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

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

What would you provide?

I've got a couple of nice tablecloths coming via ebay. I searched for used ones, as you really get the old fashioned authentic look. (I've also ended up with a big dining table, so new ones to fit can be pricey.)

I've also gone and bought some old fashioned lace doilies, for trays, etc, which fit the theme I'm switching to in the kitchen. I got a dainty teapot from a local charity place, which pours nicely (some teapots are rubbish for pouring).

In fact, I found that charity shops and the ebay auction stuff are great for getting the accessories for afternoon tea.

While a BBQ can be nice in summer, I'm definitely looking forward to afternoon teas outdoors.

Betty I love your photo, and is that just for one as you only have one glass on display . Lovely.

Afternoon tea is my favourite sort of meal, as I am low carbing at the moment I don't think I'll be having one any time soon.

“Come round for a cup of tea”= tea. Possibly biscuits or cake.

“Cream tea”= tea, scones with cream and jam

“Afternoon tea”= finger sandwiches, pretty little cakes, scones. Tea.

“Party tea” add sausage rolls, mini quiches, canapé type things.

“Farmhouse tea”- Chunks of crusty bread, cheese, ham, pickles. Slabs of big cake- fruit cake, Victoria sponge etc.

“All of the above”= my sort of Sunday

@MsSlightyConfused

Anyone who doesn’t know what a finger sandwich is, is a philistine unworthy of afternoon tea imho

Rather a philistine than a consumer of human body part sangers!

@UntamedWisteria

Gosh you are all very Hyacinth Bucket.

If i invite people round for tea, I provide:

Tea (choice of Earl Grey or Builders')
A home-made cake

Anything more would be perceived as a bit try-hard. I might add some bought cocktail sausage rolls as well.

Tea is not afternoon tea, though! Two very different things.

At my sister / Aunt's house, in shutdown, rather than at the Ritz.........

I'd hope for little finger) sandwiches, scones with jam and (hopefully) clotted cream) and some small cakes.
But, I'd be happy with whatever, in the circumstances, as, presumably, this is about the company not the food.

If (in normal times) I were going to a tea shop, then, yes, a teapot , milk jug and cups and saucers are so much nicer than a mug.
A wider variety of sandwiches and cakes would be nice.

Gasping for an afternoon tea now! Might get one delivered ‘for OH’ next week for Father’s Day

Tea/Champagne/Coffee
Fresh home made scones, good quality jam and Rhodda's clotted cream. Would be a bit surprised by the lists of stuff mentioned up thread.I guess I'm not really that into cream teas.

Finger sandwiches!

Finger sandwiches, maybe some little sausage rolls (there is a place near me that does afternoon tea with mini corn dogs and burgers which I think is a nice twist), scones with jam and cream, slices of cake (Victoria sponge, lemon drizzle etc), petit fours, little meringues with cream and fruit, a selection of teas or some nice cordial/lemonade if you don't drink tea, nice cold water.

@Impatientwino

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

Can I join?! Mmmm!

I prepare a lot of cricket teas in the summer (not this year sadly) and although sandwiches have to be 'door stop' type the ideas are the same - lots of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, home made cakes - plus if needed sausage rolls, quiche, crisps, fruit etc

Scones, cakes, sandwiches, presented beautifully.

Several choices of nice tea.

Cake forks.

@BillBaileysBum Agreed, except rather than 'Farmhouse Tea' (which I've never heard of as a thing), I would call that 'High Tea.' High tea might also include a boiled egg, or sausage rolls, scotch eggs or similar.

smoked salmon sarnies, scones with cream jam and lemon curd, srawberries, profiteroles if they are in the freezer or easy to come by, their fave chocolate biscuits, cream or maybe vanilla ice cream too. with the strawberries in summer

and tea (or coffee)

maybe also banana bread and welsh cakes in our house and my nain often made bara brith. not necessarily all of this

Holey my DB had a cream tea delivered for my DM's birthday this week, it was very well received.

For an afternoon tea, I generally like a cake you can slice, plus little dainty ones. I've got a Madaleine baking tray, and the little shapes are just right for afternoon tea.

Def need fizz at an afternoon tea

@ginwithrosie I had a proper Afternoon Tea instead of a Hen Night (I loathe Hen Do's!).....totally fabulous it was too!!

Seriously though, an Afternoon Tea that I would be expecting would have the following:

A selection of finger sandwiches
A selection of cakes (not big slabs)
Fresh baked scones (at least 2 per person) with good quality jam & cream in dishes
A selection of loose leaf tea/teapots/milk jugs/china cups
Champers/prosecco
Fresh flowers/linen napkins for the finishing touch

Crisps/pork pies/quiche don't really belong

As long as there was tea, scones, jam (pref raspberry) & clotted cream I would be happy.

If sandwiches a non white bread would be nice.

@gazeboparty that's a perfectly good cream tea you have there!

But, also, Pims ! & possibly fresh straws/rasps from the garden with double Devon cream

Can everyone just STOP..I’m on a diet dammit!

I wouldn't expect a fraction of some of these before lockdown and I definitely wouldn't expect them during it who's going to traipse round the shops looking for varied and expensive ingredients at the moment?

I'd go for scones with jam and cream, sandwiches cut into fingers and perhaps something else sweet. Maybe something cold to drink since it's roasting today.

A variety of sandwiches including salmon and cucumber, cheese and tomato, prawn and mayo. Then scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream, Victoria sponge, fruit, lemon drizzle and coffee and walnut cakes. Lashings of tea to wash the lot down. Best China.