Stay at Home: Afternoon High Tea Recipes

Do you love going to Afternoon High Tea but can't afford it as a regular treat?  Then why not host your own Afternoon High Tea party!  You can stay at home and save money at the same time.  Invite a couple of your trusted friends for a Sunday afternoon high tea.  High tea is served from 2-4pm.

Normally there are three tiers for Afternoon High Tea.   Bottom tier is for your finger sandwiches, middle tier has your scones and savory, and the top tier has your sweets.  I don't have a three tier tray so instead it was served on three platters.

Here are the Afternoon High Tea recipes for this service.

Sandwich Tier - I served two types of sandwiches. Cut off the crust and cut the sandwiches in triangles.
1) Cucumber and cream cheese - simple combination.  Spread cream cheese on bread, put cucumber slices on top.
2) Shrimp salad -  Mix pre-cooked shrimp with diced celery, teaspoon of cream cheese and mayo together.  Spread on bread.

Scone Tier - I made Cheddar Cheese Scones with the recipe from Chatelaine:  http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/Cheddar_cheese_scones.  Simple and easy.  On the platter, I served it with cheddar cheese slices and homemade strawberry jam. 

Sweets Tier - This one took the most effort because the recipe makes '6 dozen' cookies but I found it made 4 dozen for me.  Here is the recipe:  http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/HighTeaCookies.htm.  I made the High Tea Lemon cookies the night before and then frosted them the following day.  I went with the glaze frosting instead of the thick one.  They taste like whipped lemon shortbread and are fragile.  Perfect for elegant Afternoon High Tea. 

Tea Service - I served two different types of tea.  Both were from London's Fortnum & Mason.  One was the Royal Blend and the second choice was Strawberry Fruit Tea.