It’s a fine British tradition that families and friends gather together in the evening to enjoy a tea party every once in a while. It’s a great way to get your loved ones together while creating some beautiful memories. Here’s our guide on how you can have a classic high tea experience at home with Dilmah Tea.

 

1. Your Tea Room

 

A tiered cake stand should be the centrepiece of the table. If you don’t have one, get your finest crockery out, dust it off and set it up. Let the artist in you arrange folded napkins, nameplate cards and lace-like dollies on the table to make the appearance more inviting.

 

The goal is to arrange the tearoom to seem a bit quaint, inspired by traditional British styles. If you don’t have one already, look for affordable Chinaware including a teapot and teacups, set it up and place the cutlery and cake slicers on the table too. Browse through Dilmah’s collection of the finest teaware before your tea party.

 

If you are looking for creative high tea ideas to impress the invitees, try adding a simple decoration to the room. String up buntings across the room. If you’re ready to take an extra creative step, you can bake some edible bunting biscuits and make some nameplate cookies with guests’ names added to them in icing!

 

 

The Tea

Arrange the milk and sugar on the table, so the guests can pour their tea as they sit down. Your high tea party gets better if your table is filled with many tea varieties, so your guests can choose what they prefer or try a tea they haven’t tried before. Earl Grey, Chai, Peppermint, Chamomile and some fruit infusions and herbal teas will make your event a perfect tea party!

 

Food and Snacks

It’s customary to have a certain kind of food at a high tea. A tier of sandwiches, a tier of cakes and a plate of scones are the classic choice. You can also throw in some fresh pastries and biscuits.

 

Sandwiches

Sandwiches are the easiest to make. Prepare the fillings in advance and assemble the sandwiches just before the guests arrive to avoid them getting soggy. This Peppermint Tea Cucumber Kurakkan Bread Sandwich is infused with Pure Peppermint Leaves and will leave your guests begging for more!

 

Scones

Serve the scones warm with jam and cream. These are easy to prepare, you can either bake them yourself or get them from the store. Pop them in the oven before serving, so your guests can enjoy them while they’re hot! Try our tea-infused scone recipe, prepared with the classic English Breakfast Tea.

 

Jams

Arrange a few types of jams from strawberry to blackcurrant. Not only does it allow the guests to choose what they prefer, but it brightens up the table. Jam is the perfect choice for spreading on tea cakes and scones.

 

Buns

Bake the buns and apply a thin layer of a dark-coloured jam and serve sliced and buttered.

 

Biscuits

There are many recipes you can think of, so try to impress the guest with something unexpected. You can prepare the dough earlier and then bake them on the day of the party.

 

Cakes & Cupcakes

You can be creative with your choice of cake and the presentation. Think of each portion of servings as an art piece, and decorate prettily. Preparing a cocktail-themed cake is a fine tipsy thought! This delicious tea-infused moist Red Velvet cupcakes will be a crowd pleaser - try out the recipe.

 

Tarts

Tarts are ideal with tea. Find good recipes of some classics such as custard tarts, Blackwell tarts or raspberry and frangipane slices. Your guests will love it.