Y is for Yuletide Tea

 

The holiday season is a lovely time to book an afternoon tea and enjoy a leisurely time with family or friends.  It's also a wonderful time to hold an afternoon tea in your home and here are a few tips from the last one I hosted.

These photos are from my first Christmas Afternoon Tea and Ornament Exchange in 2019.  It was our first year in our new home and I had planned for this to be an annual event.  Sadly, the next few years precluded any gathering like this, first because of the COVID-19 pandemic and then because our house was ripped apart by a year-long kitchen/dining room renovation.  I had hoped to bring the event back in 2023 but recovery from knee surgery was slow so there was no tea that year either.  2024 is on the schedule, however, and I look forward to welcoming my friends to take tea and have a lovely afternoon.

First of all, this is the time to bring out all of your china, holiday if available, but not essential.  I am fortunate to have been collecting Lenox's Holiday pattern for several years and I use it all throughout the month of December.  I would shy away from paper plates as they are sometimes flimsy.  If you want to use disposable products, I would choose a sturdier option available at party supply stores - many of the premium plastic plates have a gold or silver rim trim that is very pretty at the holidays.

Lenox also has matching table linens and I picked up some of these oval runners when I found them on sale.  That's my Nora Fleming napkin holder with the Christmas tree mini.  My local Hallmark store carries a large line of Nora Fleming products and minis.

I split the tea offerings into two rooms - the savory selections were in the kitchen and the sweets were in what we were using as a dining room at the time (now the morning room).  Most of us don't have an unlimited supply of tiered servers so I improvised by using the one large one (three tiers of dinner-size plates) as well as another two plates on another oval runner.  The little ornaments are place card holders, but I made cards to show the sandwich filling on each plate. 

Here are the plates filled with the sandwiches and small phyllo cups with chicken salad.  By far, the most popular was the Olive Nut Spread on the right in the top photo.  It's a dip recipe that I've had for years from Heloise (first published in Good Housekeeping magazine in the 1960s and you can find it here) and it makes an excellent sandwich filling as well.

I set up a coffee station and there was tea and a spiced cider to drink as well.  The festive mat under the mugs and K-cups is one of the drying mats that are so popular.  You can find them on Amazon here and at the holidays, they are usually featured in a festive design.

The sweets table in the dining room featured contemporary tiered servers that I've had for years, they were from Bed Bath and Beyond.  You can see mini mince pies on the center tier on the right and slices of Battenberg cake to the left of that.

Here is the filled sweets table.  I've added chocolate tulip cups with chocolate mousse to the server on the right and on the left we have chocolate cheesecake petit fours, mini fruit tarts, and mini lemon tarts.  All of these new desserts listed here are from the bakery section at Whole Foods.  They do a wonderful selection of mini desserts.  For this table, I used some fun festive plates and a tray to hold the mini forks which were from the entertaining aisle at Party City.  More holiday napkins rounded out the display.

Finally, I put together thank you gifts for each person who attended.  I think there was a small holiday plaque and a mini-loaf of pumpkin bread.  You can also include votives or other small holiday items.

So, a few tips in summary:

You don't need too much decor, your Christmas tree and other holiday decor already set the scene.

A sandwich tip from Mary Berry: The sandwiches can be made the night before, or in the morning before an afternoon event. Butter the bread, fill and stack no more than six sandwiches on top of each other. Put them, uncut, on large trays, cover completely with cling film, then a damp tea towel. Transfer to the fridge. No more than 2 hours before serving, trim the crusts from the bread using a very sharp knife, then cut each sandwich into either 4 triangles or 4 domino (finger) shapes.

You can choose to make the sandwich fillings yourself or turn to your local gourmet market or grocery store to source your sandwich fillings. Trader Joe's has a great selection of chicken and egg salads, as does Whole Foods. I purchased all of my fillings other than the tomato/egg rounds and the olive nut spread that I make every year. You can also add mini quiche - most supermarkets will have a frozen selection to choose from.

Likewise you can prepare the desserts yourself or source them from a local bakery.  The key is small, small cakes, small tarts, small.

I didn't serve scones at this event because it wasn't really a sit down type of afternoon tea.  We did a lot of milling about, admiring and discussing decorations, playing games, getting up and down.  It's easier to balance a plate of tiny sandwiches and desserts than it is to attempt to cut, spread toppings on, and eat a scone.

Thank you gifts are optional.  A good time to look for thank you gift items is when you look for stocking stuffers in the post-holiday sales.  There always seem to be a lot of things you could use at any craft store like Michaels or Joann.

Happy Tea Time Holidays!

X is for an X-tra Special Destination

 

One of my most memorable visits to England was the Christmas my family spent in the little village of Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales.  Yorkshire is also the home to Betty's, and it is my dream to go back one day and take tea there.

