Afternoon Tea
Recreate the glamour of the grand London hotels in your own home with a fabulous Afternoon Tea.
A stylish way to celebrate a special occasion!
There's something utterly decadent about an 'Afternoon Tea' taken in opulent surroundings. The delicate crustless sandwiches, warm scones topped with the sweetest preserves and billowing mounds of clotted cream. A selection of the finest patisserie and of course that all important pot of tea, brewed to absolute perfection.
Pink Champagne
Now, we all like to fantasise about whiling away the hours sipping pink champagne and nibbling on little savoury triangles, served by handsome uniformed waiters in glamorous locations, but for most of us, it is just that- a fantasy.
While we can't do anything about the handsome waiters, we can help by offering a few simple ideas on how to transform a little corner of your home into a fabulous 'Tea Salon', including presenting a sumptuous 'Afternoon Tea Menu', to rival any of those available at the most reputable of 5 star establishments.
Setting the mood
The most important element of an 'Afternoon Tea' is of course the menu, but setting the right mood or ambiance is also key.
This can be something as simple as swapping an ordinary light bulb for a more softer toned or 'fireside' kind of light, dotting a couple of potted palms around the room- very Poirot! or covering your settee in a soft throw and adding a couple of new cushions.
To really transport your guests back to the 1920s/30s a suitable soundtrack should do the trick. Seek out compilation cds on ebay or amazon.
To give you an idea of what we mean, click on the link, close your eyes and listen- waiter more tea!
Presentation
With the mood set, we move on to presentation.
The more crystal, silver (plate), fine linen and gilded china you can get your hands on, the better. Particularly if you are celebrating something special.
I am very lucky in that I have a mother who has made it her lifetime's work to rummage about in charity shops, jumble and car boot sales. She admits to feeling low when car boot season is over- (addicted?).
I mean do I really need yet another fine linen banqueting cloth and 15 pressed glass cakestands.....err yes, perhaps i'm ill too?
With the advent of Ebay,(something my Mother has yet to master), it is now easy to get hold of some fabulous table linens and equipment.
In fact everything you could possibly need to present a really stylish tea.
A typical list could include the following:
Linen Tablecloths/Napkins
Stick to plain white- more Grand Hotel.
Paper napkins are fine if you can't find linen. Just make sure that they're the thicker good quality ones.
Tea Service
Here you can add colour and a touch of gold, if you're lucky enough to stumble across something really eye catching. If not, don't worry, you can also mix and match different patterns for a lovely vintage feel.
Teapots/Hot Water Pots
I love the old silver plate teapots (Hotel ware). It's ok if they're not absolutely perfect, but do make sure that the handles are secure and that the plating has not worn away from the inside.
Cakestands
Pressed glass or pretty porcelain tiered stands- essential!
Cutlery
Here charity shops come into their own. You can often find boxes of old silver plate cutlery, such as cake forks and teaspoons. Again don't worry if they don't match. Polish them up a bit, then wash in hot soapy water, rinse and dry.
Champagne Glasses
Offering Champagne or a nice sparkling wine, such a Prosecco adds an extra special touch. I really love the old saucer shaped glasses or Coupes, (yep, another collection). They don't hold quite as much as the more popular flutes, but there is something decadent about them, perhaps it's the shape, said to have been modelled on the figure of the courtesan, Madame de Pompadour.
To be continued......
We are working hard to get this page completed, but in the meantime why not take a look at out our new store at www.zazzle.co.uk/salonglace* The image shown above is available to buy right now as a gorgeous 'Afternoon Tea Invitation'
Salon Glacé 2006- 2010
