From teatime, in dire need of something to eat (6)
I believe the answer is:
endive
'from' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'teatime in dire need of something to eat' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'teatime' could be 'iv' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'iv' is found within the answer.
an anagram of 'need' is 'ende' which is located in the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for endive that I've seen before include "Envied (anag.)" , "Type of chicory" , "Plant used in salads" , "Portion of salad" , "Curly-leaved plant used as salad" .)