Established in 1919, the story of Betty's is very interesting - from an unpaid farm laborer to a young man, jobless, penniless, and unable to speak a word of English to five tea rooms and an award-winning cookery school, Fritz Bützer created Bettys and they marked their 90th anniversary in 2009 with afternoon tea of patisseries, fancies and cakes from the past served by waitresses dressed in period costumes.

Fritz styled himself as a Chocolate Specialist and his influence can be seen on the exquisite chocolate accents on many of the patisserie items.

Betty's Bookable Afternoon Tea would be a lovely outing to an X-tra Special Destination and I can't wait!

W is for Watercress

Watercress isn't something I usually look for in the produce department so I'm not even sure if it's available at Safeway or Fred Meyer, I'll have to look next time I'm there.

Watercress is most often found on an afternoon tea tiered server on the sandwich tier.  Mixed with egg mayonnaise, it makes a delicious sandwich filling.

Source: Afternoon Tea at The Ritz in London Review - What It's Really Like (aladyinlondon.com)

I've posted several photos of finger sandwiches and the egg and watercress is quite easy to spot (third from the left on the plate above).  What varies, however, is the amount of watercress that is featured.  Some sandwiches have a few sprigs here and there, others have watercress finely chopped and incorporated into the egg mayonnaise.  It has a mild peppery flavor so less is definitely more.

Have you tasted watercress or perhaps grown your own?

V is for Victoria Sandwich

Not a traditional cake that is found on a tiered server, the Victoria Sandwich is a "cut cake", a cake that is sliced and served with tea (still in the afternoon but not in the sense that we have been discussing afternoon tea so far in this series).  The sponge cake is named after Queen Victoria and would have been served in her time sandwiched with jam.  These days, cream has been added.  It is not iced or frosted but simply sprinkled with icing sugar, made more pleasing if it is sprinkled through a doily to make a decorative pattern.

The sponge is made by the creaming method, butter is creamed or beaten with the sugar after which the eggs are gradually beaten in and finally the flour is carefully folded into the mixture.  Good beating is the key to a good sponge, but not too much beating, just enough to incorporate the flour.

You can find Mary Berry's recipe here.  In this recipe, Mary has used jam and buttercream for sandwiching, but you can use jam and whipped cream if you prefer.

U is for Universal

 

U is another tough letter, so I chose Universal as one of its definitions is including or covering all or a whole collectively or distributively without limit or exception.

Anyone looking at an afternoon tea table would probably think "gluten overload" as their first thought!  Bread, scones, cake, pastry.  How long has gluten-free been a thing?  Thirty years?  Forty years?  It seems to me that when I was younger, it was not a term I ever heard.  If something didn't agree with you, you just didn't eat it.  Happily, things have changed, and afternoon tea is available in many venues to everyone.

Here's a look at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason with three menu variations.

Classic Afternoon Tea

Gluten-Free Afternoon Tea

Vegetarian Afternoon Tea

I thought it was interesting to note that the price is the same for all three menus.  You often find that restaurants seem to translate gluten-free or vegetarian into a higher cost but not so here.

T is for Tea Time Magazine

 

Tea Time Magazine is an amazing resource for afternoon tea lovers.  It is published every two months and there are several special editions each year.  Among the magazine's features are a tea events calendar, a page titled Necessary Things with products to enhance your tea, tea favorites, china patterns for your table, and two or three complete afternoon tea menus complete with a tea sommelier with recommendations for complimentary teas.  There is always a gluten-free scone recipe and often a how-to in pictures if a particular dessert is a bit challenging.  The articles range from the history of tea and historic places to take tea to recommendations from tea buyers and blenders.  There is a complete resources section in case any of the china or other items on the tea tables strike your fancy.  Is it any wonder it's my favorite magazine?

S is for Scones

 

Whether it's an afternoon tea at a posh venue or at home or a cream tea in a tearoom, there will always be scones.

There are usually two types - plain and rich.  Rich scones have raisins or today, a variety of dried fruits or other additions.

I've always used the Be-Ro cookbook recipe for scones.  Be-Ro is a food manufacturing business with products such as flour and baking powder and later a variety of other products.  Thomas Bell, the founder, developed the world's first self-rising flour.  My Mum had the Centenary Edition of the cookbook which I believe is from 1975 as Be-Ro was founded in 1875.  I currently have the 41st edition which, sadly, is only available in the UK.  I was fortunate to have a UK friend order and send me a copy.

I also highly recommend Mary Berry's recipe for scones which you can find here.  

Oven temperature 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 is 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Scones are traditionally served with a berry (no pun intended!) jam (strawberry or raspberry) and clotted cream.  Often lemon curd is served as well.

National Tea Day 2024

Posting today because this fits my Tea Time A to Z.

Established in 2016 and falling on 21st April, National Tea Day celebrates the nation’s love of tea spanning two centuries and with 60 billion cups consumed annually in the UK.

National Tea Day’s slogan is “Brew More. Do More” the aim is to inspire special and heartwarming moments with tea.

