What better way to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort than with a quintessentially British Afternoon Tea fit for Royalty!
For those looking to celebrate the momentous occasion in style, here are our tips for creating an afternoon tea fit for royalty.
What is afternoon tea?
Afternoon tea can be pretty much anything you want it to be! Traditionally it’s a mixture of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones and pastries, but in recent years people have recreated the classic afternoon tea and made some quirky interpretations!
You can choose to go down the traditional afternoon tea route or put your own spin on it. Add a few twists and incorporate some contemporary flavours into your afternoon tea, or stick to the classic formula and make a spread that the royals would be proud of.
Raspberry and Cream Sponge Cake
What you need
Tiered cake stands have long been the centrepiece for traditional afternoon tea. They’re certainly the easiest way to serve and look pretty impressive in the centre of your table. If you don’t want to use a tiered cake stand, pair your fanciest crockery with folded napkins and a stand-out tablecloth or runner to make it extra special. With it being a royal celebration, it’s nice to use commemorative tableware. It looks the part and makes for a lovely keepsake once the festivities have ended!
For a classic afternoon tea, you will need:
- Tiered Cake Stand (or alternative serving ware)
- Teapot
- Cups & Saucers
- Milk Jug
- Sugar Bowl
- Serving Plates
- Cutlery
- Napkins
- Cake Stand (if you’re having an extra cake)
- Tablecloth or Runner
- Cake Slicer
- Glasses (if you’re serving cold drinks)
Set the scene
When hosting an event for the Coronation, decor is key. Decorating your space adds a special touch to your afternoon tea party and puts everyone in a celebratory mood.
Bunting, balloons, flags and streamers are easy ways to add a festive feel to your Coronation celebrations. Name cards are another lovely way to accessorise your table and make your guests feel extra special. Check out our blog on styling your kitchen for the Coronation or head to our Pinterest for more decor inspiration.
Food
Afternoon tea is what you make it, but the classic menu consists of a tier of finger sandwiches, one of sweet treats and another of scones with clotted cream and jam. You can also add in extras such as crisps, biscuits, savoury pastries and quiche!
Scones
Served with clotted cream and jam, scones are an essential part of any Afternoon Tea! The royal pastry chef has shared their very own recipe for fruit scones, so you can treat your guests to the same scones as the royals themselves!
You will need:
- 500g Plain flour
- 28g Baking poweder
- 94g Butter
- 86g Sugar
- 2 Whole eggs
- 140g Buttermilk
- 100g Sultanas (cover in hot water, leave to soak for 30 mins)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, butter and sugar together in a bowl until a crumb is formed.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together.
- Add the liquid to the crumb mixture.
- Continue to mix the dough until it is smooth.
- Add the sultanas and mix until evenly distributed.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten the dough and cover.
- Leave to rest for approx 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2.5cm and cut to desired shape.
- Rest the scones for another 20 mins.
- Gently egg wash the top of the scones.
- Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins until golden brown.
- Cool before serving with cream and jam.
*recipe source https://www.royal.uk/royal-recipe-fruit-scones?page=3.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches are easy to serve and a tasty addition to your afternoon tea spread. You can prepare them in advance and choose the flavours to suit your guests.
The most popular recipes for afternoon tea sandwiches are:
- Egg & cress
- Coronation chicken
- Cucumber
- Smoked salmon & cream cheese
- Cheese & tomato
- Ham & mustard
Coronation Chicken
It wouldn’t feel right celebrating the Coronation without the sandwich which shares it’s namesake
Coronation chicken was originally invented by Rosemary Hume for Queen Elizabeth II Coronation in 1953. Whilst it was originally intended to be a salad, it’s now better known as a sandwich.
You will need:
- 300g Cooked chicken (shredded and skin removed)
- 2 tsp Curry powder milk
- 1 tbsp Coriander
- 2 tbsp Mango chutney
- 6 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1tbsp Sultanas
- 1 tbsp Flaked almonds
- 1tbsp Butter
- 8 Slices of bread
- 1 Tsp Ground turmeric
- Put mayonnaise, sultanas, curry powder, flaked almonds, turmeric and mango chutney into a bowl and mix together.
- Stir in the chicken.
- Chop the coriander.
- Butter the bread and divide the mixture between each slice.
- Sprinkle over the coriander.
*recipe source https://greatbritishrecipes.com/coronation-chicken-sandwich/.
Sweet Treats
Baking in individual portions is essential for the afternoon tea aesthetic, so make batches of more miniature desserts that can be nicely arranged on your tiered cake stand. Try the classic Victoria Sponge to keep the tradition, but make smaller versions, one for each guest.
Biscuits are another easy yet delicious option to serve with your afternoon tea. Shortbreads, cookies or iced biscuits are relatively simple to make and can be decorated to be real standouts. However, you could take the easier route and take advantage of all the fantastic Coronation goodies in the shops by buying a pack to serve instead!
Showstopping bake
Every party needs a bit of pizzazz, so why not pull out all the stops and create a mouth watering treat to go in the centre of your table? Try our recipe for a delicious Pimms celebration cake and elicit some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from your guests.
Have you thrown your own afternoon tea party? Share your tips below…
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