There’s never a wrong time for a tea party, but winter is arguably the best season for it. A hot beverage can help warm your body in a chilly home and in even chillier weather. Not all of us want to spend the cash on a fancy afternoon outing when you can throw a budget tea party yourself, though. Here’s what to consider when hosting a tea party in your own home.
Afternoon tea (also known as “high tea”) started as an upper-class ritual in Britain in the 1840s. It functioned as a socialite “snack time” that kept appetites at bay until dinner. Upper-class women, including Queen Victoria, participated in these “tea receptions,” which is why afternoon tea parties are often associated with formalwear. Commoners normally didn’t have the leisure time or money for tea that upper-class families did.
You might know a couple of afternoon tea shops around your neighborhood or city. Tea party packages from these places typically come with a number of refillable teas plus a platter of sandwiches and desserts. Shops that specialize in tea time can be an easier alternative to organizing your own tea party, especially if you don’t want to buy your own equipment. However, these options are often pricier compared to the kind of tea party you can host in your own home.
A tea party might seem like too fancy an affair to put together, but it’s not. At the bare minimum, you need these items to throw a tea party:
- Teapot
- Teacups
- Plates
- Utensils
- Tea
- Snacks
Teapot
Of course, you need something to serve your tea in. You can just serve tea from a stove or electric kettle, but where’s the magic in that?
If you want a real teapot, you can get one for cheap from your local Chinatown, thrift store or even online. Ideally, it would hold enough tea to serve at least four people and have a strainer inside so that it could brew even loose leaf teas without a fuss. If you want to be extra fancy, you can even get a tea cozy to help keep your tea warm inside the pot.
Teacups
You can use any kind of cup for a tea party so long as it can hold hot water and guests can safely pick it up. In that sense, a cup with a handle like a mug or teacup would be ideal. Drinking glasses can handle hot water, but they might be difficult to pick up when filled with boiling water. If you already have enough cups to serve each of your guests, then that’s all you need.
However, if you do want to buy a tea set and see yourself using it multiple times, you can buy a reasonable one for anywhere between $40 and $100 depending on your budget. Target sells simply designed sets like the Berghoff Essentials Porcelain Drinkware Set or Bright Stripes Mint Porcelain Tea Set.
Still too expensive? In truth, your best bet at getting a tea set for as cheap as possible is a nearby thrift store (though that relies on chance).
Plates
Most places that serve high tea use small plates, not much bigger than a saucer, for serving finger foods. An afternoon tea party typically serves light fare instead of large, hearty meals that you would find on a dinner menu. After all, it’s supposed to be an intermission before dinner, not the main course itself.
If you don’t feel like buying small plates, serving your dishes on regular-sized ones will do. However, it does add aesthetic points if you have cute, tiny plates that match your tea set.
Utensils
Tea parties typically feature finger foods that don’t need utensils, but you should still have spoons, forks and knives available just in case. Guests might want spoons for stirring milk and sugar into their tea. You might also need spoons and knives for spreading jam and clotted cream onto pastries. Don’t forget napkins for keeping your guests’ hands and mouths clean!
Tea
The best tea to serve at your tea party is the kind that you like. I’ve seen everything from “Royal Garden Sencha” (it’s probably just sencha green tea) to English Breakfast served at establishments that serve high tea, so really any variety will do. If you want a higher-quality brew and have a tea pot that can strain it, loose leaf teas are ideal, as they generally offer a fresher flavor. If you don’t have a strainer, go for whatever bagged tea fits your fancy (Lipton, Bigelow, Tazo, etc.).
Remember to follow brewing rules for how many minutes to leave your tea bags in hot water, even in a large teapot. Be sure to also use multiple tea bags appropriate to the amount of water you use.
Snacks
Common afternoon tea foods include finger sandwiches and baked goods. You can make sandwiches with sliced bread from the grocery store or bakery plus whatever fillings you have on hand. Deli meats, cheese or even peanut butter and jelly could work on a sandwich.
“Salad” sandwiches like egg, chicken, crab and tuna commonly make an appearance at places that serve afternoon tea. Egg salad in particular contains inexpensive ingredients that you can easily get from the grocery store. Cucumber and cream cheese is another popular combo that shouldn’t cost much. Combos like ham and cheese, turkey and cheddar, and prosciutto and brie could work too. Smoked salmon and avocado could be another fun filling to add variety to the platter.
Tea parties wouldn’t be complete without desserts. For that, you can use anything from packaged cookies (Nilla Wafers, Pepperidge Farm, etc.) to decadent fruit tarts. However, I’d recommend baking scones or biscuits (or just picking them up from the store) in the spirit of the afternoon tea tradition. Other common treats include plain cookies like shortbread, light cakes that aren’t too sweet, like sponge cake, and other desserts that are easy to pick up and eat, like brownies.
That doesn’t stop you from using any type of dessert, though. If you want a pie, just cut that up and serve it on small plates to your guests. Heck, add ice cream to it. No one’s stopping you.
Now that you know what you need for a tea party, all that’s left to do is send out the invites to your guests. Cheers!