Simple ideas to make a delicious afternoon tea

Afternoon tea week 10th to 17th Aug

Did you know that this week is Afternoon Tea Week? Hands up – I am not sure I even realised that was a thing, but anyway, we love afternoon tea and there are still a few days left to join in and organise your own!

You might think that it is a lot of effort and it is for going out rather than having at home, but you can most certainly create your own afternoon tea at home for yourself, your family or even your friends.

Think of having your own afternoon tea as a lovely excuse to slow down, put the kettle on and enjoy a range of tasty foods! You could almost liken it to a picnic or a coffee morning, in that you are just getting together a selction of your favourote foods! Afternoon tea can of course be somewhere outside of home in your favourite cafe for example, but iet me show you how simple it is to create your own at home. Remember, you can make your foods as easy or as elaborate as you like.

So, whether you are planning your afternoon tea at home alone, with immediate family, or with a few friends, here are some ideas to help you create your own perfect afternoon tea.

What to include

Just because it is called afternoon tea doesnt really mean you need to drink tea! I think as it is still so very hot and sunny, that I might be having an iced coffee with mine! Of course, tea is traditional, but there are so many differrent varieties, even iced teas or chai lattes are tea!

I think the best afternon teas are the ones full of foods you love, with a mixture of sweet and savoury. and a few different textures and flavours to choose from. You can make everything from scratch, use a few things you already have, or choose one or two homemade treats and keep the rest really simple.

In celebration of Afternoon tea week, here are my top choices.

Sandwiches

Let’s start with the sandwiches. There are so many ways you can do these, and you certainly don’t have to make them all the same!

You can of course make traditional closed sandwiches with two slices of bread, or you could try open sandwiches with your favourite toppings. White, wholemeal, granary, sourdough or rye bread will all work, or you could use little rolls, wraps, pittas, or even crackers if you struggle to choose. Maybe even put out a selection of breads and fillings and let everyone make their own.. There is no need to stick to one type of bread either. A mixture of shapes, sizes and fillings makes your afternoon tea much more interesting. I think this would be great if you are having friends or family over, as everyone can choose exactly what they want.

For fillings, or toppings, you could keep things really simple with cucumber and vegan cream cheese, or try houmous with grated carrot and cucumber. Avocado and tomato works well too, as does a chickpea filling. If you already have a favourite sandwich filling use it! (I see you Marmite)!

Something savoury

Sandwiches are great, but another savoury item for your afternoon tea can make it feel more like a meal rather than just cake! My vegan sausage rolls would be a great addition, especially if you want something a little more substantial, or try this savoury filo pastry.

Falafels are another option. Serve them hot or cold and add a dip such as houmous or a tahini yogurt dip.

Check the fridge to see what you already have – olives, vegetable sticks, cubes of cheese or leftover roasted vegetables or potatoes can all become part of your afternoon tea without needing to make another recipe.

Scones

Of course, we need scones!

Most afternoon teas include plain or fruited scones and are served with jam and cream. I prefer warm cheese scones with a bit of cold butter and onion chutney, but you can decide whether you want your afternoon tea to be more sweet, savoury or a mixture of both.

You can alsways make miniature scones – so you can eat a wider range of foods without getting too full!

Cake

Then we have cake! Well, there must be a bit of cake for an afternoon tea!

You could make a whole cake and cut it into small slices, or choose cupcakes or little individual cakes instead. My coffee cake recipe is perfect for an afternoon tea, with its subtle coffee flavour and soft fluffy texture.

If coffee isn’t your thing (you do know that coffee cake is different to drinking a cup of coffee right)? then choose whatever cake you enjoy most. Victoria, lemon, chocolate, banana or popcorn! (Yes – check out the popcorn cake)!

Chocolate

If you a chocolate lover, likely you will want to include something chocolate-y in your afternoon tea. The obvious one is some decadent chocolate brownies which can be cut into cute little squares. If you are feeling adventurous (or lazy), you could make some chocolate mousse style pots (or just buy some)!

