Afternoon Tea (with leftovers from Christmas)

Do you have leftover treats from Christmas?  If so, you may be nearly set for an Afternoon Tea.  An Afternoon Tea features lots of little things, making it perfect for when you have a few treats left, that you are likely ready to see leave your kitchen.  

I wanted to have a couple of friends over for Afternoon Tea, in between Christmas and the new year, and when it came to putting it all together, I had everything prepared, except for the scones, which are better made the day you plan on serving them.  

Yes, I had all of the above, except for the scones :)

An Afternoon Tea can be for anyone:  a special event for friends, an impromptu special "meal" for your family, or a treat with your children (or anything else you can think of).

 

Recently, my daughter and I got together to watch Little Women, something we like to do each Christmas.  Having Afternoon Tea at the same time, works perfectly well for us.   

What do you currently have on hand?  Do you have any treats post-Christmas?  Keep in mind, these can be sweet, savory, homemade, store-bought, etc.  In other words, you can make the Afternoon Tea based on what you have.  You may even have leftover treats in the form of chocolates, candies, nuts, and other seasonal treats.  You can use anything you like.  I used little muffin liner to put in some of the treats.  If you have something like "Bits and Bites" or homemade party mix, you could put in a small amount into muffin liners.

On the top layer, I had: shortbread cookies, mini red velvet cupcakes, and buttertart squares.  (Keep in mind, you can make these as dainty as you like, so feel free to cut things in small, bite size pieces).

On the second layer, I put scones, jam, lemon curd, and Devonshire Cream (or Clotted Cream; you can buy this at Save-On Foods in BC).  If you have little containers for the jam, etc., this is a nice touch.

 

On the bottom layer, I put my savory additions (instead of sandwiches):  Turkey Dinner Bites, Sausages in Pastry (with mustard), and mini Bacon and Cheese Quiche.  These were so tasty!  And it reminded me of my trip to Scotland in the summer, where at one of my Afternoon Teas, I chose a savory variation.

If you have three-tiered plates, these are fun to use, but don't let this be the reason you don't have an Afternoon Tea.  The ones above, were made by my husband, using Christmas plates we collected at second hand stores.  You can get the hardware for the plates on Amazon, and you need a special type of drill.

 

Doesn't that look pretty?  I also included Christmas Tea (Black Tea with Cinnamon, Cloves, and Orange), and you can use whatever tea you prefer.

 

The recipe for the scones came from the Empress in Victoria, where they serve High Tea.  They turned out very well, and I will be making them again.

I served Christmas Preserve, something I picked up at London Drugs, earlier in the season.  You can serve the scones with whatever jam you have on hand.

  

Oh, Afternoon Tea...what a treat.  It is a time to relax, enjoy good company, and taste some tempting treats.  I hope I have inspired you to give this a try.