Lofty infusion served as part of early-evening meal (4,3)
I believe the answer is:
high tea
'early-evening meal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'lofty infusion served as' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'lofty' could be 'high' (similar in meaning) and 'high' is found within the answer.
'infusion' could be 'tea' (I've seen this before) and 'tea' is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'part of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for high tea that I've seen before include "A lofty kind of evening meal" , "Early evening meal" , "Late-afternoon meal" , "Early-evening meal" , "Late afternoon meal which includes a cooked dish" .)