Biscuits & crunchy things

In the UK it is customary to have a biscuit with a cup of tea, so of course for an afternoon tea we should have something with a bit of crunch. Many afternoon tea locations serve a shortbread style biscuit as part of their offering, but try to match them with what you are already serving.

Sometimes simple is best and opening a packet of ‘Nice’ biscuits or some Gingernuts will work just as well as making homemade cookies.

Fresh fruit

Likely fruit is something you had forgotten about when thinking of afternoon tea, but a plate of fresh fruit works winders to cut through the richness of the other foods.

A strawberry after a brownie, some fresh raspberries after sponge cake or even a handful of grapes to transition between the savoury and sweet will make your aftrernoon tea one to remember.

Assemble your afternoon tea

Now you’ve chosen what you want to include, it’s time to put everything together! This is where you can have a bit of fun and make your afternoon tea look as pretty or as relaxed as you like.

A traditional three-tier cake stand looks lovely if you have one, but it certainly isn’t essential. You can use plates, serving boards, bowls or even a large wooden chopping board. Arrange your sandwiches, savoury treats, scones, cake, brownies, biscuits and fruit so that everything is easy to see and reach.

If you’re having friends or family over, putting everything in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves makes it feel relaxed and sociable. Individual plates work just as well if you’re having a quieter afternoon for one or two.

You could even make your afternoon tea into a bit of an event and ask everyone to bring something. Make sure you give everyone a suggestion otherwise you might end up with five packets of digestives! Sharing the workload if you are inviting people makes it much more fun and relaxed for you and you get a great variety of foods without having to make everything yourself!

What do I need?

Hopefully you already have most of what you need in your kitchen. A selection of plates, bowls and serving dishes will get you a long way, and a cake stand is always useful if you happen to have one.

A good knife is handy for cutting sandwiches and cakes, while little bowls are perfect for jam, chutney, dips and other toppings. Pretty napkins, your favourite cups and a teapot can add those finishing touches too.

These links will take you straight to Amazon where you can search as usual. If you buy through these links, Amazon may pay us a small commission, which helps towards the cost of running Life Diet Health. Thank you!

For this recipe you might find these useful:

• A sharp kitchen knife
• A chopping board
• A silicone pastry brush
• Mixing bowls
• Baking Trays
• Small plates
• Cake stands
• Tablecloths

You can also browse our NEW Life Diet Health Amazon shop for more of our favourite kitchen essentials.

.Much appreciated!

Serving

Once everything is ready, all that’s left to do is make your drink, sit down and enjoy it!

As already mentioned, tea is traditional, but there are absolutely no rules about what you drink. On a hot August afternoon, an iced coffee, iced tea or a refreshing cold drink might be just what you need.

Take your time, try a little bit of everything and enjoy chatting with whoever you’re sharing your afternoon tea with. If you’re having one on your own, that’s fine too! Put your favourite music on, get comfortable and enjoy some me time.

Storing

If you’re making some of the food yourself, you can prepare quite a lot of it ahead of time. Cakes, brownies, biscuits and scones can usually be made in advance and stored according to their individual recipes.

Sandwiches are best prepared relatively close to serving time so that the bread stays fresh, while fresh fruit can be washed and prepared ready to arrange just before you sit down.

Any leftovers can be stored appropriately and enjoyed later. Although, if you’ve chosen your favourite foods, don’t be surprised if there aren’t many leftovers!

Sharing

I hope this has given you plenty of ideas for creating your own afternoon tea this week. You can absolutely buy in as much of it as you need, and make your menu full of foods your own. Choose the foods you love, add a few different textures and flavours, and enjoy!

Whether you’re enjoying afternoon tea alone, with family or with friends, I hope you have a lovely time!

As always, I love hearing about any recipes of mine you try, any ideas you adapt or suggestions you have for future recipes. Please share and tag me @LifeDietHealth or using #LifeDietHealth on Instagram, Pinterest,  Facebook or X.

Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!

I hope to speak with you soon,

Laurena