Hosting Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea at Home

Afternoon Tea can mean many different things to many different people. To some it's a stylish dining experience in an elegant tea salon, to others it's simply a catch up with a special friend over a good cup of tea on the sofa or your preferred digital platform. Whatever Afternoon Tea means to you, we will show you the key tips and traditions to make sure it is just divine.

We’re really missing the sound of chinking tea cups and chitter-chatter in our Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, so we hope you enjoy these special moments captured throughout this guide, which you have shared with us @diamondjubileeteasalon. We can’t wait to welcome you back soon... 

Tea on Arrival

When perfecting the art of the Afternoon Tea, you should always start with the supreme element - the tea itself. To be truly accommodating, try to provide a variety of teas, from Earl Grey, English Mint, Camomile, Fruit, Botanical and, of course, Afternoon Blend. We will always recommend a teapot filled with our ever popular Royal Blend too. Made from expertly blended tea leaves, sourced from across the globe, our teas are available in plastic-free tea bags as well as loose leaves. You can discover our different tea ranges here.

Making the Perfect Cup

Here is a simple digest of what works best when brewing the perfect cup:

1. Fill the kettle with fresh water from the tap. Yes, your grandmother was right: water that has been boiled already will affect the taste of the tea.

2. As it approaches the boil, warm the teapot by rinsing it out with hot water.

3. Treat the teapot to one rounded teaspoon (or caddy spoon) of tea leaves for each person and one extra spoonful 'for the pot'. That’s the orthodox rule, though many these days find it a little strong. You’re in charge here.

4. Just before the kettle water boils, pour into the pot. It doesn’t need to be stirred.

5. Leave to infuse for three to five minutes, depending on taste. Serve, using a tea strainer.

Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford in the 1830s, is credited with first making ‘Afternoon Tea’ into a formal social occasion. Finding herself peckish between lunch and supper, she began inviting friends to her home at Woburn Abbey for tea, scones, cakes and conversation.

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Choosing the Perfect Cup

Whether it’s a delicate cup and saucer or a favourite mug, whatever you put your chosen blend into is entirely up to you. If you would like to replicate the full experience of our Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, well... down to the tea, then our elegant St James collection is the exact fine bone china we pour and serve in the Tea Salon every day.

Decorated with an original design inspired by 18th-century chinoiserie, featuring hand-painted 18ct gold touches and our signature colour – Eau de Nil, every piece is made in England. See more of our different collections of teaware here.

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Selecting the Perfect Nibbles

Never ones to cut corners, just our crusts… here is our ultimate Afternoon Tea checklist of all things delicious, starting with finger sandwiches:

Make sure you have a selection to suit every taste, classics like Coronation Chicken, Cucumber with Mint Cream Cheese and Cured Ham with English Mustard are always welcome on our plate.

Up next, Scones! Oh so simple, yet so incredibly divine. We like to have both fruit and plain options, and two per person should be more than enough. If you can't make it to our Piccadilly Food Halls at the moment to pick up these creations, here's our once secret recipe from the Fortnum's Cook Book.

Clotted Cream and a selection of Preserves is absolutely essential - and we won't get into the which to spread or dollop first, that will eat into the scoffing time. Strawberry Preserve and Lemon Curd are the most popular jars served in our Tea Salon.

Then, we like to have a top plate of sweet surprises, miniature bites of deliciousness you could say, which can be eaten with a dessert fork or simply popped in whole. We’ve been know to do both depending on our mood… If you don’t have the patience for patisserie, then opening a tin of biscuits will do just the trick.

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And Finally... Just add Bubbles

However big or small, Afternoon Tea is always a celebratory occasion. And nothing starts the festivities than the sound of a popping cork. In fact, it’s possibly our most favourite sound in the world… So whether it’s a classic Blanc de Blancs or a Grand Cru, a lovely Rosé variety, or even Sparkling Tea, a little fizz is a fabulous edition to the joy of taking time for Afternoon Tea.