Formal Afternoon Tea
The Formal Afternoon Tea is served between 2 PM and 6 PM. This
Tea is becoming increasing popular for bridal and baby showers and
weddings for up to 100 guests. Invitations are sent, and special
friends of the hostess are asked to help serve the guests where
needed.
Table Setting
If you have a large number of invited guests, you might need two
tables; one for the food and one for serving the tea.
The items you will need to serve the tea are a basket or tea
chest if your guests are selecting their own tea bag, china or
silver teapots, teacups, plates, teaspoons and cake forks, cloth
table cloth (preferably linen) and napkins, or pretty paper
napkins, a dish for used tea bags, strainer if serving loose tea,
pitcher of milk (do not serve cream as it could cause the tea to
curdle or alter the taste), small plate for lemon slices, sugar or
artificial sweetener.
For the food table, place a centerpiece of either fresh flowers
and candles, or a three-tiered cake stand filled with tea
sandwiches or fancy desserts in the middle of the table. The food
should be attractively arranged on china or silver platters and
placed around the centerpiece. For the larger groups, assign
several of your close friends to help serve and assist your guests.
Nuts, mints or other appropriate candy can be placed around the
room as a complement to the meal.
Foods to Serve
- Tea Sandwiches
- Small meat pastries
- Fruit tartlets
- Assortment of cookies
- Scones with cream & jam
- Petitsfours
- Cakes
- Seasonal fresh fruit
See our online Recipes for more ideas!