The ultimate guide for hosting a posh high tea
Cake. Coffee. Tea. Sandwiches. Tarts. What’s more glorious than attending a posh high tea? Throwing your own, of course. Here’s your ultimate guide for hosting a high tea. We guarantee your mates will be impressed!
1. Invite, incite
Everyone loves to get a paper invitation in the post rather than a perfunctory text message. We recommend including a pic of a teacake or melting moment to tempt your guests to RSVP as soon as possible!
Invite, incite
2. Theme dream
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your party theme. Be inspired by India and serve chai tea, take a taste trip to Eastern Europe with chocolate babkas or go American with mini donuts and Reuben sandwiches.
3. Explore décor
Decorate your room in a simple yet classy style to add ambience to your high tea. Nothing complements cupcakes quite like fresh flowers (we vote for roses or orchids), crisp white tablecloths and floral fabric napkins. Soft classical music playing in the background will give added ambience.
4. Shop for props
While we don’t encourage you to spend a fortune on a high tea kit, we recommend the following: A cake stand, mix and match vintage side plates, china cups and saucers, a bowl and silver tongs for sugar cubes, cake forks.
5. Plan ‘n’ prep
If you’d rather spend the day hanging out with your friends than stuck in the kitchen, plan ahead. There is more preparation involved in high tea than you’d expect, so make sure you do as much sandwich-making, cake-assembling and kettle-boiling as possible before everyone arrives.
6. Know your convo
Nobody wants to talk money, religion or politics over their scones. Safe subjects include travel, cute animals and food (obvs).
7. Tea of knowledge
Do a bit of research into the leafy stuff before the event so that all your sippers are satisfied. We recommend having three choices of tea; one black (like Ceylon), one herbal (such as camomile) and one green tea. Make sure you use loose-leaf tea rather than teabags to create the desired effect.
8. Lay on a spread
You don’t have to put on a huge feast, but provide a selection big enough to keep all eaters satisfied. How about these mini quiches, followed by banoffee profiteroles?
9. Interactive eaters
Nobody likes the awkward moment at the start of a gathering when everyone just mulls around not saying much. Get your guests socialising with interactive dishes like these DIY chocolate-dipped strawberries!
10. Get the etiquette
So there are high tea DOs and there are high tea DON’Ts. DO let your tea brew for 3-6 minutes and add milk to the cup before pouring the tea. DON’T clink your spoon against china, dunk your biscuits in your tea or (contrary to wide belief) stick your pinkie out as you sip.
For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.
Originally published as The ultimate guide for hosting a posh high tea
Secrets behind Big Mac sauce finally revealed
Love your Big Mac? Well we have very, very good news for you.
Surprising array of dishes you can make in the slow cooker
From bread to a lemon cheesecake, there’s an amazing selection of recipes which go well in the slow cooker. Check out 32 options here.