Ultimate afternoon tea

[DigitalChristmas]

Was due to celebrate a friends birthday yesterday with afternoon tea at a fancy hotel. Obviously cancelled so all I’m left with is dreaming about my ideal afternoon tea.This has led me to thinking I could try to put one together for my friend as her birthday is Friday. She doesn’t like smoked salmon and I’m looking for inspiration. Will do a mixture of prepping stuff myself and buying from local bakeries/cafes still offering take away.
She’s happy to eat stuff I make as she knows how careful I am about food prep.

Clotted cream for the scones, which should be plain, served just warm if possible but not microwaved, with just a small amount of sugar in the ingredients; as personally as I don't like jam I would be very pleased to have fresh strawberries or raspberries with them (raspberries better now as strawbs only good in season). A selection of tiny cakes, my faves are lemon drizzle and brownies, a miniature fruit tart too. Finger sandwiches, crustless of course: egg and cress, good ham, some people like prawn or crab, you probably have more ideas. Those would be my ideal ingredients, and a large pot of good quality tea!

I'm aware this is all very traditional and probably other people will have different ideas! Ooh - maybe some delicious little yeasted bun as well, a cinnamon bun or Chelsea bun? Must be very fresh.

I haven't had a full afternoon tea for yonks. Just thinking this might be a nice thing for me and DP at Christmas.

Thanks for the suggestions @Bloodybridget
It’s a nice thing to do with a partner

All the above. Maybe tiny éclairs and lemon tarts and a good Dundee cake. Not fussed if you lose the brownies. Something savoury like tiny quiches or crab puffs? Is there anywhere near you that does really exquisite pâtisserie?

@katy1213

All the above. Maybe tiny éclairs and lemon tarts and a good Dundee cake. Not fussed if you lose the brownies. Something savoury like tiny quiches or crab puffs? Is there anywhere near you that does really exquisite pâtisserie?

Yes we have a couple of places I could try, I’ve seen some pictures on Facebook and some of the items look like works of art. I think I need to make a batch of mini homemade sausage rolls.

If you're near a Maître Choux their éclairs are so pretty, you wouldn't know which to choose. But pricey.
Can't go wrong with a sausage roll! And cheese straws.

Tiny savoury pastries are a great suggestion (mentally adding to my own menu). A sausage roll is always appropriate!

It's not a meal I eat myself, but here is the famous afternoon tea menu from the weeding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4428859.stm

Cucumber sarnies

wedding, obvs.

That was an interesting article about the royal wedding. Would not have imagined that for royal wedding catering!

I’m getting more inspiration. Thanks all

I think it's the Dorchester where they do a chicken sandwich that's round, on white basil infused bread with the edges pressed into roasted nibbed nuts as part of afternoon tea. I would kill for one 😭

I much prefer a simple menu done well with top quality ingredients than something that looks/sounds fancy but is poorer in quality. We like black currant jam, lemon curd or marmalade on our scones (with clotted cream). The last afternoon I had came with the most amazing mango&lemon sorbet between layers (as a plate cleanser I assume), I still think about it now.

Macarons? And I'd make the scones mini, so that they're bite sized.

I love preparing an afternoon tea! I focus on tasty vs. fancy. I'm in the US, so I am sure I don't do it properly, but I take my inspiration from my experiences at Brown's, F&M, the Rosewood, Kensington Palace Orangerie, and the Shelbourne. From what I read here, I was amiss to never have tea at Betty's before we couldn't travel any longer.
Coronation chicken on a potato or buttermilk bread is a favorite. I loathe eggs, but an egg salad stuffed into a mini croissant was a hit last time I hosted people. Herbed goat cheese with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh dill on pumpernickel, too. My personal favorite is little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I think adults forget how delicious that combination is, but when I cut them into fancy tea sandwich sized shapes they get absolutely devoured. Dessert always features lemon something--my favorite. The one thing I haven't been able to recreate is the perfect scone or clotted cream
What a lovely thing you are doing for your friend!

Thinly cut sandwiches with the following fillings: rare roast beef horseradish cream and rocket, cucumber and good salted butter, egg salad and watercress.
Mini cakes and pastries for a good patisserie.
Scones, jam and clotted cream.
Case of Perrier Jouet.
You're welcome.
I'll be there at 4pm on the nose.

Tiny vol-au-vents?

Wow! Thanks everyone. Looks like I’m going to be very busy.