Items You Need to Host an Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is a social occasion that is vastly misunderstood in America. The tea itself is an ambiguous word in Britain, referring to the national drink and a meal. But "afternoon tea" in Britain is as well understood as "let's meet for coffee" is in America. So let's unpack the mysteries of this English aristocratic tradition and make it accessible for us here today.

If you want to host an Afternoon Tea in your home for friends or neighbors, here's what you need.

Hosting an Afternoon Tea

Legend says that the Duchess of Bedford hosted an afternoon occasion at her home with friends. So if there's a template to follow, it begins and ends with having friends over in the mid-afternoon and serving light and fun treats while you catch up on news and chat. Everything else is a variation on this, and it's very much up to you how you style the occasion - but read on for the essential things.

The first thing you need is a pleasant room in your home. It would be best if you had invitees, and usually, these will be friends or family, although they can also be neighbors or colleagues - anyone you would invite into your home. You can have as few as just the two of you, or maybe up to 3-5 guests, but any more than this may strain the intimacy of the occasion.

It would be best to have comfortable seating, such as armchairs and a couch, arranged around one or more small tables of the same height as the chairs - coffee table height. Consider how your guests will reach the table. If you're serving tea, you'll pour for your guests. If the seating is close enough to the table, guests can add their milk or cream and sugar or sweetener. If not, you'll add this for them, and an excellent way to add sugar is with cubes and tongs to handle them.

A good tea set is essential, of course. Most come in batches for six people - a crucial clue for the size of your group. The collection should all fit nicely on a tray, which means you can bring in the tea from the kitchen where the hot water boiled - and teapots constantly drip, so pour over the tray surface.

You'll also want a cake or cookie stand to showcase whatever delicious food you're choosing as the main attraction. An elevated stand also prevents clutter on the table. Buy a dome cover for the stand if this is how you'll store things, but otherwise, splurge on the stand itself. 

Tables are essential to think about, especially if your furniture is so comfortable that people don't want to get up. Small end tables will be greatly appreciated for those who can't reach the serving table. You can do all the serving as needed, always offering the tea in every case and offering food trays if necessary for guests.

However you arrange your seating and your service, do it so that guests can spend time talking without much fuss over logistics. It's all about the social occasion, and the food is secondary to the beverage, and the beverage is secondary to the people themselves and their exciting news.

Food and Drink 

Afternoon tea should serve tea, and as mentioned, black tea with milk or cream and sugar would be traditional. But if your guests have different tastes, it's essential to cater to those tastes and not force the menu (remember, this is not a theatrical performance). Green teas, fruit, or herb teas are entirely acceptable here, as is Kombucha - it's the guest's comfort that matters. You can also offer coffee if you have guests who prefer this. If there's a child, make sure to have some lemonade.

The thing about food in an afternoon tea is that it's consumed between two other meals, lunch and dinner. You don't want to offer a meal that may spoil the appetite for later or have to compete with an earlier lunch. Offer cake and confections that absorb and complement a hot beverage without taking up too much room in the tummy.

Avoid foods that are difficult or messy to eat - nuts that may break teeth, crumbs that may scatter everywhere, foods that require a separate dish, liquid or sloppy things, or foods that are just too much of a meal. Bite-size finger foods are ideal, with fruit tarts, small pastries, cookies, and petits fours as a standard. Small pieces of fruit such as slices of Kiwi, strawberries, and the like are great. And - great news - you can serve scones with clotted cream.

With coffee, biscotti is the apparent complement (also great with tea) and some lemony things. By the way, don't offer espresso or cappuccino unless you're absolutely on top of your game with this - you don't want to be flustered and remember that logistics can interfere with conversation.

Other Occasions

America has a myriad different conception of what constitutes English "tea," and you'll find that even the ex-pats from Britain offering services in the United States have extremely dubious stories about what afternoon tea involves. 

But suppose you're looking for the traditional English Cream Tea. In that case, there are hotels and specialty venues across America that can offer you and your guests a delightful treat in the guise of Afternoon Tea, as well as caterers who can arrange the entire affair for you in the location of your choice.

In general, afternoon tea is not a time for alcohol (sherry trifle doesn't count). If there's champagne, people should be standing. Food can be more savory or heartier if they're drinking - shrimp, sandwiches, etc. But this is now a garden party rather than afternoon tea. Occasions such as a baby or bridal shower may want to call themselves afternoon tea, but they may be parties - as the host, you choose.