Tea Party Menu Planning Tips and Ideas – About.com Food
By Lindsey Goodwin
Updated September 28, 2015.
Planning a tea party menu for an afternoon tea (also called high tea or low tea) may seem daunting at first, but it's really fairly simple.
Depending on the occasion, your afternoon tea menu can be as sparse as tea and cream scones (a type of afternoon tea menu known as "cream tea") or elaborate enough that it includes multiple types of teas, scones, finger sandwiches and other treats. Either way, these tips for planning your tea party menu are sure to help you find the perfect combination of food and drink for your next afternoon tea.
Tea
With so much of a focus on the foods in afternoon tea, it can be easy to overlook the tea. However, the tea or teas you serve are just as important as the foods, if not more so. I highly recommend selecting from this list of top teas for afternoon tea, as most of them pair very well with a range of foods found on afternoon tea menus. Try to select bold teas for rich or strongly flavored foods or more delicate teas for more subtle foods.
continue reading below our video
Knives: You're Doing it Wrong
Consider including at least one caffeine-free tisane ("herbal tea") or a decaf option, in case some guests are sensitive to caffeine.
Milk, sugar and lemon are optional ingredients that your guests can add to their own tea. Depending on the type or types of tea on your tea party menu, you might want to offer milk, sugar and lemon or only one or two additives. (Although some Americans like to add cream to their tea, this is not traditional in England. Also, adding milk to Earl Grey is not common in England, as the dairy tends to clash with the bergmot flavor in the tea.)
Scones & Scone Toppings
Scones are one of the most popular foods for tea party menus. They can be sweet or savory, and complex or plain. From basic buttermilkscones to savory cheddar mustard scones to sweet cinnamon scones, there are scone recipes for any style of tea party. If you're planning a tea party menu for girls, consider serving raspberry scones, which are naturally pink when you mash the raspberries a bit as you stir and knead the dough.
Be sure to pair your scones with appropriate scones toppings or spreads, such asDevonshire cream, clotted cream or lemon curd.
Finger Sandwiches
Finger sandwiches (also known as "tea sandwiches") are often served at full tea, a heavier style of afternoon tea menu. Classic afternoon tea finger sandwiches include egg salad tea sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, smoked salmon finger sandwiches, roast beef finger sandwiches, ham finger sandwiches and chicken salad finger sandwiches. (These types of simple recipes tend to work well for kids' tea parties.)
However, you can venture beyond these more traditional tea sandwiches with other tea sandwich recipes, like watercress tea sandwiches or buttered radish finger sandwiches. Just be sure to keep the intensity of the flavors in your finger sandwiches comparable to the level of flavor in your tea and sweets.
Other Sweets
Other sweets (besides sweet scones) are often served at full tea or light tea. Common types of sweets found on tea party menus include various types of sponge cakes, Madeleines, cupcakes (which are ideal for kids' tea parties) and trifles. Be careful not to have too much overlap in the types of sweets you serve. Ideally, your sweets menu will include a variety of flavors, such as seasonal fruit (or, in the cooler months, preserves), cream, vanilla and/or chocolate.
Other Savories
In addition to finger sandwiches, some tea party menus include other savories, such as savory scones, soups, quiches or lighter savory snacks, like seasoned nuts or cheese and crackers. If you are throwing a themed tea party, careful selection of other savories can help add to your theme.
Other Beverages
For kids' tea party menus, consider serving iced tea, juice or punch. For adult tea parties, you might consider offering champagne or a tea cocktail.
More Tea Party Menu Planning Tips
See the article here:
Tea Party Menu Planning Tips and Ideas - About.com Food
- York Bake Off stars urge people to raise funds for vital cause - by hosting tea party - Yahoo Home - July 24th, 2025 [July 24th, 2025]
- Brevard Federated Republican Women Celebrate 75 Years of Sisterhood With Tea Party, Fashion Show - Space Coast Daily - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Axe Vale Canoe Club hosts tea party and river paddle - Midweek Herald - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones and Finger Eleven to perform at Caesars Windsor - CTV News - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones & Finger Eleven Bring Canadian Rock History To The Colosseum This December - windsoriteDOTca News - July 22nd, 2025 [July 22nd, 2025]
- Midsummer Afternoon Tea party at Cottonwood Mansion - The Haldimand Press - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Norfolk hospital support group hosting tea party support group - Great Yarmouth Mercury - July 18th, 2025 [July 18th, 2025]
- Friends of the Athenaeum Host Annual Afternoon Tea Party - The North Star Monthly - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- You Can Attend A Reimagined Six-Course Mad Hatter's Tea Party At This Glasgow Restaurant This Summer - And It's Only Available For A Limited Time -... - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- How the Tea Party 'abandoned its small-government principle' and became a Trump 'personality cult' - Alternet - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Care home celebrates Alice in Wonderland Day with Mad Hatter tea party - Basingstoke Gazette - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- First Primrose Tea Party raises nearly 2k for hospice in Bromsgrove - bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- Fancy Nancy tea party invited children and their favorite teddy bear - Orange County Register - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Care home throws Mad Hatter's Tea Party for Alice in Wonderland Day - Daily Echo - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Women in military honored at tea party hosted by American Legion - WALB - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Tea Party by TeaMarrr - notion.online - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Garden tour and tea party set for July 15 at Plover library - Point/Plover Metro Wire - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- How Much Tea Was Dumped During the Boston Tea Party? - Britannica - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Stoke-on-Trent Smashes Guinness World Record with Big Centenary Tea Party! - FE News - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Manchester goes mad for Oasis: Cardiff will look like a tea party compared to this - telegraph.co.uk - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- Is there really a Tea Party within the Democrats? The answer may surprise you - rawstory.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Tea Party experience open to the public at AC Hotel Saturday - Madison County Journal - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- A Taste of Wonderland: Six by Nico Introduces Mad Hatters Tea Party Menu for Summer - Dublin Town - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Bristol restaurant to introduce 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' menu for summer - here's what to expect - BristolWorld - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Wonderland Tea Party returns for a third year of whimsical fun - veronapress.