I think that Afternoon Tea is becoming En Vogue again. Personally I've been enjoying this little gem of a treat for quite sometime. I love to be pampered and waited on hand an foot, I mean who doesn't!?! Afternoon tea for me at least is just as good as a day at the spa. It's relaxing and it makes me feel rejuvenated and it's a little slice of luxury. I've been to quite a few places to have this wonderful experience, usually offered a luxury hotels so I fancy myself a bit of an expert at afternoon tea. Really that's just me patting myself on the back though. The truth is I'm just too much of a junkie for this kind of thing and I love stuffing my face! Even though tea is a variety of petite items you really do leave quite full.
I decided a while back that I would host afternoon tea at my house to welcome Husband's grandmother to our neighbourhood. Grandma is the coolest 89 year old I know and I hope one day to be as cool as she is at that age. I thought that afternoon tea would really be the ticket to make her feel welcome to our neighbourhood and let her know we are glad to have her even closer to us now. I invited all the ladies in Husband's family that live in the neighbourhood and did my best to recreate an afternoon tea at a fancy hotel. I didn't do too bad a job if I do say so myself!
I made petite breakfast scones served with devonshire cream and jams. Open-face cucumber sandwiches, toasted asparagus rolls and petite lobster rolls. For dessert I served shortbread cookies, mini strawberry cheese cakes, and mini chocolate mousse cakes. Now don't feel you have to make this all yourself. I certainly didn't. I made the scones the night before and I prepared the sandwiches the morning of. The sandwiches really are very, very easy to make. The desserts I purchased from a local grocery store with a great little bakery inside.
Afternoon tea is all about presentation, so break out your fancy dishes. I'm lucky enough to have gotten some amazing serving dishes and beautiful china as wedding gifts. If you don't have fine china you needn't worry. Just use your best dishes or if you're feeling like putting a little money into it you could go to your local second hand shop and and buy some shabby chic tea cups etc give them a good scrub and voila, your table is set. One piece of serving ware that you will need to make this a traditional afternoon tea is a tiered serving tray. A few years ago these were very hard to come by, but as I said afternoon tea is making a come back and I've noticed you can't walk into a Winners or Homesense without seeing these nowadays. The last thing you'll need is some high quality tea to serve your guests. This is all personal preference but don't be afraid to spend a little extra on your tea choice if you can afford it.
Everyone really enjoyed the experience I believe and it's a great little afternoon party that's out of the ordinary so people really enjoy this unique experience. If you're looking for something a little more quirky but very IT to do, I think this is your ticket to success! Enjoy!
