Recipes and tips to host the perfect tea party (2024)

This post contains editorial samples and/or affiliate links to products I recommend. While this adds no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission on any sales made.

It’s not always easy finding ways to surprise Mom, considering she knows all the tricks in the book, right? You want to do something different to make her feel special. What about inviting the queen of your home to an unforgettable tea party? Read on for some easy tea party ideas, recipes, and tips!

Breakfast in bed is old, and treating her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, well, that has been done way too many times. But what about inviting the queen of your home to an unforgettable tea party?

This post was first published on April 29, 2016.

Over the years, I’ve been adding a tip or two to this popular post, and for good reason…

This needs to be the perfect afternoon tea!

Tea Party Ideas, Recipes and Tips to Host an Unforgettable Afternoon Tea experience

An afternoon tea party couldn’t be a more perfect way to celebrate Mom, and yes, I promise, the essentials for a tea party are simple.

A floral tablecloth

If you don’t own a vintage-looking floral tablecloth, a pretty pastel-colored linen tablecloth will work.

(If disposable tablecloths are all you have, use those.)

Get a vase, or two, fill each with colorful, fresh flowers to add that burst of happiness to the table.

Steaming hot tea in a teapot, which will be served in teacups with saucers, are a must.

What’s a tea party without tea, right?

And no, not iced tea, but a good ol’ pot of steaming tea.

If you’re lost on what tea to buy, an Earl Gray is a popular choice but if you prefer stronger tea, as I do, I would recommend black Ceylon tea.

But if you ask me what my favorite of all teas is, I would have to go with a traditional Indian cardamom chai, made from scratch, or even fresh ginger chai.

Mmmm.

A 3 tiered platter.

Most often than not, all, or at least most, of the goodies for a tea party are arranged on a 3 tiered tray with scones on one tier, sandwiches on the other, tea cakes, muffins, and pastries on the last tier.

While I used a glass tiered tray, you can choose a more rustic look with this gorgeous iron 3 tiered treat stand.

Scones.

You can’t do a traditional afternoon tea without scones, and I recommend you bake these an hour before your tea party commences as they’re best straight out of the oven.

The recipe I use is adapted from the original, saved from USA Weekend’s columnist, Pam Anderson.

This is so good and incredibly easy.

Serve these with lemon curd, marmalade, or any other fruit preserve of your choice.

These taste delicious minus an accompanimenttoo.

Mini sandwiches

Now here’s where you can get really creative. You can really make whatever sandwich Mom prefers but if you would like to do something along the traditional high tea menu route, make cucumber sandwiches (fresh cucumber slices held together with butter)

and egg salad sandwiches.

Both sandwichescan be made independently by older kids.

My 10 year oldmade the egg salad sandwiches from start to finish while my 5 year old helped layer the cucumbers on each slice and make individual sandwiches with the same.

Muffins andFresh Fruit Tarts

When I think of England, I think of Paddington Bear and his love for Britain’s popular orange preserve,marmalade.

These marmalade nut muffins are a great addition to the tiered platter.

If mom likes kiwis, she may take a fancy to fresh kiwi tea cakes too.

(You can pour the batter into muffin trays to make these mini kiwi tea muffins.)

You can also buy frozen tart shells, bake and fill the shells with lemon curd (top this with fresh strawberries or blueberries),

or blend fresh strawberries into a homemade custard and top this with blueberries.

Savory rolls

I remember my mother would serve sausage rolls at every birthday party I had, as a child.

These are easy to make, either with a Pillsbury biscuit dough as covering or you can make this from scratch using my Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Muffins recipe as a base.

The only difference is you would omit the cheese and wrap a 1″ long sausage piece (of your choice) with the dough.

You can do the same with mozzarella sticks to make mozzarella rolls.

Biscuits (aka Cookies)

And finally, you just have to have ‘biscuits’ to complete your traditional High Tea.

You can bake cookies, like my 3 ingredient shortbread cookies, from scratch. or pick up some popular English biscuit favorites, like McVities and Scottish Walkers Shortbread.

End the celebration with beautiful, free printable All About Mom keepsakes.

Now that you have your tea party table all set, don’t forget to dress to the nines and wear those fascinators or fascinator hats.

How will you celebrate your mother? Do you have any tea party ideas to share?