High tea is a traditional afternoon meal, usually served around 5 p.m., in which the main course is tea and finger foods. It’s a social event originally served the upper classes in England during the Victorian Era. The trend spread throughout Europe and eventually reached America, gaining popularity in New York City among wealthy families around 1900. Today, you can have your high-tea party with friends and family. The best part about hosting one is that it’s fairly inexpensive and easy to put together. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and hosting a successful high-tea event in your independent living in Prairie Creek, AR!
What Is High-Tea?
The name “high tea” comes from the fact that this meal was traditionally eaten at high-top tables (like you might see at a coffee shop). In addition to serving as an elegant way of eating dinner on special occasions, high tea also has been used as an excuse for fancy dress-up parties.
Step 1. Choose A Theme
Hosting a high-tea party can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. The first step is choosing the theme for your event. A theme is a great way to get people excited about the party, and it’s easy to go overboard if you have too many ideas going through your head! A traditional high tea may include finger sandwiches, and pastries with tea served in fine china cups. At the same time, modern themes may consist of savory bites like tacos with lemonade instead of tea served in glass mason jars—endless possibilities!
Step 2. Set The Table
To set a beautiful table, use a tablecloth that coordinates with your decor. Then add a runner or tray cloth to provide contrast and visual interest. The food display table should be set with two place settings per guest (including one plate, cup, and silverware), along with napkins in coordinating patterns that complement your event’s color scheme. Also, add flowers on top or around this gorgeous setup!
Step 3. Prepare The Food
It’s time to get the food out of the kitchen and onto your beautiful table! This is one of the most important aspects of hosting an event and should be given a lot of attention to ensure it is well-received by guests. Preparing food for such an event can be fairly simple if you choose easy to prepare but still tasty and appealing foods.
Many dishes would make excellent choices for this type of gathering: scones (with jam or whipped cream), sandwiches (such as cucumber), pastries, finger foods like cookies and cakes, and so on. You’ll want to choose a variety of options so that there’s something for everyone at your table; some people may not like certain items or have allergies or other dietary restrictions that might make certain options unappealing or unavailable.
It’s also important to consider how visually appealing the presentation and taste will be when selecting foods for your event—you don’t want any surprises when trying out new recipes! To ensure deliciousness throughout every course, we recommend starting with a small bite before filling up on large portions during mealtime 🙂
Step 4. Serve The Drinks
After you’ve prepared your tea and coffee, you’ll want to serve them in an elegant and simple way. A teapot is a great choice for serving hot tea, as it can be filled with water and left on the table for guests to help themselves when they’re ready. If you’d rather not use a teapot, consider using individual teacups or teapots so guests can drink their own cup of hot liquid.
For coffee drinkers, use individual cups or carafes so that guests can pour themselves their cups whenever they want one while keeping everyone fully caffeinated throughout the event!
Step 5. Dress For The Occasion!
If you are going to host a high-tea party, it is important to dress up. This means no jeans or shorts, sneakers or flip-flops, or work clothes (unless you are on duty). You should also avoid wearing any pajamas or bathing suits, as this would not be considered formal attire. Finally, while wearing a hat is fine if it is considered formal (think top hats), you should avoid casual ones such as baseball caps or beanie hats.