Britain always celebrates Mother's Day ahead of the rest of the world, so in a few days time, people all over Britain will we celebrated Mothering Sunday and honouring the very special women in their lives: mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, godmothers, aunties, mother figures... So what could be a more special way to spoil the extraordinary women in our lives than by treating them to a decadent afternoon tea?
We really love the idea of a themed afternoon tea and when it comes to a Mother’s Day afternoon tea party, vintage is the only way to go, with mismatched, floral, china teacups, an elaborate cake stand, bird cages, and decorations in the form of pearls and lace. Chocolate and flowers also feature quite heavily as they tend to be gifts we traditionally give our mothers on their special day. Colours for this event could be in the traditional pink and lilac, or any pastel hue, or maybe even cream and gold for a classic vintage feel. With the weather getting warmer, there’s a good chance that you could hold your tea party outdoors.
When thinking about the menu, we went for old-school English classics, real ‘like mother used to make’ stuff, with an added touch of elegance and luxury. After all you can’t get more English than afternoon tea, so English classics it is! The list below gives food ideas of what you can include as part of your afternoon tea party menu:
SANDWICHES
Egg and cress
Cucumber and cream cheese
Coronation chicken
Ham and English mustard
Smoked salmon and cream cheese
Rare roast beef and horseradish
Rose petals with honey
Prawn mayonnaise
SAVOURIES
Smoked salmon soufflés
Mini sausage rolls
Blinis with smoked salmon
Mini Cornish pasties
Parmesan thins
Roast beef-filled Yorkshire puddings
Goats’ cheese rarebit
Spinach and parmesan muffins
Cheese straws
Potted shrimp on melba toast
Trout pate on melba toast
Mini chicken and asparagus pie
SWEET SCONES/TOASTED BREADS
Crumpets
Tea loaf
Tea cakes
Brioche
English muffins
Scones with clotted cream and rose petal jam
CAKES, TARTS AND OTHER SWEET TREATS:
Victoria sponge cake
Apple pie with cinnamon cream
Chocolate fudge cake
Lemon drizzle cake
Cherry Cake
Jam tartlets
Battenburg cake
Rose and raspberry or chocolate macaroons
Fruit cake
Mini Bakewell tarts
Chocolate mousse with sugared violets in shot glasses
Mini English trifles
Pink and lilac iced buns
Lavender shortbread
Chocolate éclairs
Strawberry shortcake
Custard slices
Florentines
DRINKS:
Tea! Choose from various types including, black, white, green, oolong, fruit and herbal
Frozen strawberry daiquiris
White chocolate mocha
Pink lemonade
Raspberry Bellini
Cava with nasturtiums
Pomegranate Martini
Champagne with hibiscus
Chocolate flavoured cocktails
Don’t forget the extras you need to serve such as butter, clotted cream, honey and a selection of jams to go with the toasted breads and scones. And for the savouries, you may need to provide a variety of chutneys, sauces and pickles.
Here’s a recipe for the unusual but delightful flower petal sandwiches which has serious Mother's Day vibes, and was inspired by a recipe created by Angel Adoree from her cook book The Vintage Tea Party Book
FLOWER PETAL SANDWICHES
Makes 12
INGREDIENTS:
6 slices of soft white or wholemeal bread
50g (1oz) softened cream cheese
2 tsps. honey
3 tbsp. good quality conserve
3 tbsp. Chocolate ganache
3-4 tbspn. organic edible flower petals of your choice
Few drops of rose essence
METHOD:
1. Mix cream cheese and honey, then spread over the slices of bread.
2. Add dainty blobs of conserve and ganache over three of the bread slices.
3. Top those slices with the petals then place remaining slices on top.
4. Crusts on or off is up to you.
5. Enjoy!
If you're using dried flower petals, you can soak them in a bowl of cold water for twenty minutes. You can add rose essence, vanilla or orange blossom water if you wish. Drain well before potting in sandwishes.
Photos: Pixabay
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
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