Top five tips when hosting afternoon tea at home
Having an afternoon tea at home is a wonderful way to socialise with friends and family, whether it be for a special occasion or just as an excuse to meet up. If you haven’t planned an afternoon tea before, it’s quite simple to put together and is a great way to show off your creative side either through decorations or through your baking.
Here are some of my top tips if you are thinking about hosting your own afternoon tea.
Plan ahead.
We all know the saying, failure to plan is planning to fail. Giving yourself plenty of time to think about what kind of tea party you are going to have and making a check list for yourself of what you will need.Buy everything in advance
It might sound silly but making a list of everything you need and pre-ordering anything can save a lot of headaches on the day of your event. Once, when I was having an afternoon tea event at home, I had to visit 3 bakeries because each one had run out of fresh brown bread!Communication is key
The word afternoon tea immediately brings to mind fancy cakes, tiered stands and pots of loose leaf tea. If you’re planning on having something outdoors in the garden then it’s worth making clear in your invitation what kind of afternoon tea your hosting. If you have your heart set on a fancy affair with tea dresses and hats, then make sure to tell your guests what they can expect.Keep the menu small
If you are new to hosting, having a smaller menu can help reduce your time in the kitchen and the amount of serving utensils you need. Just because hotels serve umpteen courses doesn’t mean you have to do the same at home. One type of scone and one type of cake is plenty.Outsource where you can
There is absolutely no shame in buying things in or getting help. If you want to buy cakes from a bakery or from a local baker then do so. Hosting events can be enough stress without adding in all the cooking and decorating so plan accordingly and buy in what you need. Depending on how many guests I have coming then I will sometimes buy certain items. Although you can freeze some things in advance, like the scone dough, if you think your time is better spent creating a show-stopping centre piece rather than baking or buying decorations while you ice your cake then that’s entirely up to you.