Tea Party Foods

When we think of “Tea Party Foods” we think of certain ones that have been passed down through the years as “must haves” for a tea party.

Such as: small tea sandwiches, scones, crumpets, mini- muffins, Devonshire cream (also known as clotted cream), lemon curd, jams or preserves, sweet desserts, small pies, and other savories!

Let your choice of Tea Party Foods be a reflection of “You”!

Listed below is a brief description of some of these tempting Tea Party Food delights!

TEA: Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves or buds of the tea bush (Camellia Sinensis) in hot water for a few minutes. There are four basic types of true tea: Black, Oolong, Green, and White. The Tistains are well loved “Herbal Teas”, which are not “True Teas” because they are not from the tea bush (Camellia Sinensis). There are many teas and tistains to choose from. So you may opt to serve a variety of flavors.

For an in-depth description of Teas: Click here to see "The Essence Of Tea"

SCONES: Scones are a small cake like quick bread, like a biscuit. They are light and soft inside, golden brown outside. The basic scone recipe can be altered to make a variety of delicious flavors such as: blueberry, apple-walnut, apricot, and the list goes on and on. They are traditionally served with clotted cream, lemon curd, or jams. Scones are quite delicious served hot.

CRUMPETS: Crumpets are similar to English muffins, yet are softer in texture. They have more milk or water in the recipe. Small “crumpet rings” are used when preparing, so batter will not spread all over the pan. They are able to hold butter well,like English muffins, due to the little holes that form during cooking. I felt crumpets needed an “honorable mention” even though it’s scones that are usually serve instead of crumpets. When I was small I used to pretend like I was having “Tea & Crumpets”. And I pronounce it as though I were the Queen! I think these are served more at breakfast time, with a cup of tea of course!!

MUFFINS: Muffins(or “Gems”)can be prepared as sweet cake-like bread or a savory bread. They originated in the mid-1800’s when the “Gem” was created, a pan made of tin or iron cups fastened together by a rack. They are usually served in miniature size when served at a Full Tea. And they are delicious!

TEA SANDWICH: A tea sandwich is a small prepared sandwich meant to be eaten at an Afternoon Tea, to stave off hunger until the main meal. The tea sandwich may take a number of different forms, but should be easy to handle, and should be capable of being eaten in two or three bites. It may be a long, narrow sandwich, a triangular half-sandwich, or a small biscuit. It may also be cut into other decorative shapes with a cookie cutter. The bread is traditionally white, thinly sliced, and buttered. The bread crust is cut away cleanly from the sandwich after the sandwich has been prepared but before serving. Bread variations might include wheat, pumpernickel, or rye bread. Fillings are light, and are "dainty" or "delicate" in proportion to the amount of bread.

Spreads might include cream cheese or mayonnaise mixtures, and the sandwiches often feature fresh vegetables such as radishes, cucumber, asparagus, or watercress. The cucumber tea sandwich in particular is considered the quintessential tea sandwich. Other popular tea sandwich fillings include smoked salmon, chicken salad, curried chicken, egg salad, and fruit jam.

SAVORIES: A savory dish or course in a meal, in some cookbooks, as well as in the British and Commonwealth countries, is one that is not sweet. There are many “Savories” that can be served at tea and still be kept on the “light” side. For example: A quiche, small sausage rolls, tarts with meats or vegetable fillings, etc. Savory is also an Herb used to flavor food.

TEA BREADS: Tea Breads are sweet,cake like breads which usually contains some type of fruit. It’s a quick bread which typically uses baking soda as the leavening agent instead of yeast. Rather than dough, the bread is baked from thick batter, which does not require kneading. It is usually baked in a rectangular loaf pan. Good examples of tea breads are banana, apricot, lemon blueberry, pumpkin spice, cranberry orange. I like my tea bread spread with cream cheese!

TEA CAKES: In the United States, a tea cake is a traditional cookie, similar to a sugar cookie.

In Great Britain and Ireland a tea cake is a light, yeast bun typically split, toasted, buttered, and served with tea.

In Australia a teacake is a larger cake of the type made with a mixture of flour, eggs, fat and sugar. It is served sliced as an accompaniment to tea. Australian teacakes are sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon and fine sugar, and are often served warm from the oven.

TARTS & SMALL PIES: A baked food,with a baked shell usually made of pastry. It can be prepared sweet or savory depending on the fillings such as: fruit, cheeses, creams, custards, fish, meat, vegetables, nuts, chocolate, or other ingredients. Pies can be either "one-crust”, with the shell on top or bottom Or a "two-crust," with the filling completely enclosed in the pastry shell. These bottom-crust-only pies may be known as tarts or tartlets. An example of a bottom-crust-only pie that is 'savory' rather than sweet is a quiche.

PASTERIES: When we think of various sweets, such as donuts or turnovers, we refer to them as “pastries”. It’s also the name given to various kinds of dough made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder, and/or eggs. These pastry doughs are used in pies, tarts, and quiches. A good pastry is light and airy, easily broken in the mouth, but firm enough to support the weight of the filling.

DEVONSHIRE CREAM: Also known as Clotted Cream. It's a thick yellowish cream made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk and then leaving it in shallow pans for several hours. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms “clots”. In the United States, clotted cream is usually sold in specialty stores with the label 'Devon Double Cream', regardless of the country of origin. Clotted cream is generally served with scones and jam.

When you hear of having a "Cream Tea", this simply means having Devonshire cream served at the Tea Party. Also known as a "Devonshire Tea"!

LEMON CURD: Lemon Curd is a custard-like dessert sauce made with eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and butter. It goes well with scones, muffins, and short breads. It can be used as a filling for tarts or cakes. Lemon Curd is different from a lemon filling or a custard, because it contains more lemon juice and zest than lemon filling or custard. This gives lemon curd a more intense / sharper lemon flavor. Also, lemon curd contains lots of butter, which makes its texture smoother and creamier than both lemon filling and custard.

JAMS&PRESERVES: Jam & Preserves are usually made from the juice and pulp of one fruit, rather than a combination of several fruits. It should have a soft even consistency and is usually prepared without pieces of fruit in it, a bright color, and a good fruit flavor. It has a semi-jellied texture that is easy to spread.

Fruit Butters- are generally made from larger fruits, such as plums, peaches, apples, etc. Apple Butter is a good example. It should mound up when dropped from a spoon. Marmalade-is a sweet preserve with a bitter tang made from citrus fruit, most commonly from oranges. A Conserve-is a preserve made with two or three contrasting fruits, or with two fruits and nut butter, or a mix of fruits and nuts.

These are all delicious served with scones or crumpets. And of course accompanied with Clotted Cream!

Now that you have the ‘low-down’ on these tantalizing delights, it’s time to get busy and prepare a menu! You will find pre-made menus for each Tea Party Theme when you go to "Tea Party Menus"