Everybody loves to go out for an afternoon filled with tea, scones, sandwiches and all the delicious cakes you can eat. Why not this time, try something a little different and host your own afternoon tea party? It’s not as daunting as it seems, it just needs a little planning, time and effort! We’ve pulled together some top tips and great recipes for you to bake before your guests arrive, courtesy of Kilner® and Mason Cash.
Planning tips
Select a date & time that’s suitable for you and your guests. People lead busy lives so let your guests know as soon as possible!
Make sure you have the right tea related accessories. You’ll need some teapots, champagne flutes (if you’re cracking open the bubbly), side plates and the right cutlery.
If this is your first time hosting an afternoon tea, the Viners® Select Afternoon Tea Set will be perfect for you as it includes all the cutlery you’ll need to get set up.
The Viners® Select range has a lovely 4 piece pastry fork and teaspoon set in colours grey or copper. They’re perfect to bring out during occasions like afternoon tea. Why use a pastry fork instead of a normal fork? A pastry fork is different from a dinner or salad fork, it has 3 tines with the left one having a flattened edge and being longer than the others. It’s designed like this so the user can cut through the cake or pastry with ease.
Plan which recipes you want to follow for your afternoon tea. At most tea parties there’s a variety of savoury and sweet bites. We’ve recommended some great recipes that will impress your guests.
Recipes
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Making strawberry jam has never been this easy with this quick and simple recipe! Use this jam with the victoria sandwich cake and almond scones recipes mentioned below. Recipe by Kilner®.
Ingredients
- 900g Strawberries, washed and hulled
- 800g Caster Sugar
- 4 tbsp Lemon Juice
Method
- Add all of the strawberries into a Kilner® Preserving Pan and crush with a potato masher.
- Add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir over a low heat until all of the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil until the mixture reaches 105°C/ 220°F whilst still continuing to stir.
- Cool slightly and transfer the mixture into hot sterile Kilner® Jars, leaving about 1cm/ 1/2 inch space between the lid and seal your jar.
- Process your Kilner® Jars.
- Keeps for 6 months in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, refrigerate.
Victoria Sandwich Cake
A classic and a favourite at afternoon tea! This victoria sponge recipe is filled with strawberry jam and sweet buttercream. Recipe from Mason Cash.
Ingredients
- 225g Softened Butter
- 150g Golden Caster Sugar
- 150g Self-raising Flour
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 Eggs, beaten
- For the topping:
- 300ml Double Cream
- 50g Icing Sugar
- Strawberry Jam
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°c/ 350°f / Gas mark 4 and grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in sandwich tins.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Beat the eggs in a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the flour until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. This does not have to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check that they are even.
- Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the tin and leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
- For the cream topping, whisk the cream until it begins to thicken. Slowly add the icing sugar and continue to whisk until the cream forms stiff peaks.
- To assemble, place one cake upside down on a plate and spread with the strawberry jam. Then, using a piping bag, pipe the cream topping on top of the jam. Top with the second cake and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Almond Scones
Soft and fluffy, these almond scones pair perfectly with afternoon tea. This recipe makes approximately 10 scones. Recipe from Mason Cash.
Ingredients
- 450g Self-raising Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 100g Cold Butter, cubed
- 85g Golden Caster Sugar
- 284ml Buttermilk
- 2 tsp Almond Extract
- Milk, for glazing
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Put the flour and salt into a Mason Cash mixing bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter into the mixture until there are no more lumps, then stir in the sugar.
- Combine the buttermilk with the almond extract and warm through in a pan or in the microwave.
- Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture a little at a time mixing together with a knife until you have a dough.
- Tip the bowl out onto a floured surface and form the mix together with your hands once or twice - the less you can touch it, the better the bake. Then gently press or roll out the dough to around a 4cm thickness.
- Cut out the dough using a cutter of your choice, ideally around 6cm in diameter, reforming any trimmings that you have. Spread the scones onto a baking sheet (you may need two).
- Spread out on a lightly floured baking sheet or two and brush each one on top with milk. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the scones rise and are golden.
- Allow to cool and serve with clotted cream and jam.