High Tea originated as a British working class tradition. "High" referred to the way it was taken, sitting atop stools in a tea shop or standing at a counter or buffet table. It was a cross between afternoon tea and supper, and for many it was the main meal of the day.

The afternoon tea idea began around the mid 1700's as a way to ward off the inevitable hunger before dinner. This tradition led John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich to make his famous innovation of putting meats or other fillings between two pieces of bread. The Tea Sandwich was born!

Today, it has become a more elegant affair. Now served in many restaurants and hotels across the world, this affair has become less a working class meal and more of an event. In some cities, it is a "power" business event. Having High Tea with a client is preferred to the more traditional "night out" and offers a much better atmosphere for discussing business.

The food served at tea is generally light snacks and desserts - basically, anything that can be held in between the finger and thumb.

If late enough, a small, hot dish may be served, but in general (and especially in warmer months) all dishes are served cold.
 

We offer a variety of classical and contemporary recipes for all of the edible elements you can use.  Meat or vegetarian, spreads or finger sandwiches, salads and fresh fruit. The delicacies that are most associated with teas are the sweets. Various cakes, breads, fruit tarts, custards, are appropriate. We display food with serving accessories and presentation that will be appreciated by your guests.

Why? It's the civilized thing to do. The tradition of afternoon tea offers a pleasant break in the day, a chance for conversation, relaxation and of course a good cup of tea!

* Cream Tea - tea, scones, jam and cream
* Light Tea - tea, scones and sweets
* Full Tea - tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert.
According to Helen Simpson in her book "The London Ritz Book Of Afternoon Tea", she suggests a:
* Club Man’s Tea - A hearty and bluff tea, extremely savory and accompanied by pints of steaming dark tea. It goes down well after a hard day in the city. Club Man sandwiches are made with brown bread, not too thinly sliced. As to fillings, there are two perennial favorites. One is the Patum Perium, also known as Gentleman’s Relish. It is a sharp dark paste of eye-watering strength made with anchovies, butter, herbs and spices. Spread thinly and top with mustard and cress. The other classic filling of this type is made with generous slices of good pink ham spread with a skimming of hot mustard. There is also munches including stacks of hot buttered toast, which he classically likes to spread with potted shrimps.

The menu for an afternoon tea has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:
* Savories: Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
* Scones: Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
* Pastries: Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets

Contact us for your next special occasion and party assistance.  We offer a variety of tea styles and themes to meet your discriminating and personal needs.

Tea Theme Ideas

SPECIAL TEA CUP TEA-  Guests bring their favorite tea cup or one with a special story behind it. Take time during the tea to have each person share their special cup or a special tea time memory.  If they felt so inclined, the guest could tell why they picked it or just appreciate the stories that others tell.

GARDEN/PICNIC TEA-  The Victorians loved picnics because of the wonderful chance to get away from the formal withdrawing rooms and stiff social demands of high society. Picnics were usually more casual and included games, walks, stories and musical performances. Set up tables in the garden and serve tea. You could even combine this with a hat tea. In the summer, it was quite acceptable to serve sorbet and lemonade at an outside tea!

COLOR TEA-  Apricot/Cream Tea: everything from napkins, table cloths, flowers, to cakes, cookies, scones, jam, and tea is either apricot and cream flavor or color. You could also try lemon/cream, lavender/cream, rose/cream, peaches/cream, strawberries/cream, orange/cream, pumpkin/cream, blueberries/cream.

SHAPE THEME TEA-  Pick a shape and decorate and serve everything you can in that shape: hearts, tea pots, Christmas trees, stars, leaves, squares, circles, flowers.

MOTHER/SON OR MOTHER/DAUGHTER TEA-  Get together and have a mother/son dinner, mother/daughter dinner. It is a formal affair and all are dressed appropriately, treating one another with kindness and courtesy (what a wonderful way to enhance "good manners!") and at the end of the meal, each young man would share something, a poem, story, or musical piece. A mother/son or mother/daughter tea is a wonderful time to bring young people together and to remind them of the everyday courtesies and manners we should bestow on one another in our own families, and to see other young people sharing in the same experience.

TEA BREAK-  Just for the fun of it, do a tea at the office or a meeting and have a tea break instead of a coffee break.  Surprise everyone with a special break from the ordinary!

CAKE TEA-  Serve a variety of cakes displayed on different levels on the buffet table along with a selection of a few traditional tea items.

COOKIE TEA-  Same idea as the cakes tea, but with cookies.

HAT TEA-  Everyone wears a hat.  Gloves can add some extra fun (just be sure to remove them before shaking hands, eating or drinking.)

TEA TASTING-  Similar to a wine tasting, but more fun.  Offer a selection of teas to taste and compare by region or category.  Types include: White, Flavored White, Green, Flavored Green, Oolong, Flavored Oolong, Black, Flavored Black, Puerh and Botanicals.  For something special, from our private collection; we offer a tea tasting served from pieces from our antique collection and sampled in a Victorian silver tea cup.



TEA PAIRING-  Each dish is served with a specific tea that is used in the cooking of the recipe, or enhances the taste of the dish being served.  Such as drilled turkey and cranberries is enhanced by a smoky note tea like Lapsing Souchong or Russian Caravan.

FORMAL ICE TEA-  Experience a unique tradition of the past.  Ice tea is credited to having originated at the St. Louis World's Fair.  From this famous event, the serving of ice tea along with special accessories became very popular.  Very unique is a sterling silver ice tea sipping spoon which not only is used to stir your tea, but also drink from it.  Sterling silver is known for its temperature conductivity.  These spoons not only look special, but also cool the tongue while sipping.  Serve cold savories and a special ice cream triffle for dessert. 

REASONS TO HAVE TEA-  Birthdays, anniversaries, housewarmings, bridal showers, baby showers, engagement parties, wedding reception, introductions, visitations.

We also do parties where a variety of tea is sampled along with various appetizers, and tea is available for sale.