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Host A Garden Tea Party And We'll Match You To A Bird Persona - BuzzFeed - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Greg Gutfeld likens Musks third party idea to a tea party - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- On This Day: NHS worker from Watford invited to tea party hosted by Prince William - Yahoo - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- 'Fabulous' Mad Hatter tea party fundraiser for Northamptonshire's Animals In Need - Northamptonshire Telegraph - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Host your own Alice in Wonderland tea party - Times of India - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- 5 Things to Do: Yankee Doodle Tea Party, Dabblers: Painting for Adult Beginners, and more in Kendall County - Shaw Local - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Is No Kings a new Tea Party in the making? - The Hill - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Host A Royal Tea Party To Reveal Your Inner Disney Princess - BuzzFeed - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Doves Garden Tea Party Collection Brings 'Bridgerton' Vibes to Your Shower - The Daily Beast - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Dove channels afternoon tea with limited-edition Garden Tea Party collection - Drug Store News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Dove Debuts Garden Tea Party-Inspired Body Care Collection Exclusively at Target - PR Newswire - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Visiting the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum: What You Need To Know Before You Go - Mommy Poppins - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- York care home celebrates Pride Month with tea party and cupcakes - uk.news.yahoo.com - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Governor, state reps speak at county Tea Party meeting - Pendleton Times Post - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- 'Twisted Tea Party' brings fashion and philanthropy to Rancho Mirage - The Desert Sun - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Win Tickets to The Tea Party - Indie88 Toronto - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- What the Boston Tea Party was fighting and why it still matters | Opinion - The Topeka Capital-Journal - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Tea Party in the Garden - Lac Ste. Anne County - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Tea Party to headline CanRock triple bill with Headstones and Finger Eleven at Rogers Place - Edmonton Journal - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- School Nutrition Pros Treated to Tea Party - fayette-news.net - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- A Royal Saturday Show: Princess Peigh's Sword Fighting Tea Party - WENY - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones and Finger Eleven Map Out Canadian Tour - Exclaim! - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Tea Party making a tour stop in Windsor - AM 800 - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Finger Eleven To Tour Canada With The Tea Party & Headstones This Fall - Theprp.com - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Tea Party to headline CanRock triple bill with Headstones and Finger Eleven at Rogers Place - Yahoo - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- THE TEA PARTY, HEADSTONES, FINGER ELEVEN Join Forces For Canada-Wide Tour Kicking Off In November - BraveWords - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones & Finger Eleven Announce Joint Canadian Tour - iHeartRadio Canada - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones and Finger Eleven announce tour stop in Penticton - Penticton News - Castanet - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The Tea Party, Headstones And Finger Eleven Team Up For Canadian Tour - live in limbo - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Learning Disability Week marked with Mad Hatters Tea Party in Kirkstall - West Leeds Dispatch - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- School nutrition pros treated to tea party - Peachtree City Citizen - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Angry Democrats could face Tea Party-like movement from the Left - Washington Examiner - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Its dj tea party all over again - Roll Call - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Kildare public encouraged to throw a tea party for Team Hope - kildare-nationalist.ie - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Afternoon tea party on the way in County Waterford - waterford-news.ie - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Street Style Look of the Week: Wonderland Tea Party - The New York Times - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Sanrio Mascot Kuromi Gets Her Own 20th Anniversary Tea Party - Crunchyroll - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Tea Party and a Play with The Little Mermaid - geddieconnections.com - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- PHOTOS: Crowds pour in as Oak Bay Tea Party heats up the weekend - Saanich News - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- PHOTOS: Oak Bay Tea Party kicks off a weekend of festivities - Vancouver Island Free Daily - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- A Wonderland of Wellness: The Mad Hatters Tea Party in the Mountains of Mallorca - Majorca Daily Bulletin - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Music, parade and teacup-race rematch on tap at Oak Bay Tea Party this weekend - Times Colonist - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- EXCLUSIVE: IRS Official Tied To Obama-Era Tea Party Scandal Now Running Tax-Exempt Division - AOL.com - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Spring is the perfect time for a tea party - Monroe County Reporter - June 1st, 2025 [June 1st, 2025]
- Defying the British dev behind their MMO's "casual doubling of our taxes," Old School RuneScape player recreates the Boston Tea Party:... - June 1st, 2025 [June 1st, 2025]
- Medicine Park Tea Party to add class to the rugged Wichita Mountain scenery - The Lawton Constitution - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- Malti's adorable tea party with Priyanka Chopra's manager is the cutest thing. Pics - India Today - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- Priyanka Chopra's Daughter Maltie Marie's Tea Party PICS Are The Cutest Thing On Internet Today - Times Now - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- Tea Party on the Porch and Patio to be hosted at Mountainsides Levi Cory House - Union News Daily - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Care home marks 80th anniversary of VE Day with afternoon tea party - Yahoo News UK - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Wiltshire care home celebrated VE Day anniversary with 1940s tea party - Wiltshire Times - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Abundant Life hosts free mother-daughter tea party next Saturday in New Bern - WCTI - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Channel your inner 'Bridgeton' on this Texas tea party tour bus - MySA - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Cinderellas Tea Party kicks off enchanting afternoon at Berks Ballet Theatre performance - Berks Weekly - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- NOTL in Bloom - Setting up for a tea party fit for Alice at the NOTL Museum: Photo Gallery - Niagara-on-the-Lake Local - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]