Tea Party Chic

A wonderful thing about tea parties is that the emphasis is on presentation and conversation. A visit to the thrift store and a pot of tea can create an inexpensive gathering, and beautiful tea sets and serving pieces are bountiful for more eleborate celebrations. Although we tend to associate dainty cucumber sandwiches and scones with tea parties, there is no set menu and it really depends on your theme, setting, and personal tastes. I'll provide you with traditional, whimsical, and chic ideas, and I suggest savoring them all while sipping a cup of delicious tea ...

Here are some ideas for a hip take on the tea party ...

Offer fresh herbs as flavor enhancers - Use tiny glass vases or cordial glasses for party favors and fill with fresh mint and/or lemon verbena for your guests to customize the flavor of their tea.

Tie a spring of herbs around rolled, cloth napkins, or attach to placecards.

Use a black and white color theme for a contemporary tea. The addition of fresh flowers (for instance pink roses) will really pop.

To serve an English Afternoon Tea, you serve three courses. First, serve finger sandwiches of your choice. Three to six small servings of cream cheese and watercress, cucumber and butter, chicken or tuna salad, cheddar cheese and tomato, stilton and pear, or egg salad. Make them pretty by cutting them into different shapes from rectangles to triangles to squares, alternating with dark or light breads. Next, comes scones or crumpets with jam, butter and/or clotted cream or crème fraiche, followed by sweets including petit fours, mini tarts, small cookies or bite-sized pieces of cake.

There are few hours in life
more agreeable than afternoon tea.

A cup of tea warms the soul
like a good friend.

if you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
if you are depressed, it will cheer you;
if you are exhausted, it will calm you.
(Wm. Gladstone)

"What better way to suggest friendliness -
and to create it - than with a cup of tea?"
J. Grayson Luttrell, 1930

If man has no tea in him,
he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.
(Japanese Proverb)

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much
diminished by a nice cup of tea.
(Bernard-Paul Heroux)

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time
the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.
(Gary Crounse)

A little cup of Friendship
Is in this bag of tea,
When you sit and sip it,
Think of warm thoughts from me.

May your days be
Steeped with Joy
And warmed with Love.

If I could take your Troubles,
I would toss them in the Sea.
But since I can't, I'm sending you,
My favorite cup of tea.

Don't worry about this because it's not a good idea to make your guests brew their tea at the table. It makes a mess and they will get a mediocre cup of tea. Tea needs to be brewed with the water as hot as possible for the type of tea (boiling for black, less hot for green) and covered while steeping; an impossible task if you only place a teapot of hot water and teabags on the table. And who wants a wet teabag on their saucer, creating a puddle that drips every time the guest raises their cup for a sip? Brew the tea in the kitchen first and serve it as hot as possible to your guests at their table, pouring their first cup.

Distribute a blank bingo card to each guest with the following directions ...

Dear Guest: Please write the following words into the bingo card boxes in any order you like; just be sure to mix them up. A story may be read and you must mark off the words as you hear them. Call out BINGO when you have a complete row crossed out-Horizontal, Vertical, or Diagonal.

Tea
Tea Cup
Tea Pot
Sugar
Afternoon Tea
Friends
Milk
Strainer
Tea Cozy
Scones
Jam
Tea Time
Cakes
Sweet Breads
Hats
Gloves
Tea Party
Silver
Clotted Cream
Teaspoon
Napkins
China
Queen Victoria
Sandwiches

You will then read aloud this little ditty, which
gives everyone a glimpse of Tea Party history and tradition . . .

Hello Everyone,
What a delight to have you for "Tea" today to honor ________________ (guest of honor's name). What better way to celebrate than having a "Tea Party" among "Friends."
"Tea Time" was very popular during the Victorian Era. In fact Tea Time became a way of life. It was Anna Maria, the Duchess of Bedford (one of "Queen Victoria's" ladies-in-waiting) who left the most memorable impression of tea-drinking habits. Hunger between the midday and evening meals gave way to her new found custom of eating "cakes" and "sandwiches" with Afternoon Tea. The Afternoon Tea experience delighted Anna Maria so much that she repeated it daily. The Queen embraced Anna Maria's ceremony of Afternoon Tea which became a much loved activity.
Traditionally, Afternoon Tea is served between three and five o'clock and includes several kinds of finger "sandwiches", "scones", mini desserts, "sweet breads", and fancy "cakes". The Victorian Hostess set out her finest china and silver for Tea. In present day, many of the fine Tea Rooms offer "Afternoon Tea" at any time of the day.
There are many ways to enjoy Afternoon Tea. Some like their tea with "milk" and "sugar" while enjoying a "scone" with "clotted cream" and "jam". Some like to wear fancy "hats" and pretty "gloves" to tea. No matter how you enjoy tea, be sure to take out a pretty "tea cup" and "tea pot" often. Use a "strainer" for loose tea. Use a "tea cozy" overtop of your pretty pot to keep it warm while you enjoy time spent with friends & family. Get out your finest "silver", your mismatched "china", pretty linen "napkins" and favorite "teaspoon". Appreciate the luxury Afternoon Tea brings along with the chance to linger with friends. Enjoy!