Tea Time

teaparty

I hope you don’t mind, but I am in a bit of a tea frenzy. With Alice and Wonderland opening this week, helping my mom and aunt with an afternoon tea for my grandmother’s birthday, and dreams of spring garden parties, well, let’s just say it’s tea time around here. And so while I am tweaking recipes for some updated tea sandwiches in with the old favorites, and mastering a mean linzer cookie, I figured I better get all the accessories together that we will need.

We need lots of plates for the crustless nibbles and scones – I like to mix and match … grandma’s china with some flea market finds is the way to go here, plus a bit of my own china too. For a spring tea, breakout the florals and butterflies if you have it. We also need plenty of tea cups, for the tea itself and they also work as great vessels for small floral arrangements throughout the party.

Same goes for tea pots – the more the merrier! It’s not a tea party without several varieties to choose from – for daily cups my favorite is green tea kombucha, but for tea parties, pots of your favorite loose-leaf is the way to go. In addition to china and porcelain tea pots, this is the perfect time to bring out my grandmother’s vintage tea service. Extra teapots can also be used to hold larger floral arrangements.

Tea Time

But since we cannot subsist on tea and sandwiches alone, we better add in some cake plates and tiered servers – we need to showcase the macaroons, petit fours, and other confections we whip up. And we need make sure we have plenty of condiment dishes for jam, clotted cream and all the traditional accompaniments.

And because it is a party, we may need a few other beverages on hand. I am thinking a raspberry lemonade in glass dispenser, and a silver jigger to spice up the spiking!

If your cabinets or grandmother’s pantry isn’t quite as ready for a tea party, flea markets or your local thrift stores are an excellence place to find these items on the cheap.

For resources:

1. Bone China Ivy Silver Collection at Target

2. Vintage Bowl in Blue and White at ABC Home

3. William Yeoward, Avington Clear Magenta

4. Duchess English Bone China Violets Tea Cup and Saucer from sawonderland on Etsy (& looks a bit like a set of my Nana’s!)

5. Mariage Frères Thé Vert Marco Polo Tea at Dean and Deluca

6. Wallace, Grand Baroque Tea Service from Overstock (similar to my grandmother’s now “vintage” version)

7. Royal Albert, Old Country Roses Teapot at Macy’s

8. Wedgewood, Golden Bird Teapot at Macy’s

9. Gien France, Mille Fluer Canape Plate at Bloomingdale’s

10. Medium Mesh Ball Infuser from EnjoyingTea.com

11. Anne Marie’s Fine Coffee and Tea, Black Currant Black Tea