Spring comes with fresh positive energy. The sun shines brighter and the flowers are starting to bloom. After a cold winter, it is time to break out of the cocooning inside we have been doing.
Spring is when we can again sit in the sun for morning tea and dreamily think of the warm spring days ahead.
It is a great time to plan a Springtime Afternoon tea party with friends.
Set the scene with a Spring table
Invite the energy and playfulness of Spring to your morning tea with the burst of colorful nature that is all around us. Decorate the table with bunches of spring flowers – daffodils, tulips and branches of blossoms in pretty vases or jugs.
Use the inspiration of spring for your color palette. With pastel pinks, yellows, blues and greens.
Don’t be afraid to mix colors. Spring is all about a burst of fresh colors in the garden, and there is no reason why your table top cannot look the same.
Add fresh linen napkins held together by pretty napkin rings.
Bring in some more elements of spring with pretty table decorations and candles. Adding whimsical touches to the table add to the surprise of a Spring afternoon tea.
Fill the board with cured meats such as salami, pate, and ham all sliced and ready to eat. Add crackers and bread, and multiple varieties of cheeses – cheddar, parmesan, brie, camembert and gorgonzola or English blue. Include a few bowls of pickles, jams, relishes and preserves. And finally add some walnuts, pistachios, pecans and salted almonds.
If you are looking for that extra special touch for your outfit for an Afternoon Tea Event, you have found the right page. We have hunted out the best and most on-trend brooches for Afternoon Tea!
This starburst brooch with crystals and a large pearl is perfect to add a small sparkle to your outfit.
This beautiful classic elegant design with a modern twist that makes this bee brooch so popular. Be prepared to get lots of compliments when you wear this one! In fact, get a whole set of them!
These five classic cookbooks belong on the shelf of every home baker. They are filled with the classic treats of our childhoods and perfect recipes for delighting everyone. These wonderful books are the ones we reach for all the time when baking treats. They also make fantastic gifts for home bakers.
This is baking at its best. Over 100 full-colour photos. Recipes like Perfection Pound Cake and All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie. In addition, this book will take your baking to the next level with a base Recipes section at the end of the book, which includes pointers for making key ingredients such dough, pastry cream, lemon curd and faux crème fraîche.
From simple everyday crowd-pleasers (Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins, Gingersnaps, Gooseberry Crisp) to show-stopping stunners (Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart, Mango Bango Cheesecake, White Christmas Peppermint Cake) to bakery-style pastries developed for the home kitchen (the famous French Kouign Amann), every recipe proves that delicious perfection is within reach for any baker.
For a home baker, the five chapters of this book contain a wealth of knowledge. Each recipe is nicely written, and the steps are easy to follow. This compendium of cake recipes will earn a very special place on your cooking bookshelf.
Filled with 250 foolproof recipes of every variety, this comprehensive cookbook is packed with delicious baking ideas. Tempting muffins, scones, and breads are included along with Marry Berry’s famous cake recipes, including Victoria Sponge, Very Best Chocolate Cake, and Hazelnut Meringue Cake. Full-color photographs and illustrations that detail trickier steps are accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions and handy tips, making this an ideal resource for kitchen novices and more experienced cooks alike.
Now, with this authentic reproduction of the original 1963 edition, you can relive those moments, taste the cookies you grew up with and share them with your loved ones. All the charm of the original and all the great recipes are here. Turn to Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book to find: * An authentic facsimile of the classic 1963 edition packed with all your favorite cookie recipes * Over 450 recipes, dozens of nostalgic color photographs and charming how-to sketches * Scrumptious recipes for Holiday Cookies (dozens of Christmas specialties), Family Favorites (for lunchtime, snacktime, anytime), Company Best Cookies (fancy enough for company) and much more
When you feel the need to inject a little sweetness and joy into your day, this fluffy pink slice is sure to make you smile. It is pink and fluffy and has the perfect combination of sweet marshmallow with a crumbly shortbread base. This is one slice that is hard to decline a second serving.
This recipe is a childhood favorite that we remember our mothers and grandmothers baking for birthdays and celebrations. It was the treat that we all wanted to eat first!
Ingredients for the base: 125g butter 3/4 cup icing sugar 1 egg 1tsp vanilla essence 1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
Ingredients For Marshmallow topping: 1 cup of water 3 drops of pink food coloring 1 Tablespoon of gelatine 1 cup fine sugar 1 white of an egg 1 cup icing sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F)Grease and line a 17 x 27 cm baking tray.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla essence. Sift in the flour. The dough will be a little crumbly. Press it into the tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool.
To make the topping, place the water and food coloring into a saucepan. Sprinkle in the gelatine and the sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir continuously to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil on a lower heat for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat the egg white into peaks. Add in the icing sugar. Slowly pour in the warm gelatine mix. Beat until thick and fluffy. Spread this pink marshmallow over the cooled base. Set aside to set – about an hour. Enjoy!
