When it comes to hosting friends, we declare high tea the new dinner party. Feminine, elegant, rich with history, and just a little indulgent; the high tea is the perfect opportunity to while away an afternoon with your closest girlfriends and show off your home.
Whether you’re hosting your tea indoors with a white tablecloth or in a more rustic garden setting, there are three details that will make all the difference in bringing together an event worthy of its own Instagram hashtag.
Set the scene with teaware
Once you’ve found an area of your home that is at once intimate and roomy, turn your eye to the details to evoke the luxury and decadence of this long-held tradition.
Things like flowers, tablecloths, sugar cubes, linen napkins, and beautiful teaware with all the trimmings are the difference between a casual tea with friends and a high tea worthy of a Jane Austin novel.
Rescu. Recommends: We are head-over-heels in love with the Wedgwood Harlequin Butterfly Bloom teaware set. Made from find bone china and featuring feminine shades of pink, periwinkle blue, and lilac with 22 carat gold trimming, the collection is a statement in itself and an investment that will bring years of joy to the home.
Presented in a gorgeous Harlequin hat box packaging, the charming collection includes everything you need to host the perfect high tea including teacup and saucer sets, tea plates, a teapot, a cake stand, and more.
Wedgwood Harlequin Butterfly Bloom is available online at wedgwood.com.au or in Myer, David Jones and selected independents nationally. Click here to view the entire range.
Choose your tea
Naturally, tea is a must and it’s worthwhile to spend a little extra on high-quality teas for a special occasion. English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Darjeeling, Green, and Chai are all good options to have on hand.
Should you only have one teapot, opt for a high-quality loose leaf English Breakfast tea as it is a good match with most foods and is loved by all.
If you wish to give your guests more options, keep some teabags on hand for your guests.
The menu
On your three-tiered cake stand, it is traditional to have scones, sandwiches, and sweets.
Offer one vegetarian option for the sandwiches (cucumber is always a good choice) along with perhaps one salmon, and one chicken.
You can get creative with the sweets layer, macrons, mini cupcakes, and tarts are all popular options.
Scones are traditionally on the top tier for a reason — they’re the star of your afternoon and, let’s face it, the thing most guests will look forward to most.
To help you create the kind of light, fluffy scones that impress guests, we asked baking extraordinaire and former Masterchef contestant Julia Taylor for her lemonade scone recipe.
Julia Taylor’s Lemonade Scones
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbs. caster sugar
125ml (½ cup) lemonade
165ml (½ cup plus 2 tbs) pure cream
1 egg yolk and 2 tbs milk, for brushing
Directions
Preheat oven to 200C or 180C fan-forced.
Sift flour and baking powder into a large, wide bowl. Add sugar and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in lemonade and cream. Mix lightly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a rough ball. Turn out dough onto the bench and knead lightly to finish mixing.
Roll out to an even thickness of 4cm and cut using an 8cm round cutter. Place on a tray lined with baking paper. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and milk together lightly with a fork and brush onto scones.
Place scones in the centre rack of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
Serve warm with cream and jam.
Rescu. Editor Loves: Our love for Wedgwood is no secret with our Founder and Editor Bahar Etminan choosing Wedgwood and sister brand Waterford Crystal in her wedding registry. She also had the opportunity to meet Lord Wedgwood last year. Watch the interview below.