Classic, cozy or cool: afternoon tea ideas to suit your vibe
Summary/Overview
Afternoon tea can be as simple as putting your feet up and enjoying a chocolate biscuit with a brew for 15 minutes or hosting a classic afternoon tea event for friends and family. If you’re hosting a tea party at home, you can go the extra mile and throw in a bottle of fizz or keep it warm and cosy and stick with hot drinks like tea, machala chai, or coffee.
For families with young children, afternoon tea can bring some fun to the dinner table at teatime. There are so many afternoon tea ideas to make kids more engaged and keep them busy! It can be the perfect opportunity to get little hands baking in the kitchen or working on the computer to draw up a fancy menu for the event.
In this article, we’ll explore afternoon tea ideas and look at how afternoon tea parties can be thrown at home. We’ll also take a look at Adobe Express’ menu templates and invitation templates to help you elevate your afternoon tea!
Elevate teatime: afternoon tea ideas at home
If you’re looking for afternoon tea ideas at home and plan to invite friends and family to tea, then you’ll want to whisk up (or buy from your local supermarket) some tempting treats like finger sandwiches, scones, and cakes. If you’re going all out, get a 3-tier disk serving stand to present your food. Savoury items go on the lowest tier, scones on the middle tier and sweet items at the very top.
Providing your guests with a charming little menu is a fun part of hosting afternoon tea at home. Browse hundreds of menu ideas for afternoon tea, including menu templates with cake themes and brunch-themed menu templates.
Is afternoon tea the new dinner? Reinvent teatime with these ideas.
Whilst many children wish that afternoon tea could replace their regular teatime, parents may not be so sure. That being said, there are ways to incorporate the splendour and fun of afternoon tea into teatime at home. This could be an especially effective way to encourage children to try new foods, and to become excited about having teatime at the table.
Take it a step further, by making it an occasion for your children to play fancy dress and have them read their very own menus when choosing their dinner options. Encourage them to create their own party menus and party invites.
Take a look at these classic Afternoon Tea Party Invitation templates.
Vintage afternoon tea party ideas
Afternoon tea has been enjoyed by Brits since the 1840s, so there are plenty of different vintage themes from over the years to choose from. You might go with an 1880s theme and invite your guests to wear long gloves and hats and go for high tea in their drawing rooms. (If you don’t have a drawing room, then your living room, dining room, or garden will have to do!). There are simply decades of afternoon tea party ideas to choose from, so get creative!
Set the scene for your vintage tea party with appropriate decor, clothing and of course, a proper invitation. Find vintage party invitation templates with fonts, colours and patterns that perfectly match your vintage-themed party.
Create Afternoon Tea Party Invitations using our range of templates in Adobe Express:
How to make afternoon tea: a step-by-step guide
There are thousands of mouth-watering recipes explaining how to make afternoon tea, however the basic food ideas for afternoon tea at home include:
Finger sandwiches. These are regular sandwiches cut into finger-like pieces, often with crusts removed. Fillings traditionally include smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, egg and cress, coronation chicken, and grated carrot with raisins and hummus.
Hot finger foods. This includes mini quiches, sausage rolls, small pies, Welsh rarebit, and pâtés on toast.
Savoury scones. Scones baked with cheese and served with bacon.
Sweet items will include scones served with clotted cream and jam, eclairs, cakes, petit fours, mini meringues, macarons, and anything else you wish (just keep it small and dainty). Make sure to look for afternoon tea decoration ideas, as there are so many fun ways to decorate your cakes and your spread.
Highlight your home-baked goodies with a unique flyer. Your love of baking may even turn into a small business! Make your cakes stand out by learning how to take gorgeous photos of all the delicious food you plan to serve.
Ready to create your first Afternoon Party? Check out our range of templates available in Adobe Express:
Useful things to know.
Which menu template is suitable for afternoon tea?
There are hundreds of templates available from Adobe Express, and you can customise your favourite one in a couple of minutes.
Can I use Adobe Express to design different menus for different tea parties?
Yes! You can explore hundreds of different templates and easily edit whichever template you need for each of your special events at home.
Is Adobe Express free to use?
Yes! Adobe Express offers two different plans for individuals: free and premium. You can get started with the free plan immediately and get access to many of the core features of Adobe Express. This includes professionally designed templates, 1,000 Adobe Express fonts and royalty free media. Learn more about Adobe Express’ free plan here.