How to Host a Simple Tea Party

When I want to have a quick girl's get together, a quick tea party is just the thing.  A few sandwiches, some muffins, a tea cake, and few pots of tea and you're good to go.

I've found people are intimidated by a tea party, and often make it harder than it needs to be.  They think they need fine china, or complicated tiny desserts, or fancy flower arrangements.  Remembering that a "tea service" for many people in Britain was basically an afternoon snack, or in some cases--supper for many years takes away some of the frou-frou fussing.  It doesn't have to be fancy to still be fun.



For a quick tea party, I like to have 2-3 kinds of sandwiches, 2 desserts (cake, custards, or a sweet bread like scones), and 2 kinds of tea.  Here are some of the combinations I like to use:

Classic: 
Sandwiches:
Egg Salad
Cucumber Sandwiches

Desserts:
Banana Muffins
Blueberry Scones

Tea:
Earl Grey
English Breakfast

Organic:
Sandwiches

Hummus on pita
Feta and olives on cracker
Mini-black bean wraps with salsa and sour cream

Dessert:
Organic Creme Brulee with Lavender
Pumpkin Scones
Gluten-free chocolate flourless cake

Tea:
Chocolate Rooibos
Strawberry Kiwi Tea
Organic Chai with Organic Milk

Chinese/Asian:
Sandwiches:
Chicken dumplings with sesame-ginger-tamari sauce
Vegetable Spring Rolls with peanut sauce

Dessert:
Green tea ice cream
Steamed sweet bean paste buns
Orange slices
Fortune cookies

Tea:
Silver Needle Green
Jasmine Blossom Green Tea
Peach Oolong Tea


Tea is a fun way to get together with friends with a minimum of preparation.  If you have time to all dress up, put on fun hats, and pull out the heirloom china, that's great.  But if not, gather a few saucers and mugs, and have everyone bring in a dish to build around a tea, and have a great time!