8 MUST KNOW AFTERNOON TEA CATERING TIPS

PART OF THE CHARM OF AFTERNOON TEA IS IN THE FOOD.

From the beautiful little sandwiches with their delicately flavored fillings, to the freshly baked scones, and the petit fours that are always too good to be true!

Everything is miniature and special, and looks to have been carefully handmade.

Now catering for an afternoon tea isn't difficult, but I've found there are a few things to remember to make it a success.




1. With sandwich fillings, less is more. Make them thin and easy to eat so they won't drop on anyone's lap.

2. If you sit your sandwiches on a bed of lettuce it will help keep them moist, and the bread won't go as stale as quickly.

3. Petits fours should be bite sized - three bites at the very most, and again, not so messy or fussy your guests end up wearing them.

4. If serving a full sized cake, serve it on plates so guests can eat with a dessert fork or spoon - just be prepared to have a few extra plates available so they don't have to eat their chicken sandwiches from the same dish as their cake.

5. Small cake cups or shot glasses are a great way to serve messier treats like cheesecakes, mousses, berries and cream etc.

6. To make scones really special, serve with clotted cream and homemade preserves. If you don't make your own, you can generally find heaps of preserves at your local Farmer's Market, and clotted cream is available in most supermarkets.

7. You don't have to make it all! Bought macarons and petit fours are absolutely fine ... though I wouldn't go so far as including Tim Tams!

8. And lastly, don't overfill the cake tiers or plates. It's a tea, not all you can eat. Let your gorgeous creations shine by giving them the space to be appreciated, and if you need more space, use more plates.


I've found these eight tips to be so useful when catering myself, I hope you do too!

All the best,

Eliza.