Prepare a traditional English high tea?

Question

A few years ago my mother and I experienced our first high tea. I wanted to re-create this event for her.

Does anyone know how to go about this? I need food ideas, and, if the food is a little more crative, recipes.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Answer 1

This website has it all... ideas, recipes, great pictures. http://www.joyofbaking.com/EnglishTeaParty.html

Answer 2

You need to serve:

a selection of sandwiches in fingers, crusts off, (say smoked salmon, cucumber and cheese)
scones with clotted cream (if you can't get that the thickest kind of cream you can, whipped) and strawberry or raspberry jam
cake - fruit cake + another variety, like a lemon drizzle loaf cake
biscuits - shortbread are ideal.

Serve with black tea, Ceylon is very nice or Earl Grey. Tea is usually served with milk for a high tea.

S Marquet
http://www.southoffrancehotel.com

Answer 3

The above are all excellent suggestions for a Traditional (English) AFTERNOON TEA.

HIGH TEA is a rather different matter. That is a substantial early evening meal which includes tea as a beverage.

Answer 4

Steak and kidney pie English boiled dinner (style of like stew) with boiled purple meat, potatoes, carrots and gravey Fish and chips (fried fish and french fries) Bread pudding Custard pie All different than the steak and kidney pie i myself like.

Answer 5

Cucumber sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, lemon and lime tart.

Answer 6

go to the food network or martha stewart web pages they have great ideas there

Answer 7

A true "High Tea" is actually the evening meal, w/ hot teaas the beverage. My guess is that you really want a nice Afternoon Tea.

You need 1-2 sandwiches, a scone, a cookie or cake bite, and maybe a small bite of a hot entree (thinking a quiche tartlet here). Be sure to have a blend of sweet and savory items. If your scone is savory (cheese & bacon, for example), you may want to inclue a sweet sandwich (pineapple cream cheese on banana nut bread, for ex.)

The smaller the food, the fancier the tea! So have nothing that takes over 2 bites to finish. You can have multiple items (say 2 egg salad sandwiches for each of you), just make sure they are small finger sandwiches, not a big honking croissant stuffed full.

Just a few of my fave recipes are below. If you'd like others, do email me.


APRICOT WALNUT TEA BREAD
*(you can serve slices of this or use it to make sandwiches w/ cream cheese filings.)

1 cup dried apricots
1½ cups boiling water
2½ cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" loaf pan. Cut the apricots into small pieces & place in a bowl. Add the boiling water; set aside to cool. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt & set aside. In a large bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, sugar & oil; beat until blended. Gradually add the apricot mixture, beating constantly. Add the flour mixture & beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen with spatulas & transfer to a rack. Cool. Wrap in foil & store in the refrigerator at least 12 hours before serving.
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Herbed Vidalia Onion Tea Sandwich

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/2 cup or more, as needed
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
Fresh lemon juice, optional
Hot pepper sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 very thin slices white bread
1- 2 Vidalia onions (available seasonally at specialty produce markets and some supermarkets), sliced very thinly

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and tarragon. Stir in lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, to taste.

Spread 1 side of the bread slices with the mayonnaise mixture, arrange the onion slices evenly on half the bread slices, and top them with the remaining bread slices. Press the sandwiches together gently, trim the crusts, and cut the sandwiches into quarters.

Put the remaining 1/2 cup parsley in a shallow bowl and dip the edges of the sandwich quarters in the parsley.

--Gourmet magazine
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Sunshine Poppyseed Scones

1½ cups A/P flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. poppyseeds
3 Tbsp. chilled butter
½ cup lemon yogurt
¼ cup orange juice
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. fresh lemon or orange zest

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients.

Combine yogurt, OJ, egg, and zest. Add to wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Do not overmix.

With lightly floured hands, form dough into a circle that is 1” in thickness and place on a greased baking sheet. Cut dough into 8 wedges and bake 15 minutes until browned.

Serves 8.

--Today’s Diet & Nutrition, Winter 2006
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Carrot Cake Tea Sandwiches

(Makes 18 small sandwiches)

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ cup grated carrots
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup chopped pecans
12 slices Raisin Bread, crusts removed

Combine first 4 ingredients until well mixed. Spread cream cheese mixture on half of the bread slices, topping with another slice of bread, and cut into 3 fingers.

--Tea Time, Nov/Dec 2006
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Shrimp Butter Tea Sandwiches
1 cup butter
1 cup minced cooked shrimp
1/4 tsp. salt
dash paprika
3 tablespoons lemon juice
lettuce (I like Romaine for crunch)
thinly sliced country style white bread, crusts removed
Cream butter shrimp, salt, lemon and paprika to a paste or leave a little more texture if you wish. Spread a small slice bread with the shrimp butter, add a piece of lettuce and top it with another slice of bread. This is also good on a cracker with a tiny sprig of fresh dill topping it off.
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Silver Spoon's Strawberry Soup
*(you can serve this in another tea cup w/ saucer and a soup spoon. Luscious!)

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup red wine
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh strawberries
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sour cream

1. In a med. saucepan, combine water, wine, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over med-high heat on stovetop and boil uncovered for 15 min, stirring occasionally.

2. Wash and dry strawberries. Thinly slice a strawberry lengthwise. Reserve for garnish.

3. Remove tops of remaining strawberries. Puree strawberries. Add puree to boiling mixture and boil for 10 min., stirring frequently. Remove mixture from heat and cool until lukewarm.

4. In a small bowl, combine creams. Fold creams into strawberry mixture. Chill well.

5. If desired, garnish each serving with a slice of strawberry. Serve cold.

Yield: 2 servings
Preparation: 10 min.
Cook: 30 min
Cool: 30 min.
Chill: 4 hours

--Taste of the South magazine

Answer 8

scones? deviled eggs? finger sandwiches? sounds very tasty--can I come?