I have missed socialising with my friends so much that I have decided to throw a DIY afternoon tea party.
I just absolutely love afternoon tea.
It is a chance to bake, create and partake with my favourite people.
What is afternoon tea?
It is such a British phenomenon but it is dearly beloved by everyone that ever gets the chance to partake.
It was actually introduced in Britain in 1840. he idea behind afternoon tea is that it serves as as a mini meal to bridge the gap between lunch and evening meal which would usually be taken at about 8. It is sometimes referred to a high tea.
Afternoon tea is a pretty delicate affair though and actually something that is more of a treat than a meal these days. Posh hotels and boutique cafes do a rip-roaring trade in afternoon tea and during lockdown many people had it delivered to ‘keep their spirits up’
So why is it so very popular?
It’s not just the food, it’s the whole experience of afternoon tea that delights people so much. It is like a mini party with the kind of treats you would have at a kids party just more elegantly done. best served with friends and a great cup of tea of course.
Afternoon Tea usually involves finger cut or mini sandwiches, beautifully made cakes and pastries and always, scones with clotted cream and jam. Best eaten around 4pm I would say with lovely company and a chilled c glass of sparkly white wine to accompany your cup of tea ( give the kids pink lemonade with an umbrella instead)
It’s all about the detail
Afternoon tea is far more than the food as I have suggested -in fact, the decor and detail is everything, From your invites to your table settings you want your afternoon tea to be elegant, pretty and inviting. Getting creative when prepping you DIIY afternoon tea party is a big part of the fun and absolutely enhances the whole experience.
And of course you do have to have bunting!
Loving this clip art set from design bundles
Making your own favour boxes
Using the Design Bundles mockup logo at Design Bundles you can create some absolutely lovely items fo your DIY afternoon tea party – how about this favour box? You can purchase the file really inexpensively and then simply make them up…wouldn’t they be just perfect for a guest to take a cake home in? It would save you eating up all the leftovers too.
The beauty of DIY items like these is that they save you an absolute fortune and you can customise the colours and design to make them exactly right for your party. And of course, the pride of creating something yourself is always rather lovely.
Making Invites for afternoon tea
When it comes to creating the invited for a DIY afternoon tea party you can really go to town. I suggest you download cool graphics related to your theme and make your own, so much more satisfying than shop-bought and often a whole lot cheaper too.
A DIY afternoon tea party- food
Sandwiches – ideas for DIY afternoon tea sandwiches are
- Cheese and tomato and chilli jam
- Brie and black grape
- Cream cheese and cucumber
- Humous and carrot
Cakes: When it comes to cakes I would absolutely go to town and make the fanciest I could muster!
- Fairy cakes
- Lemon shortbread biscuits
- Vanilla Slices
- Raspberry millefeuilles
- Tiny ginger snap biscuits
- Cannoli
And my favourite lemon snaps – here is my recipe if you fancy trying it yourself
Lemon Snaps Recipe:
Ingredients for lemon snaps
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1 cup of sugar
2 med eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon extract
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
Method for lemon snaps
1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. In large bowl cream butter and sugar together
3. Add in eggs and stir until fluffy
4. Mix in lemon juice, lemon extract, and lemon zest
5. In a small bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
6. Add flour to butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition
7. Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough and roll by hand into balls
8. Cover baking sheet with parchment
9. Place rounded dough balls on baking sheet about 2″ apart
10. Bake 10 min until golden
11. Remove from baking sheet immediately and place on a cooling wrack
12. When cookies are cooled, top with lemon glaze if desired
And the drinks?
I would serve all kinds of tea from peppermint to iced to lemon to earl grey.
I would also serve mimosas – simply equal parts chilled white wine and orange juice with a splash of cranberry, pineapple or pomegranate juice.
And champagne of course if the occasion was very special.
Oh, it is making me feel hungry juts writing about it. I blame my food blog entirely for my cuddly tummy.
Themed parties
I do love a theme and with some great graphic bundles, these are really easy to create and introduce into each aspect of your tea. I love the idea of an Alice in Wonderland tea party. The perfect tea-themed party You could really embrace the theme and making it a fancy dress themed Alice party if you wished?
And how about hiring a flower wall from this party rental company dallas – it would be an amazing backdrop.
or how about a shabby chic theme? You could make some gorgeous invites and place name cards or cake toppers with these graphics
Whatever theme you fancy is a possibility and really adds to the fun
Here are some more afternoon tea themed ideas:
- Vintage
- Retro
- Mad hatter
- Christmas
- Autumn
- Spring
- Strawberry
- Lemons
- American
- Parisian
- London
- Forest
- Teddy bears
Graphics bundles pictured are both from Design Bundles
More food for the DIY afternoon tea party
You can find 40 more great recipes for a DIY afternoon tea at BBC Good Food
I do hope you have been inspired by my post on throwing a DIY afternoon tea party. Do leave me a comment and tell me what you would serve at yours? Have you ever thrown a party like this – of so I would love to hear all about it.
Pomegrnate mimosas would go down well too
DIY afternoon tea party is a collaborative post
