Tea Party Tips and Etiquette

Ladies tea party relax and enjoy family and friends anytime by having a ladies tea party.

Intimate tea for two: possibly after antique shopping, sit in the garden or by the fireplace, bowl of fresh flowers on the table, fluffy scones, pots of jam and sweet country whipped cream.

The solitary tea: try it, and treat yourself as elegantly as you would guests. In the late afternoon, stop whatever you're doing and steal half an hour for yourself. Brew a fragrant pot of tea - do not dunk a teabag - and arrange some light sandwiches and a cookie or a small cake on a pretty plate. Carry your tray to a favorite place - a window seat, a sofa before the fireplace, perhaps a secluded corner of the garden. Take the opportunity to catch up on letter writing, cuddle your cat or simply reflect on the day. After a few sips of tea, the world will seem a calmer place.

The unplanned afternoon tea: if a friend drops by unexpectedly, the beauty of tea is that you can rustle up the food quite easily from ingredients you probably keep on hand in your kitchen. A batch of scones, for example, take only about 15 minutes to make from scratch. Eat them at the table while they are fresh and warm from the oven.

Arranged tea party: unlike the impromptu teas described above, this tea party should be planned. Start making the arrangements and sending invitations several weeks in advance of the date. Give a definite time - 4:00 p.m., just as you would for a cocktail party.

Bridal or baby shower tea party: be the first on your block to have one.

Your child's birthday tea party: revive weary parents by serving tea in another room away from the noisy kids.

Use your best china. Teacups and saucers are preferable to heavy mugs. Invest in a small tea service (teapot, milk pitcher, sugar bowl, size teacups and saucers and six cake plates).

Use cloth napkins - cotton or linen.

Present the food attractively. Cover your tray or cart with a tray cloth, doilies or a pretty napkin. A single rose in a bud vase, or a basket of seasonal fruit adds warmth to the scene. Arrange food on a three tiered cake stand.

Atmosphere is important. Instead of in the kitchen, serve tea by a crackling fire or in the garden. Decorate with fresh flowers and add the quiet, melodic background music of a harpist or pianist.

As hostess, pour the tea, passing it to each guest in turn, adding sugar cubes if requested.

Your ladies might want to wear victorian hats and crocheted gloves.

Tea party favors vary and you can use your imagination and give according to your tea party theme.

Conversation should be light and fun-filled, no gossip or deep subjects that can be disturbing to others. For some interesting topics to discuss at your garden party go to Today's Woman.

Tea party food are the light foods served with tea and are just as important as the actual tea itself. Traditional tea party foods are mouth watering, hot-buttered crumpets and muffins and traditional English scones served with Devon cream and jam or lemon curd. More hearty tea party foods such as beef cottage pie, sausage rolls, welsh rarebit and Cornish pasties make more of a meal. Petite sweets are also on the bill of fare for tea party foods and include: tantalizing raspberry tartlettes, chocolate truffles, shortbread and cream puffs.

Whatever else you serve at your tea party, be sure to have scones. All the delightful varieties of scones should be eaten fresh as they don't keep well. Happily, they're so quick to make you can easily bake them while you prepare for the rest of the tea party.

Fruit Scones Recipe

These tangy delights are a little heavier than plain oven scones. Make them slightly smaller and serve without the jam and cream.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp. cold butter cut in small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg, beaten
1 8 oz. carton plain yogurt (1 cup)
grated peel of 1/2 lemon
milk for brushing on scones
butter

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar. With your fingers, rub in butter pieces until misture is crumbly. Mix in raisins. With a fork, stir in egg, yogurt and lemon peel and blen well to make a dough that barely holds together (you may need to press dough together with your hands). Turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out with a floured rolling pin or pat dough with your hands to make a round about 1/2 inch thick. Cut in rounds with a 1 1/2 inch fluted or plain cookie cutter. Place 1/ 1/2 inches apart of baking sheet; brush tops lightly with milk. Bake 10-12 minutes or until scones are well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 5 minute. Split and serve warm with butter. Makes about 18 scones.

For more great recipes visit Cooking News

Serve these at your next tea party. Your guests can bite into delicious sweetness with the David's Cookies 18-piece Scone Sampler. Made with the finest ingredients available, this assortment of savory scones offers something for everyone. Enjoy the wonderful goodness of rich and flaky scones that are perfect for morning meals, special occasions or an any time treat. A true delectable delight!

