What has afternoon tea got to do with spring loaded castors?
What could be more quintessentially British than the practice of Afternoon Tea. This term Afternoon Tea conjures up images associated with the British Empire, the Ritz, posh tea and of course cucumber sandwiches and delicious cakes.
What could be more quintessentially British than the practice of Afternoon Tea. This term Afternoon Tea conjures up images associated with the British Empire, the Ritz, posh tea and of course cucumber sandwiches and delicious cakes. Often a misconception held by many outside Britain, that we are a nation of tea drinkers indulging in afternoon tea between the hours of 3pm to 5pm. But the origins of this practice are far more interesting, as is its recent emergence within our modern society, and how castors manufacturers are influencing the Afternoon Tea experience.
Originally a practice brought over from Portugal, Afternoon Tea was first seen in Britain in 1661 during the reign of Charles II, when his new wife Catherine of Braganca brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon to Britain. This new fashion swept the nation and continued to do so for many centuries to come. Although it lost favour during the swinging 60's and hippy 70's, Afternoon Tea has recently made a modern come back. Within the modern society in which we live, gone are the rattle of tea trolleys on old fashioned wheels to be replaced by streamlined stainless steel and wooden trolleys, mounted on spring loaded castors. Spring loaded castors, are exactly what they say they are,castors mounted on a spring, which can adsorb uneven floor surfaces to ensure the catering trolley moves in a smooth and quiet 'rattle free' fashion. Gone are the days of rattling tea cups and spilt milk, modern hotel establishments insist on spring loaded castors for their catering trolleys, whilst serving Afternoon tea.
Modern spring loaded castors are essentially bolt hole castors fitted with a spring adaptor. This spring adaptor can be inserted into the tubular leg of the catering trolley to ensure a smooth and even movement. The bolt hole castors attached to the spring adaptor can be either a rubber wheeled castors or a harder polypropylene wheel. Castor wheel choice depends upon the surface upon which they will be running. The spring loadedcastors can come in two different sizes, depending upon the compression, or force which will be exerted upon them. In layman terms the heavier the load, the more the spring will be compressed, and so needs to be heavier duty to take the weight. However for the majority of modern tea trolleys the lighter duty spring loadedcastors is more than suitable.
So the practice of Afternoon tea has become more scientific and modernised. With streamline trolleys mounted upon spring loaded castors, serving either a modern version or a traditional Afternoon Tea. Many hotels, both modern and traditional are seeing the benefits of mounting their catering trolleys on spring loaded castors, as quite often the kitchen can be some distance away from the main dining rooms, and trolleys have to encounter a variety of floor surfaces from tile, from concrete to cobble to carpet. The castor manufacturers aim to keep one step ahead with castor developments and can offer hotels and catering establishments a variety of suitable castors, including the now infamous spring loaded castor.