R is for Royal Afternoon Tea

I briefly mentioned in A is for Afternoon Tea that adding a glass of champagne makes your tea a royal afternoon tea.  It also increases the price considerably (from as much as £15 to £30 depending on the venue).  So, unless it's a really special occasion, I'd save the champagne for another time.

However, this really does look delightful, doesn't it?

Q is for Quirky

 

quirky

ˈkwər-kē

ADJECTIVE
unusual in especially an interesting or appealing way

Yesterday's Peter Pan Afternoon Tea definitely falls into the quirky category and here are a couple more.  Clicking on the photos will give you more detail.

Currently at The Lanesborough (London SW1X), the Queen Charlotte, a Bridgerton story, a special event until May 15th - (the menu is covered in F is for Finger Sandwiches)

Currently at The Franklin (London SW3), Haute Couture, inspiration from the rich tapestry of Parisian couture houses

Formerly at The Franklin, Alice in Wonderland

Also formerly at The Franklin, Frida Kahlo

Formerly at Aqua Shard (London SE1), Mary Poppins

While I would love to attend (or have attended) any one of these afternoon teas, it certainly gives me inspiration for planning a themed evening at home.  Naming sandwiches, cakes, drinks, and other items from book details sounds like a lot of fun!

P is for Peter Pan at Aqua Shard

 

Aqua Shard's afternoon tea is inspired by the adventures of Peter Pan on the island of Neverland.  Drawing on popular motifs from J. M. Barrie's much-loved novel, the tea is a fitting tribute to the author and his fictional characters.  Innovative treats are served on a custom-made tea stand inspired by Captain James Hook's pirate ship, the Jolly Roger, which symbolized pirate ships in the 18th century.

To start, guests will enjoy a savoury selection of finger sandwiches with a creative twist, including a chicken sandwich topped with crispy bacon wrapped in paper denoting the four ‘Lost Boy Rules’, and an ‘Enormous Mushroom Chimney’ - mushroom-shaped bread inspired by the mushroom stools ‘of charming colour’ in Neverland. The ‘Codfish’ Captain Hook cod brandade croquette is named after Peter Pan’s nickname for his nemesis and will arrive complete with carefully crafted pastry hook.

Moving into the sweet section of the tea, quintessentially British warm scones will be hidden within a special treasure chest, accompanied by sweet apricot marmalade (or ‘mammee-apples’) as well as coconut clotted cream.

The sweet confections include a Tinker Bell Cookie, Peter Pan's Secret Hollow Tree Entrance (a chocolate log cake), Tick-Tock the Crocodile (a sweet dessert of raspberry and rooibos jelly with a crocodile gummy), and Hook's Perish Cake (lime green Victoria sandwich with coconut), all drawing on popular motifs from the book.

A delightful tea - read the book before you come to enjoy all of the motifs.

O is for Orange

 

Oranges don't feature too prominently in afternoon teas.  Only in the US would you find a piece of fresh fruit, on its own, on an afternoon tea tiered server.  It's just not done in the UK.  Orange would be confined to a macaron flavor, or as a complimentary flavor in a small cake or pastry, or as I recently found, in Orange Chantilly Cream.

I have to give you a little background here.  Ever since I became a Great British Baking Show lover, I have learned that there are more than a dozen types of pastry cream - whipped cream, chantilly cream, crème anglaise, Bavarian cream, cremeux, pastry cream, crème légère, diplomat cream, mousseline cream, chiboust cream, almond cream, and frangipane.

Yesterday, as I was watched Jos Atkin's Festive Afternoon Tea at the Savoy on You Tube, she showed us a Christmas Spice Cake with Orange Chantilly, Candied Lemon and Orange, and Winter Spices which she proclaimed to be delicious.  It looked like a great holiday treat which could even be modified to gingerbread, still with the orange chantilly cream on top.

It's the one on the far right in the photo above

Chantilly cream, crème Chantilly, or crème de Chantilly, is a sweetened whipped cream of French origin made with heavy cream, sugar (no less than 15%), and vanilla flavoring.  Orange Chantilly cream comes when you substitute ¼ teaspoon of orange blossom water for the vanilla flavoring.

Source:  Baking like a Chef, How to Make French Chantilly Cream

You can find all the details here.

N is for Napkin

 

I love to experiment with napkins folds for special occasion meals.  I have several books on the art of napkin folding and You Tube has brought the designs to life, making it so much easier to follow along with the intricate folding techniques.

One thing I found when researching afternoon teas is that almost all of the table settings feature a simple folded napkin.  I think this goes along with "simple and elegant" and doesn't take away anything from the table setting that will evolve as the tiered server and tea pot(s) are brought to your table.

One thing all afternoon teas have in common is that the napkin will be a beautiful piece of cloth, freshly starched, and is most special when it is gently shaken and placed on your lap by your server.