David's Cookies 18-piece Scone Sampler Includes:

* 6 Chocolate chip scones
* 6 Cranberry scones
* 6 Butterscotch pecan scones
* David's Cookies signature red tin

Visit HSN to purchase:

Sorelle 8-piece Raised Porcelain Red Rose Tea for Two Set Includes:

* 8 oz. teapot with lid - measures approx. 6"W x 5"H
* (2) 2 oz. cups - measure approx. 3"W x 2-3/4"H each
* (2) 4-1/2" spoons
* 2 saucers - measure approx. 5"L x 4-3/4"W each

Product Features:

* Sapphire blue gift box with bow and satin lining
* Coordinate this set with other items in the Red Rose collection, unique to Sorelle
* Soft pink roses accent heart-shaped pieces
* Rose teapot with heart-shaped lid, topped with a rose
* Cup rim shaped like a rose with flower accent
* Teapot and cups - graceful handles with a vine leaf and flowers
* Heart-shaped saucers with rose accent - room for a cup, a spoon and a biscuit
* Gently curved spoons with holes for displaying
* Heirloom quality - charm and grandeur never go out of style
* Made of porcelain
* Handcrafted - no 2 are alike; takes weeks to complete
* Hand wash

Purchase at: HSN.com

Serve high tea in old world elegance with a Sorelle Romantic Rose 17-pc Porcelain Tea Set. The delicate goldtone trim is feminine; the lovely bouquet of roses on each piece reminds you that spring can't be very far away.

Sorelle Romantic Rose 17-pc Porcelain Tea Set Includes:

* 40 oz. tea/coffee pot with lid - measures approx. 8"H x 4-3/4"W in diameter (approx. 9-1/2"W with handle)
* 10 oz. sugar bowl with lid - measures approx. 4-3/4"H x 3-1/2" in diameter
* 10 oz. creamer - measures approx. 3-1/2"H x 3-1/2"W in diameter (5-1/4"W with handle)
* (6) 7 oz. cups - each measures approx. 2-1/2"H x 3-1/2" in diameter
* 6 saucers - each measures approx. 6" in diameter
* Sapphire blue gift box with satin lining

Product Features:

* Collectible pieces from the Sorelle Romantic Rose Collection - beautiful red, pink and yellow roses complemented by soft greens; perfect for anyone who loves roses
* Made of handcrafted porcelain - no 2 are alike
* Heirloom quality - makes a wonderful gift for your favorite hostess
* Hand wash

Purchase at: HSN.com

Serving tea or having a tea party at home is a gracious, yet inexpensive way to entertain. The adventurous host or hostess has ample opportunity for creativity and can serve a truly unique meal.

Tea parties can be formal or casual, intimate or crowd-size, serviced indoors or without, a light snack or a filling and substantial meal. The food is not only delicious but it is enjoyable to prepare a tea party and a delightful way to host a party.

Even when you are not entertaining others, the ritual of taking tea or having teatime can be a welcome and a very civilized break in a busy hectic world.

Tea, of course, is the cornerstone of any tea party. It's essential to brew a good cup of tea - golden, steaming, fragrant and refreshing. Every kind of tea contains tanin, an astringent; caffeine, a stimulant; water; and an essential oil that gives it its flavor. Like wines, teas are tested, tasted and graded by experts who rate both flavor and color, using their own descriptive vocabulary. Examples of traditional teas served at tea parties and easy to serve at home follows:

English Breakfast - An elite Chinese tea. This is a brisk tea with a full bodied flavor, ideal as a wake-up tea. Serve the traditional way, with milk and sugar.

Orange Pekoe - Orange refers to the color of the leaf, not the flavor. Pekoe refers to the leaf size - the largest grade of leaf. Rich in flavor and fragrance. Makes on of the finest afternoon teas.

Darjeerling - Famous as the champagne among teas. Light color, with a distinctive bouquet often described as flowery. A delicate, win-like, Muscatel flavor.

Russian Caraven - Distinctively smoky flavor and aroma. An acquired taste. Usually taken with lemon. The perfect acompaniment to traditional tea room savories such as English cheese plate or beef pasty.

Earl Grey - Delicate blend of China and Darjeeling teas scented with oil of bergamot. It is wonderfully fragrant and delightful with sweets. Serve with lemon or a spot of milk.

Jasmine - Beautifully scented, semi-fermented tea. Exotic, light flavor. Laced with dried jasmine blossoms. Should be drunk plain or with a slice of lemon. Low in caffeine.