The different customs of waiting between eating meaty foods and milky is an
interesting one. I remember going to a series of lectures on Kashrut issues
and this very same question came up, the Rabbi suggested that English,
perhaps German & Dutch Jews might have traditionally had a milk based drink
at 11 the term elevenses and the English Jews would have certainly adopted
the English custom of afternoon tea at 4 taken with milk. I remember
attending weddings kosher ( United Synagogue) where tea & dairy were served
at the Buffet later on in the evening. Of course now the community has
turned to the stricter more eastern European custom of waiting six hours
between meat and milk we have a milk substitute served 3 hours later after
the dinner.



Shabbat Shalom

Anita Benson
Hendon London


Can any one elaborate on
the Dutch minhag of only keeping one hour between meat and milk? I know the
halachic source. However, it seemed in England a large number of the
Anglo-Jewry communities kept three hours and I wonder where this minhag
originated.
Six hours is the normally accepted time between meat and milk.
Did this serve to differentiate between the Sefardim and the Askenazim who
came into England >from Holland?

Noach miTelshestone
Kiryat Telshestone
D N Harei Yehudah
Israel