The Perfect Socially Distanced Afternoon Tea | Top Tips!
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” — Henry James
Afternoon tea was introduced to English culture centuries ago, but has recently gained in popularity over the years, with more cafes and restaurants offering special afternoon tea events and parties. What was once a fashionable social event for the upper-class is now readily available to most, minus the long gowns and gloves (if that’s not to your taste), and with a wide range of suggested nibbles and sandwiches. Of course, the recent pandemic makes it difficult to socialise, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan events for the future when the rules have been relaxed!
The traditional afternoon tea would normally consist of ‘dainty’ sandwiches (such as cucumber sandwiches), as well as scones served with clotted cream and a selection of jams. Tea would be poured from silver tea pots into delicate bone china cups, with milk first so as not to crack the china. Nowadays people may be less likely to use loose-leaf tea and opt for a teabag instead, but either can work depending on your situation. Just remember if you’re using different types of tea (Green tea, Black tea, Oolong) they require different times to steep before drinking. Double check the packaging of your tea to be sure you don’t overbrew it!
- Afternoon tea ideas
If you aren’t a fan of scones and clotted cream, feel free to explore other sweet treats for your tray. How about some slices of cheesecake, all in different flavours? You could even play about with colours and create slices of cakes in raspberry, blueberry, or chocolate to create a delectable array of delicious goodies for you and your guests to enjoy.There’s always the option for pâtisseries as well; mini-eclairs, bakewell tart, choux buns, raspberry millefeuilles — and you don’t have to create these spectacular sweets by yourself! There are plenty of amazing pastry chefs and caterers out there in your local area ready to supply you with decadent delights. If you’d prefer a savoury option, you can always think about cheese scones, small pork pies, avocado toast, tomato and cheese tartlets, mini-quiches, or just a selection of your favourite canapes. As for sandwiches, depending on your budget you could spring for some fancy smoked salmon and cucumber finger sandwiches, toasted sesame bagels with garlic and herb cheese, some open style sandwiches on different types of bread (rye, brown, seeded, white), or simply go for classic egg and cress sandwiches for a refreshing taste. Check out caterers in your area to see what they can offer you in the way of local produce and creative menus!
The tea part of afternoon tea can be a simple option of providing English Breakfast black tea in a teapot (with the choice of milk and sugar) but if you’d rather go a step further, why not provide a selection of different types of tea for your guests to enjoy? Different flavours of black tea for example; such as Assam which has a malty taste, or Chai which is more spicy. You could even go further and bring different types of loose-leaf tea, such as green tea, or oolong tea — just remember to bring the tea strainer and check the brewing instructions! Alternatively, you could go for some flowering tea for your guests to enjoy in a clear glass teapot. This white tea is made with bundled up tea leaves which, when added to boiling water in the teapot, bloom out into beautiful flowers and create a wonderful flavour for you and your guests to enjoy. Flowering tea is a great visual addition to your delicious spread, and should definitely be something to consider when planning your perfect afternoon tea party.
As for presentation, we’d recommend using a cake stand and placing the sandwiches (and/or similar items) on the lowest tier, savoury on the middle tier, and sweet treats on the top tier. If you want to go all-out for your afternoon tea, and you’re concerned about the chance of transmission we’d recommend getting extra cake stands in order to offer selections of food and treats for your guests to avoid any possibility of cross-contamination. COVID-19 can still present in people without any symptoms so it’s always better to be safe than sorry! Though you can host your afternoon tea indoors, outdoor events are recommended to prevent transmission as some indoor venues and homes can have minimal ventilation. Outdoor afternoon tea sounds perfect for a late spring or early summer treat, and can offer you more space to socially distance and keep safe while having fun!
Afternoon tea can be a wonderful occasion to spend with your loved ones, and it doesn’t have to just be cucumber sandwiches and scones if you don’t want it to be. Bring the food you love to eat to your afternoon tea, and see if you can’t play around with the menu to suit the tastes of your guests as well. Once the rules relax more as time goes on, we’ll be able to have amazing get-togethers in the summer sun, watching the clouds go by as a fresh breeze wafts in and revelling in the moment we can spend with each other. Planning for an event can help it come true!
Let us know if you have any more tips for hosting or running afternoon tea events, or if you cater for afternoon tea and want to feature in a blog! We’d love to hear from you.
See you next week.
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If you’re hosting your wedding within the COVID-19 pandemic, please remember to adhere to the rules set out by the government to keep safe: gov.uk/weddings.
