An Afternoon tea

Now that we have talked about tea, let's actually have one! Put on your tea clothing and follow these steps to a perfectly delightful afternoon tea!

1. Select the prettiest, most delicate, china tea service you can.
2. Make sure your cutlery is gleaming bright.
3. Set the table with a snowy white lacy or linen table cloth. Add matching napkins.
4. Use tea leaves rather than teabags, if possible, and provide a tea strainer.
5. Set out the essentials. As well as milk and sugar, provide a small dish of thinly sliced lemons.
6. Provide two teapots. One teapot should contain the actual tea. The other one should be filled with hot water. (This would be used to dilute the tea if a guest finds it too strong or for a guest who has a caffeine sensitivity and prefers an herbal tea bag.)
7. Serve sandwiches, scones and cake. Have a three-tiered cake stand with sandwiches on the bottom tier, freshly baked scones on the middle tier and a selection of cake slices, petit fours, and/or cupakes on the top tier.
8. Set out the condiments. Put jam, honey, clotted cream and butter into small individual pots or dishes.
9. Have tea outside. Ideally, and weather permitting, serve your afternoon tea out of doors.

Tips:
1. Choose lump sugar over loose sugar; it is more dainty.
2. Remove the crusts from the sandwiches before serving and cut into triangles.
3. Use a mixture of white and whole grain bread.
4. Suggested sandwich fillings can be found in Part 4 of our Conversation about Tea on June 27

5. Garnish your sandwiches with fresh herbs and pretty up the scone and cake tiers by adding a few strawberries, fresh cherries, other berries, or kiwi slices
6. Place paper doilies on each tier before placing the food on it.

7. Enjoy!

 http://sweetnecessi-teas.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

How to Set a Table for English Tea

Host an English tea party.

Hosting an English tea party is an elegant way to entertain friends and family. Planning the party and laying out the table are half the fun --- and with the proper planning, your English tea party will be remembered for a long time. Using proper etiquette in setting your table will showcase the teas and foods you have prepared and help create an authentic atmosphere for you and your guests to enjoy.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Liquid dish soap
• Soft kitchen towel
• Lunch plates
• Teacups and saucers
• Cloth napkins
• Forks
• Sharp knives
• Butter knives
• Waste bowl
• Dessert plates
• Dessert spoons and forks
• Spoons
• Serving dishes
• Sugar bowl
• Creamer

1. • 1
     Prepare the tea set, serving dishes and silverware. Wash them with liquid dish soap and hand-dry well ahead of time using a soft towel to prevent water spots.
   • 2
     Place a plate on the table. Fold a cloth napkin into a rectangle or triangle and place it in the center of the plate.
   • 3
     Place the teacup on the saucer and position it behind and to the right of the plate, with the handle pointing toward the right.
   • 4
     Place your fork to the left side of the plate.
   • 5
     Place a sharp knife on the right side of the plate, with the blade facing in toward the plate. Then place the butter knife next to the sharp knife, blade toward the plate. Finally, place the spoon to the right of the butter knife.
   • 6
     Place a small bowl for waste to the left of the place setting for used tea bags and lemons.
   • 7
     Center a dessert plate above the main plate, toward the center of the table. Lay the dessert spoon and fork horizontally between the dessert plate and the larger plate, with the bowl of the dessert spoon facing left and the tines of the fork facing right.
   • 8
     Repeat Steps 2 through 7 for as many guests as you will have at your table.
   • 9
     Place your teapot, serving dishes, sugar bowl and creamer in the center of the table, where they will be accessible and can be passed around easily

Read more: How to Set a Table for English Tea | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7777188_set-table-english-tea.html#ixzz1IdF9OzTf 

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not own a tea set, check with friends and family to see if you can borrow one.
• Add decorations, such as flowers in a vase and taper candles in candle holders, that complement your table setting. Avoid flowers and candles with overwhelming scents; you want to be able to enjoy the aroma of the tea.

Read more: How to Set a Table for English Tea | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7777188_set-table-english-tea.html#ixzz1IdFJ3A9Q

Tea Time

 

This weekend we have High Tea at the Roosevelt. What is a High Tea you ask? Traditionally, High Tea gained popularity in England in the early 1600′s; it was held in the afternoon, and often consisted of substantial dishes like meat pies and sandwiches. High Tea at the Roosevelt is even better! We have a variety of sandwiches (with the crust’s cut off and everything!), sorbet’s, cakes, fruits,

and many flavors of tea. It’s great for mother/daughter catch up time, parties, or a last minute Valentines plans. We promise you won’t leave hungry! Tea’s are held every Tuesday and Saturday by appointment only. We had a huge high tea party not too long ago, the hat’s were fantastic.

