Hosting an Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea can be a great way to have a party with out all the intricate details of an elaborate menu. You also can create the decorations your self by using fresh flowers, costume jewelry from around the house, Old frames sprayed silver and gold, lots of candles and ribbon. Be creative too much is never enough. The smallest detail can draw attention. Each table can be eclectic. Mix and match chairs, silverware and especially tea cups. Due to the fact it is a theme party ask your guest to dress for the occasion.

As the custom has evolved, tea time is usually scheduled from mid to late afternoon. It’s a between meal snack that is a lot more elegant than cheese and crackers. It needn’t be extremely fussy, although the meal often includes savory, bite size sandwiches, scones or biscuits, and sweets (along with a good pot of tea, of course!) Both men and women enjoy afternoon tea inEngland, and it’s often used as a function for entertaining business clients.

The food is prepared before your guests arrive, and is either presented buffet style, or by passing plates of goodies at the table. I always find little girls of the women and ask if they would like to be the servers for the day. The only thing you need to serve is the tea itself, leaving you plenty of time to relax and enjoy your guests. Your guest list can include dozens of people or only one good friend with whom you’d like to share an intimate conversation. It can be a very formal affair as you’ll find at some of the more elegant hotels, or it can be as casual as a pot of tea and some cookies. You can form the event around a donation to a local charity. What ever you choose is always correct there is no right or wrong way to have an afternoon tea just have fun.

Some helpful hints in planning Your Tea Party

• Select a date and send out your invitations. Depending on the reason for you party your invitation can range from a very casual invite to a formal invitation. Include a tea bag in a more casual invite for fun and to set the tone for your party.
• Purchase your tea and tea pots. You’ll want to have several tea pots in order to brew a variety of teas for your guests. Visit second hand stores or yard sales for great buys on these items
• Review recipes for small sandwiches, scones, biscuits and sweets. At most tea parties there will be a selection of both savory and sweet bites to satisfy both kinds of appetites. If your tea party is an in-between meal, you will only need a small selection of bites. If your tea party takes the place of a full meal, you’ll want to offer a greater selection.
• Plan your menu. Include both savory and sweet food. Here is a sample Tea Time Menu.
• Accompany the tea selections with cream, sugar cubes and lemon slices to accommodate the varied tastes of your guests.
• Relax and enjoy your guests

 

Links to Teas:

http://www.shop.com/net2malls/search/tea?aa=a

Links to Finger Sandwiches:

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/foodmeetsdrinks/a/Tea-Sandwich-Recipes.htm

Sweets Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/scones/