1. Food Stands: If you already have a beloved collection of cake stands, by all means, use it to display your sweets and sandwiches. If you don't have any stands, or simply don't have enough, consider making impromptu dessert stands by placing pretty plates on top of overturned glasses, wide candle jars, or soup bowls.
Traditionally, afternoon tea consists of a selection of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a variety of sweet treats in the form of pastries and cake. These are arranged on a tiered cake stand and served alongside a pot, or two, of tea.
The correct order to enjoy the food that accompanies afternoon tea is savory to sweet: sandwiches first, then scones, and sweets last. You can use your fingers to eat all three courses. To eat a scone, you simply break it in half with your fingers.
Usually consisting of a selection of teas, freshly prepared finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries with all the trimmings, a light Afternoon Tea should allow for 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 2 cakes (of different varieties) per person.
Morning Tea – 3-5 pieces. Lunch - 8-10 pieces. Afternoon Tea – 3-5 pieces. Dinner 8-10 pieces.
There aren't any rules when it comes to the food, but a standard afternoon tea menu comprises a tier of sandwiches, a tier of cakes and one of scones or teacakes.
Allow 3-4 sandwiches per person. But don't prepare them too early as they will either go soggy or dry out.
So what time should you go? People usually have afternoon tea between 3 and 5pm, and 4pm is often cited as the best time for afternoon tea. Many hotels and restaurants offer it from noon until early evening, though, so you don't have to stick to the rules if you want to have it earlier or later.
Traditional afternoon tea is served in three courses on a tiered stand along with a pot of tea. Tea sandwiches are eaten first, then scones with clotted cream and jam, and then finally, the sweets. Tea sandwiches are small and bite-sized, to be eaten with your fingers, not with a knife and fork.
Start Eating from The Bottom
Food at an afternoon tea is usually served on a tiered tray with items grouped into three categories: savory tea sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and sweets on top.
Finger sandwiches served at afternoon tea always have their crusts cut off and are served in small squares, rectangles or triangles – ideal for eating by hand. Next move onto the scones and cakes. Scones should break into two halves easily without the need for using a knife.
Afternoon tea is typically served in the mid-afternoon and it was traditionally served on low tables, hence its two names. It involves things like manners, lace, and dainty foods. Historically, afternoon tea was considered to be a ladies' social occasion, and it is more often enjoyed by women than men to this day.
And in a nutshell, 'high tea' is not the same as the afternoon tea that we now all know and love. It consists of a more substantial meal served at the dinner table and eaten later in the day. While many people in Britain today refer to this meal as 'supper' or 'dinner', in many homes, it's still referred to as 'tea'.
Five traditional English afternoon tea finger sandwiches. Five finger sandwiches are traditionally served for afternoon tea in England: ham and mustard, cucumber, egg and cress, smoked salmon and coronation chicken.
Dessert plates or cake plates used for enjoying a sweet treat during tea for two, afternoon tea, or after-dinner dessert are generally sized 8in/20cm. A similar size to a side plate, they can be used as both, and often come in sets of two or four.
You can ask for more scones, sandwiches, cakes and tea—not that you'll need it. Afternoon tea is usually quite filling, which brings us to our next point… Do treat afternoon tea as a meal. If have a big dinner booked after your afternoon tea, chances are that you won't enjoy it.