Tea parties are a fantastic way to celebrate any occasion! With cute little sandwiches, delicious pastries, and all the tea you could possibly drink, hosting your own tea party is a fun theme for a bridal or baby shower, Mother's Day, or a birthday.
Lemon High Tea Cookies from Glorious Treats
Many of the tea parties I've attended have included traditional items such as:
- sandwiches (cucumber, egg salad, smoked salmon, tuna)
- scones with clotted cream and jam
- tiny tarts, pastries, and cookies
A tea party is easy to customize to your tastes and event. You can create finger foods that follow a certain theme. For example, if you're hosting a baby shower for a mom-to-be expecting a little girl, you could serve pink food: smoked salmon sandwiches, scones with strawberry jam, tarts with pink filling and little pink sprinkles, cookies with pink icing, and so on.
Below you'll find a collection of recipes to make your tea party grand! Let them inspire you to create your own platters of delicious food, or follow the recipes as they are written to really wow your guests.
Sandwiches
- Roast Beef and Horseradish Mayonnaise from Williams Sonoma
- Cucumber Finger Sandwiches with Feta and Cream Cheese Spread from The Speckled Palate
- Deviled Egg Sandwiches from Great Party Recipes
- Vegetarian Chickpea Salad Sandwiches from The Spruce
- Coronation Chicken Sandwiches from Tea Time
- Crowd-Pleasing Tea Sandwiches from Southern Living
- Smoked Salmon and Dill Sandwiches from Serious Eats
Sandwiches served at a tea party are always served without the crust. To make your sandwiches even more impressive, cut them into shapes like flowers or hearts with your favourite cookie cutters.
Two-Bite Chocolate Chip Scones from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen
Treats
Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes from The Daring Gourmet
Lemon Tartlets from Two in the Kitchen
Heart-Shaped Mini Pies from The Chic Life
Coconut Lime Shortbread from Gimme Some Oven
Irish Tea Scones from The Quotable Kitchen
Slow-Cooker Clotted Cream* from Fearless Fresh
Buckingham Palace Shortbread from Chronicle Books
DIY Sugar Cubes from The View from Great Island
Almond Tea Cake from Willow Cottage
Earl Grey Panna Cotta Tarts from Kitchen Heals Soul
*I have personally made clotted cream in my slow cooker. It works very well and is as close to real fresh clotted cream that I've been able to get in Canada. It tastes far better than the jarred versions that our local grocery store offers. Those are also very expensive! I was able to find extremely high fat cream at my local farmers' market.
Loose Leaf Tea
It wouldn't be a tea party without a selection of premium loose leaf tea. We recommend offering a small assortment of teas that will cater to most preferences - this includes a black, a green, and an herbal (caffeine-free) tea.
When catering to a number of guests with different tastes, we like to keep it simple. You don't want the flavours of your tea selections to overpower all of the delicious treats you are serving! Our Lavender Earl Grey is always a show stopper at tea parties and is the perfect option for your black tea. For a green tea, we'd suggest something like our traditional Sencha. It cleans the palate without adding additional flavours. Our herbal teas come in a range of flavours and types, including rooibos, which is also caffeine-free.
You can also send your guests home with a tea favour as a reminder of your tea party. Favours can double as part of your decor.
Tea favours are the perfect gift for guests
Be sure to check out our Pinterest board, Planning the Perfect Tea Party, for more great recipes and inspiration!
Have you hosted a tea party recently? What did you serve?