More information on tea’s can be found at The Roosevelt Inn . Don’t miss your chance to book the first tea of the season this Saturday at 1 pm!

 http://therooseveltblog.com/2011/02/09/tea-time/

Almost Christmas Tea Time

 

Every year our church holds a Women's Christmas Tea to kick of the holiday season. This is my first year to participate and I will host two tables. I've already been shopping around for my supplies and I must say, I've found a new love for ALL things tea!

I really like this idea for a centerpiece

I am in love with this damask Christmas table from Plum Party and may use it as inspiration for my table.

Aren't these invitations adorable? Our church provided us with invitations but I like these from Birthday Boutique .

As part of the celebration, each guest is asked to bring tea sandwiches or sweets to share. I found some great tea sandwich recipes here. These holly shaped tea sandwiches at Taste of Home look delicious.

How cute are these teapot tape measures for favors from With This Favor ?







http://lollipopsandpaper.blogspot.com/2010/11/almost-christmas-tea-time.html

Tea Time

Spring is finally in the air! Huzzah! It's time to break out the pastel colors and start obsessing over self-tanners! It is also time, in my opinion, to dress up and host a tea party!

Tea Parties are the perfect opportunity to act super fancy and ladylike without have to spend a ton of money. The awesome thing about tea parties? There is no expensive alcohol and it is perfectly acceptable to cheat and buy your baked goods from a fancy bakery nearby. You can make your own sandwiches for about $.20/sandwich and cut them out into pretty shapes using cookie cutters. (Stick with classic shapes though. Your tea party won't be so classy if they are dinosaur-shaped. Just sayin'.)

The first rule of throwing a tea party is to make sure you have a proper tea set. Sitting around drinking tea in mugs is simply not acceptable. Other necessary accoutrements?

*Cake Stands
*Sugar and Creamer
*Flowers
*Table linens
*Finger Sandwiches and Scones

See below for some ideas!

Royal Albert "Polka Rose" Tea & Dessert Set

Staccato Teapot

Rediscovered Flatware

Vintage Linen Napkins

Cow Creamer

Decor Bon Bon Cake Stands

Rose, Peony and Viburnum centerpieces

Assorted Tea Sandwhiches and Petit Fours

 http://winksonline.blogspot.com/

CUCUMBER TEA TIME SANDWICH

Drinking tea is a custom in England,They didn't finish there tea time with just a cuppa. There has to be something with tea like biscuts, crumpets, scones, sandwiches, buns. Afternoon tea is a light meal generaly eaten in between 3-5pm and traditionaly tea is served with sugar and milk.Afternoon tea is first served with sandwiches then cake and scone or buns.cucumber sandwiches are most often served for afternoon tea in Britan as a finger food.So the simple cucumber sandwiches are originated from British. To days my recipe for British is Cucumber tea time sandwich.

 INGREDIENTS:--Dil leaves -- 1/4 cup fresh,finely chopped
Unsalted butter -- 2 tab sp
Cream cheese --- 2 tab sp
Cucumber --- 1 medium very thinly sliced
Bread --- 6 slices
Salt --- a pinch
Pepper powder ---- a pinch optional

1.Take butter,cream cheese,chopped dil leaves,salt and pepper powder in a bowl and mix well to combine every thing.2.Cut the crust from the sides of the bread slices and apply the butter and cream cheese mixture.
3. Now place the thinly sliced cucumber pieces and cover with the other slice cut the sandwich in to rectangles or triangles and serve with tea..
I used dil leaves you can use ant other herbs u like.   http://plantainleaf.blogspot.com/2011/02/cucumber-tea-time-sandwich.html

METHOD:---

Yummy Mummy! Teatime sandwich bites

For Mother's Day, give yours a treat with a fabulous spread of tea-time delights...

Pile them up: This makes about 15 double decker sandwiches in finger shapes and triangles

Makes about 15

INGREDIENTS

• 6 slices multi-seed bloomer
• 6 slices white medium sliced bread
• 6 slices wholemeal bloomer
• 150g (5½oz) cream cheese
• Half a cucumber, thinly sliced
• 140g (5oz) smoked trout
• 4tbsp red pepper houmous (from supermarkets)
• 5 slices good-quality ham, cut off the bone
• 4tbsp mayonnaise
• 60g (2¼oz) watercress, leaves removed
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• Basil sprigs, to decorate

METHOD
Lay out the multi-seed bloomer and spread all 6 of the slices with cream cheese.
On 4 of the slices, layer the cucumber followed by the smoked trout, then layer up these slices 2 deep.
Turn over the 2 slices of bread that have been spread only with cream cheese, and place these on top. Trim off the crusts with a sharp knife, and then cut the sandwiches into quarters.
Make all the other sandwiches in the same way – on the white bread spread the houmous then the ham, and repeat the method above.
Then, for the wholemeal sandwiches, first spread on the mayonnaise followed by the watercress and finally the egg. Decorate with the basil.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1372447/Mothers-Day-Recipe-Teatime-sandwich-bites.html#ixzz1Id9Bf71V