One of the most amusing adjustments for expats arriving in a British office is the ritual of tea and biscuits.

Chilean architect, Camila Rock, said there is a bell at her London architecture firm that rings at 16:30 every day, at which point the office grinds to a halt for an office-wide teatime, prepared by different teams each week.

“I was told right from the start that if I don’t add a drop of milk I am not having a proper (cup of) tea,” she said, adding that she relishes this social moment in the day.

It's no laughing matter. The Brits take their daily “cuppa” seriously; it crosses industries and age groups. And while it may be an old-fashioned tradition, the tea-break is making a comeback.

“It’s a really friendly tradition,” French fashion analyst Irwin Welcman said. He moved to London from Paris in 2013. “Each time someone in my team is going to have a tea, they ask the whole team if anyone wants one and now everybody knows each other's tastes.”

A study by biscuit baker, Thomas J Fudges, of 2,000 British workers, revealed one in four would be more likely to close a deal in a meeting because of the biscuits provided, with shortbread, chocolate bourbons and flapjacks all likely to win a favourable reaction.