for Tea is based in a house Johnny bought 10 years ago. It was derelict, untouched since 1946, until he meticulously restored the 1940s interior. Polly is at pains to point out that: "Johnny doesn't do it because it's commercially viable, but because it's what he's like. Time for Tea is truthful and genuine. Lots of people try to fake it and it's not quite right."

The tea room

Walking into the tea room at the front of the house is like stepping back in time. Bone china cups and saucers and a silver teapot are laid out on the table. Polly wears her hair up in simple, attractive twists ("Up dos can save on shampoo and conditioner," she says in her pleasant, verging-on-archaic accent) and her clothes convey an effortless 1940s style, although she admits they are from Primark - she's not as strict as Johnny. The atmospheric music playing is by Anita O'Day, a jazz singer from the late 1940s. The melodies come from a CD player, one of the few concessions to modern times, but a gramophone and old-school film projector are in the corner and clearly still used.

Polly gives me a tour of the rest of the house, which is filled with cosy fireplaces, vintage furniture, stunning William Morris wallpaper and wooden floors; there isn't a computer or TV in sight. Johnny has plans to turn the place into a B&B one day, and I've no doubt it'll be hugely popular.

Events

As well as tea, Time for Tea throws parties with vintage (rather than 1940s) themes, which makes the events more accessible than focussing on a specific era. Guests are encouraged to dress up in creative ways and often do so eccentrically, emphasising the performative element.

"We aim to reintroduce the idea you would get dressed up and make a creation of yourself," Polly explains. "Take a break from the city and let your hair down in an innocent, simple way." The tunes are always old, from any time between the 1900s and the 1950s. The venue becomes vintage as soon as the music plays, Polly explains, and anyway, "it's better to dance to". And of course, all dancing is done with a partner: "It's about creating a collective experience rather than an individual experience."

Collaborating with Bompas & Par to form The White Blackbird Series, Time for Tea's next event is the Futurist Aerobanquet, a culinary journey designed to put performance back into the art of fine dining. An intriguing set up, the dinner will be a culinary flight simulation, including canapés served from vintage luggage accompanied by the sounds of aeroplanes overhead; a table centre featuring a light switch that calls comedian and air traffic controller Dorien and his ‘refuelling station' to replenish supplies of wine; the pilot's welcome; ‘take off'; and a crash landing swiftly followed by the arrival of a vintage ambulance that bursts open to reveal a stretcher containing the definitive Futurist jelly - a many-flavoured, fresh fruit Barajas Jelly Airport, in honour of the airport designed by famed architect Richard Rogers.

The delicious spectacle will take place at The Olde Bell, Hurley, on 19 June. Tickets cost £80 and are available from www.ticketweb.co.uk. Visit www.thewhiteblackbird.com for more information.

Time for Tea
110 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JN
Website: www.timefortea.org.uk
Open Saturday and Sunday 1200-1900 for tea and cake (usually).

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