If you like this recipe you will love our other recipes.
You may not have heard of Princess Louise, the 6th daughter of Queen Victoria. But, we are certain you are going to love this old-fashioned cake slice, that was named after her.
Louise Cake is one of our favorite recipes for serving at Afternoon tea.
This delightfully easy-to-bake treat has a thin layer of cake that is topped with raspberry jam and coconut meringue and then baked in the oven to make a sweet crisp coconut-flavored slice.
Ingredients
For the Cake Base:
125 grams (4.4 ounces) of unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar (fine)
3 egg yolks (at room temperature)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the Coconut-Meringue Topping:
1/4 cup castor sugar (very fine)
3 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 1/4 cups desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup raspberry jam
Method
Preheat the oven to 150 C / 300 F.
Lightly grease an 11 x 7-inch (30cm x 20cm) rectangular cake tin.
In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the three egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Fold into the creamed butter-sugar mixture. (The dough will seem quite crumbly)
Press dough into the bottom of the greased cake tin.
Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven to cool for 5 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 180°C.
To make the coconut-meringue topping:
In a clean bowl, beat the three egg whites until soft peaks appear.
Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar while continuing to beat the whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.
Gently fold in the desiccated coconut and vanilla essence.
Spread a thin layer of jam over the slightly cooled base in the pan.
Spoon and spread the coconut meringue over the jam, making sure the meringue completely covers the jam.
Return to the oven on a lower shelf and bake for 15 -20 minutes or until the meringue top is a soft eggshell color.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove and cut into squares.
It will come as no surprise that we love vintage style teacups and saucers here at How To High Tea. We love finding the prettiest, daintiest and most colorful teacups for any occasion.
We have found for you the best of the best for your shopping pleasure. Go ahead and treat yourself to some new vintage-style teacups and saucers.
The Royal Albert New Country Roses Teacup Set is a classic favorite. In pretty pink with polka dots and roses, this teacup set makes any occasion special. Check out also the matching side plates.
The Royal Albert Sitting Pretty Mug comes in a range of colors and sizes. We love love love the smallest size when used to deliver a sweet treat to your guests!
Staying with the Royal Albert range we cannot go past their Candy Teacup. This teacup and saucer come in Dusty blue with pretty floral accents and gorgeous gold edging. Make your tea time special with this perfect set.
For a perfectly mismatched teacup set, it is impossible to go past the Royal Albert Miranda Kerr Tea Cup Set. With floating butterflies, peonies and a perfect mix of blues, yellows, pinks and greens this set is fantastic for an afternoon tea party with friends.
Royal Albert Mismatched Sets are a quick and easy way to ensure you always have a set of beautiful vintage-style teacups and saucers ready for guests. They also make fabulous gifts.
Moving onto our favorite classic style teacups and saucers the Royal Doulton Old Country Roses Tea Cup and Saucer reminds us of the very best of our Grandmother’s china cabinet. These teacups were only allowed out for the most special occasions. Re-live those special feelings with a set of your own and use them every day!
Royal Albert Tea Sets and more Royal Albert Tea Sets – Have as much fun as we have picking and choosing your favorite and mixing them up in perfect vintage mismatched style.
This stunning set is a replica 1910 Royal Albert Teacup, Saucer and Side plate set that was released in 1910. Royal Albert rereleased this set as part of their 100 years of teacups promotion.
If you are looking for a full set of elegance this Wedgewood Renaissance Gold set would make the most amazing impact at a small dinner party or a large wedding party.
No post about vintage-style teacups would be complete without a few extra trimmings. Like this Kate Aspen Tea Box party favors. Our guests love love this little tea box filled with sweets! Yours will too.
And we love the fantastical look of this vintage style Flitz and Floyd English Tea Pot. It reminds us of an old fashioned garden tea party and is so pretty to pour tea from.
For extra awesomeness with your tea try Royal Albert Ceramic Spoons. They are gorgeous to use and add that extra special touch to a special cup of tea. Also, perfect gifts!
There is no point in having the most beautiful vintage style teacups if you are filling them with bland tea. Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend Tea comes in a gorgeous blue tin and smells divine.
For a classic English tea, Harney & Sons Royal English Breakfast Tea or Harney & Sons Tower of London Blend Tea offer the best of the best. Also packaged in delightful tins these teas are great for treating yourself or others.
Mommy and Me dresses are the perfect way to make a statement with your daughter in matching dresses or complementary outfits. We have gathered some of the best mommy and me dresses and combinations for a tea party, or wedding party. Mommy and Me dresses are a fantastic way to make your cutie feel part of the special day, looking just as beautiful as her mommy.
Matching Mommy and Me Swing Dresses
These fabulous tea party dresses are perfect for sharing a special day together in a flattering and fun fit and flare style for mom and daughter.
