Afternoon Tea Week
Afternoon Tea Week celebrates the great British tradition of Afternoon Tea and is the perfect excuse to catch up with loved ones over a cup of tea and some delicacies.
This year’s Afternoon Tea Week will take place from 12th – 18th August and venues across the UK will run a selection of exclusive discounts and exciting events to pay tribute to the nation’s favourite pastime.
How about treating yourself to a delicious treat at a local cafe or if you’d rather host your own afternoon tea party, dust off your best crockery and make it a little more special with lace-like doilies, folded napkins and name place cards. Charity shops are a good source for reasonably priced chintzy Chinaware to get that authentic ye olde tearoom look. Don’t worry if the patterns are mismatched – it makes the event a little more hip. You’ll need a teapot, teacups, cutlery and cake slicers for serving.
Check out our suggestions to make your afternoon tea super special as well as checking out some of our other blogs for even more ideas:
Chai Tea
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Makes 2 cups
How about instead of your usual tea you give this chai tea a try. A warming spiced tea that’s quick and easy to brew that can be made with almond or cow’s milk.
Source: BBC Good Food
Ingredients
- 2 mugs of milk (or use almond milk)
- 2 English breakfast tea bags
- 6 cracked cardamom pods
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- A grating of fresh nutmeg
- 2 cloves
- 2-4 tsp light brown soft sugar
Method
Heat the milk in a saucepan over very low heat. Empty the contents of the tea bags into the pan, then add the cracked cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and cloves.
Sweeten with light brown soft sugar to taste (chai tea should be sweet, but use less if you like), then leave to infuse, but not boil, for 10 mins. Strain into mugs and enjoy.
Citrus Iced Tea
Prep time: 15 mins + cooling
Makes 1.2 litres
If you love tea, but don’t find it refreshing in hot weather, try this wonderfully fresh alternative.
Source: BBC Good Food
Ingredients
- 6 ordinary tea bags
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 10 sprigs mint
- 300ml fresh orange juice
- Juice 1 lime
- 1/2 sliced orange, mint leaves and ice to serve
Method
Heat the milk in a saucepan over very low heat. Empty the contents of the tea bags into the pan, then add the cracked cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and cloves.
Sweeten with light brown soft sugar to taste (chai tea should be sweet, but use less if you like), then leave to infuse, but not boil, for 10 mins. Strain into mugs and enjoy.
Lemonade Scones
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Makes 10
Scones are a tea party essential. Bake a batch of these easy lemonade scones and pair them with plenty of clotted cream and jam – and a cup of tea, of course! – for a classic British treat.
Source: BBC Good Food
Ingredients
- 350g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 50g caster sugar
- 120g double cream
- 120g lemonade, do not use sugar-free varieties
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl and mix together. Gradually pour in the double cream and lemonade, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together into a dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth – be careful not to overwork it.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of lightly floured baking parchment, then roll out to a 2cm thickness. Chill for 1 hr until slightly firm. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Take the dough out of the fridge and use a 6cm round cutter to stamp out 10 rounds. Try not to twist the cutter as you press it into the dough.
Line a large baking tray with baking parchment, and arrange the scones on top, leaving space between each. Flip them over so the side that was touching the baking parchment when stamping them out is now on top. Carefully brush the tops with the beaten egg, making sure the glaze doesn’t drip down the sides.
Bake the scones for 12-14 mins, or until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack, then serve.
Boozy Coffee & Walnut Cake
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves 10
Boozy coffee and walnut cake is the perfect sponge for afternoon tea.
Source: BBC Good Food
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g softened butter
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 15 walnut halves
- 2 heaped tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
For the filling
- 500g pot mascarpone
- 85g light muscovado sugar
- 4 tbsp Tia Maria
- A few toasted walnut halves, for decoration
Method
Heat oven to 190C/ fan 170C/ gas 5. Butter two 20cm sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper. Toast the walnut halves in the oven for 10 minutes. Reserve 10 and chop the rest.
In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, eggs, flour and baking powder until you have a smooth batter. Add the cooled coffee. Divide between the sandwich tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
For the filling, beat the mascarpone with the light muscovado sugar and Tia Maria until smooth. Sandwich the cooled cakes with a third of the filling and the chopped walnuts.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the filling and decorate the top with the toasted walnut halves.
Coconut Macaroons
Time: 25mins + cooling
Makes 12
Five ingredients and less than half an hour in the kitchen are all it takes to make this classic, coconutty treat. Drizzle thickly with dark chocolate to finish.
Source: Olive Magazine
Ingredients
- 175g desiccated coconut
- 2 egg whites
- 75g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
Method
Heat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3. Toast the coconut in a dry frying pan over medium heat, tossing, for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Tip into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until frothy. While whisking, add the sugar a spoonful at a time until you have a stiff, glossy meringue that is holding stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
Fold the meringue into the toasted coconut until evenly combined. Scoop the mixture into 12 balls and put onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, shaping with the spoon into a round. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden, then cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in short blasts in a microwave, then dip the bases of the cooled macaroons in the melted chocolate. Transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet of baking paper to catch any drips. Drizzle with any remaining melted chocolate and leave to set before serving.
