Tea Party Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Celebrate With A Tea Party
By Fiona Harker
Tea parties are becoming a more popular way to entertain and
socialize with co-workers, family, neighbors and friends. A tea
party can be a wonderful way to celebrate special occasions with
a bit of a twist that harkens back to earlier times, and can make
your next celebration, like a birthday, a baby shower or a wedding
shower, or a graduation, something a little extra special.
By tradition, tea parties were held in the afternoons, but today
they are appropriate for just about any time, and in fact, can
make for a nice morning get together if a light menu is offered.
One of the things that is making tea parties popular is that
they are so flexible. They can be many options to review and be
adaptable to children, or adults, or both and can encompass the
range from very formal "high teas" to casual garden
parties, all the way to super laid-back picnic tea parties. It
all comes down to the kind of atmosphere and experience you want
to create for your guests drink tea an relax.
A tea party brings up a feeling of something rather quaint and
old-fashioned, but it doesn’t mean that it has gone "out
of fashion" just that it awakens good memories of more leisurely
times.
Hot Tea & Iced Tea
Tea parties evoke notions of sunny days, gardens full of roses
in full bloom, dainty finger sandwiches, beautiful floral prints
and gauzy dresses, and not to forget, the flavorful pot of tea
and cup of tea in hand. For the party, hot tea or iced tea, of
course, should be offered, but it is also fine to also serve optional
beverages such as coffee, herbal tea, sparkling water or juice,
punch and even wine if desired.
While the beverages are an important element of tea parties,
so are the food choice and tea sandwiches, cookies, fruit salad,
muffins, scones, and pasta salad are all great options.
Tea Sandwiches
Tea sandwiches are traditionally thin pieces of lightly toasted
bread with garden vegetables and cream cheese as toppings, but
they can be anything from simple cucumber sandwiches, egg salad,
pimento cheese or chicken salad, to fancier selections such as
tomatoes with ricotta cheese and basil, or ham with apricot jam
and Dijon mustard.
Also, canapes and any type of food that can be picked up and
eaten with toothpicks are great for tea parties as are deserts
of miniature pastries such as eclairs lairs, petits fours, and
cream puffs.
Tea Parties In A Garden Setting
Tea parties that are held in garden settings are a nice choice
because they don’t require too much work in the way of decorations
and centerpieces. Whenever possible, especially if you want to
involve children, they are best held in a grassy area on picnic
blankets. However, if you will be having older guests in attendance
it would be suitable to have a picnic table or bistro table and
chairs available for them.
Tea parties can seem like magical occasions, with just a bit
of advance planning and an eye on the details. However, keep in
mind that your tea party doesn’t have to be perfect to be a wonderful
and memorable event that your guests will enjoy.
While having all the details perfectly arranged is nice, what
you friends will remember and reminisce about is the fun and relaxing
environment they enjoyed while sipping their cup of tea and sharing
quiet moments.
About the Author:
Fiona Harker has written a number of articles on tea and food including
Tea Bags,
Green Tea,
White Tea,
Tea Maker,
Tea Kettle.
Keep a lookout for more articles on this website.
Did You Know?
What is the difference between a tea kettle and a tea pot?
A tea kettle is normally made of a rather sturdy
metal that can stand up to being heated to boiling over and over
again.
Most tea kettles also have some sort of whistle to indicate when
the water has reached the boiling point, so that the person making
the tea does not have to watch the pot that never seems to boil.
In many kitchens the kettle is kept on the stove with water warmed
and ready to make tea at any time throughout the day.
A tea pot differs in that is it typically made of lighter material,
such as porcelain or ceramics, and is not designed to stand up
to the heating elements on a stove, but instead is intended for
serving purposes and is often more decorative.
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