If I invite you round for afternoon tea, what will you expect to eat?

[00100001]

I'm inviting my sister and her daughter (15) over for Afternoon Tea and am looking for ideas.

What would you provide?

A selection of finger sandwiches and a few cake options or mini deserts feels like an afternoon tea to me!

Tea in a teapot, nice cups and saucers and a tablecloth. Freshly baked scones, jam and cream, one type of sandwich to keep things simple and maybe two cake options - a lemon drizzle and something choclatey , could do bitesized brownies.

Little sandwiches (cream cheese and salmon/egg mayo/tuna cucumber/beef and horseradish examples)
Cheese scones warm with butter
Sweet scones with cream and jam
Mini cakes (e.g. macaroons, little tarts)
Prosecco
Lemonade
Tea

I'd just written a menu for an afternoon tea I'm planning this morning! I'd written down this

Finger sandwiches

Cream cheese and cucumber
Ham and mustard
Coronation chicken
Egg mayonnaise
Smoked salmon
Houmous and carrot
Cheddar and something

Plain scones
Raisin scones
Clotted cream
Couple of jam

Carrot cake
Lemon drizzle cake
Fresh strawberries

I'm more of a sandwich person as you can tell

Finger sandwiches, perhaps scones and a couple of mini cakes, could add sausage rolls if you like them.

Ooh choc dipped strawberries would be nice

Tiny sandwiches, cakes & tea... never really understood the appeal tbh

If you live where I do...fish fingers and beans!

Prawn sandwiches and scones with cream tea.

Is it a 'tiny cakes and jam scones ' type afternoon tea or more of a 'high tea'?

If the latter there should be a fruit cake to cut into and plates of nice bread and butter and ham and cheese and salad stuff to help yourselves to...

A big pot of tea obviously....

Scones with clotted cream and a nice preserve with a pot of tea - that's a perfect afternoon tea for me!

Other additions -

Mini cakes ( fondant fancies!)
Finger sandwiches/mini wraps
Crudités and dips?

Sandwiches will more fancy that usual fillings, smoked salmon & cream cheese, beef & horseradish, cheese & a nice chutney....... made with bread fresh today.

Homemade scones with butter, jam and clotted cream (I hate dried fruit so I would be upset if all you had was scones with fruit in them, perhaps check that your guests all like fruit scones if that's what you're thinking of making).

Selection of small cakes, either homemade or some from the bakery section - mini brownies, millionaire's shortbread, fairy cakes, mini meringue........

Selection of small savouries, mini quiche, mini sausage rolls, mini scotch eggs.....

A savoury selection of finger sandwiches, mini wraps and possibly something like quiche or frittata. A selection of with scones, mini pastries/ tarts and cake. Strawberries and cream! Tea, coffee and cold drink options- sparkling and still.

There would have to be little sandwiches with no crusts, scones with jam and cream, and cake.

An afternoon tea isn’t afternoon tea if any of those three things are missing. I couldn’t give a shit about the actual tea.

At least:

Two types of finger sandwich
Another mini savoury option such as mini quiche, quality mini sausage rolls, a mini pastry sliceetc
Crisps should be available

Two scones per person, fruit and plain
Real butter, properly softened
Proper Clotted cream
Top quality strawberry jam

Two further mini sweet options, probably three - something fruit based, something chocolate based and one other. So lemon drizzle, brownie/ chocolate pot, carrot cake/posh Florentine.

For drinks, choice of three or four teas and a couple of coffees, ground from bean. I'd also always have still and sparkling mineral water available, and a good prosecco too.

If I'm catering afternoon tea properly you're not going to want to eat until lunch the next day!

Bugger it! I want a cream tea now. 😂

The 15 year olds I know wouldn't eat and horseradish or mustard so I would choose a plainer sandwich choice.

Ham
Cheese and cucumber
Egg or tuna mayo

Scones with jam and clotted cream

Brownies
Victoria sandwich
Lemon drizzle cake

Oh yes, maybe mini sausage rolls

This thread is making me hungry.....

@Baconking I agree. My 15 yr old DD wouldn't eat horseradish or mustard. She loves bacon and brie, tuna, ham, chicken and avocado, marmite, egg mayo and salmon pate.

I'd add some scones and maybe some kind of mini éclair.

Big pot of tea and maybe something cold like lemonade if its hot.

Lovely!

I live in Cornwall & love a cream tea - plain scones still warm from the oven with “ posh” jam & plenty of clotted cream. And a really good loose leaf tea out of bone china cups.

M&S do sandwich platters that are good for afternoon tea. My family always gets them for get togethers.

Sausage rolls are a must for me, but not traditional

Sandwiches cut into triangles.
Scones with jam and proper clotted cream.
Small finger cakes.
Macarons.
Tea, served from a teapot and in china cups with saucers.
Sugar cubes to help yourself from.

I went out for afternoon tea just before lockdown and they also had lemonade in mason jars, chocolate brownies and gingerbread!

Oh yes!! Sugar cubes with little tongs. That's the best bit!