Mommy and Me Vintage Garden Tea Party Dress
We love the vintage style fabric on these classic tea party swing dresses. You can also choose to add a large tulle petticoat under the skirt to add an extra swing to the dress.
It is not essential to have identical dresses to make a wonderful mommy and me outfit, as these two complimenting polka dot dresses prove. They are such fun to wear and make a fabulous look when together.
Yellow and white polka dot dresses are so fun and sunny for a garden tea party or outdoor wedding. We love how much fun you are going to have together while adding bright cheerful colors to the day.
What we love most about this combination is the classic look of both dresses. We love the flattering fit of mommy’s dress with the tiny bow on the side. And, we love how the little girls’ dress is comfortable and easy to wear. Both look fabulous and put together in this combination.
Blooming Together in these gorgeous matching sunflower dresses
Bright cheerful sunflowers on classic swing style tea party dresses make this combination a winner for both. The fabric is fun and the style easy to wear and flattering for all.
The fun girl’s dress with large bold cherries is so sweet and adorable for a party. While mom can look her best in this flattering halter-neck wide swing dress with the complimentary cherry pattern.
We love the style of these two dresses together. The girl’s classic button dress with a belt is smart and fun. and compliments mom’s more grown-up version with wrap style dress. Pretty together and fun to wear.
No party dress is complete without accessories. We found the sweetest matching mommy and me teacup necklaces. These would also make a wonderfully special gift for mom and daughter on an important day.
Mommy and Me outfits can be put together by finding common elements between the two dresses, without being identical. In this pair, we matched the color blue and echoed the polka dots of the little girl’s dress in large embossed dots on mom’s dress. And finally, the design of the sleeve is the same on both.
In this combination we again found common elements to link these two dresses in as a unique pair. The classic pencil dress with collar and transparent sleeves is flattering and stylish for a fantastic look. While the young girl’s dress also has similar sleeves and a classic collar, but with a younger style flared skirt with overlay.
These two gorgeous dresses echo each other with the transparent sleeves and embroidered details. The ruffled sleeves also connect these classic dresses for the perfect mommy and me combo.
The pretty red embroidered dress is super sweet alongside mommy’s classic black version. These dresses are made for dancing and enjoying the day together in.
These pretty midnight blue sparkle dresses will delight everyone. The little girl’s dress is fun with large stars and tulle, while mommy’s dress sparkles like a galaxy of stars.
Bring the princess in both with this classic combination of princess style dresses. The pretty pink and gold will ensure both shine in their own way, while looking amazing together.
This beautiful combination of a pretty little tutu dress for your little one, and an elegant long mermaid style dress for you. Elegance meets sweetness is the most delightful way!
This pretty combination has the perfect fitting dress for your daughter and you. Show off your curves, while letting her also shine in a sweet sequined dress.
It is that time of year to start thinking of gifts for those we love. We have found the best books of the season for our friends and family members who also love Afternoon tea or high tea. These books are perfect for inspiring new baking, sharing ideas for tea party events and showing someone you are thinking of them.
The London Ritz Book of Afternoon Teacaptures the essence of this traditional British occasion and provides the reader with all the Ritz expertise in the ceremony as well as over 50 recipes, illustrated with passages from Dickens to Oscar Wilde and charming drawings.
Afternoon tea is a revered and treasured English tradition—and no one knows better how to prepare and enjoy a proper tea than the residents of Downton Abbey. With this alluring and vibrant cookbook, fans of the PBS series and anglophiles alike can stage every stylish element of this cultural staple of British society at home.
With more than 70 delectable recipes for scones, savories, and sweets, this book will inspire anyone who is planning a Christmastime celebration. Included are unique Tea pairings, along with a tea-steeping guide.
The editors of Victoria magazine invite your to savor the pleasures and possibilities of the cherished ritual of tea shared by people the world over in this beautiful gift book.
The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook presents over 100 recipes that showcase the cookery and customs of the Crawley household—from upstairs dinner party centrepieces to downstairs puddings and pies—and brings an authentic slice of Downton Abbey to modern kitchens and Downton fans.
Highclere Castle, known as “the real Downton Abbey,” bustles with activity all year round, but it is never more alive than at Christmas. This book is a look behind the scenes at the routines and rituals that make the castle the most magical place to be throughout the festive season.
This elegant coffee table cookbook highlights the luxe and elegance of the Christmas at Downton Abbey and features a collection of traditional British holiday recipes, from appetizers to desserts, that were popular during the Edwardian period.
A joyous celebration of Fortnum & Mason’s love for extraordinary seasonal food, Christmas and Other Winter Feasts is filled with flavoursome recipes for Christmas and New Year’s Eve
This fabulously easy-to-make German-style afternoon tea cake is perfect for warming your guest’s hearts and stomachs. The rich cinnamon and chopped nut topping make this a fast favourite.
