the ultimate afternoon tea party

finger sandwiches, supplies and bag charms!

afternoon tea has always been a bit of a foreign subject to me. I figured one just goes for the novelty of it while in the UK or perhaps if if you were born into royalty. matter of fact i didn’t even know you could get it in nyc. that was until my friend michelle started yapping my ear off about this afternoon tea spot she’s been going to - “it’s the best thing in the world” she would say. I continued to brush her off because frankly, I’d rather go for an afternoon cocktail. but alas, after a few too many times of her begging me to come - I agreed. so we headed to tea and sympathy on the coldest day of the year. the tablecloths and surroundings reminded me a bit of my babushka’s house.

I’m no foreigner to tea itself - it’s a top 3 beverage for russians, aside from kompot and vodka (I know this sounds like a stereotype but it’s literally not lmaoo) as they brought our tea pots and 3 tiered tray of food, I marveled at all of the options. 3 types of sandwiches, scones, cakes etc. as someone who loves a little taste of everything I was loving it. and don’t get me wrong, it was fine and dandy but I knew it could be so so much better. so as we sat there discussing what our re-imagined russian afternoon tea joint would serve, I knew I had the idea for my next party.

the supplies

I contemplated buying a set of tea cups + pots from amazon, but I couldn’t bring myself to it. I knew I needed to thrift them one by one. so I hopped on ebay and began what I could only describe as a rabbit hole into the depths of tea cup supply. I was sending out bids, sifting through the endless supply, learning terms of fine china - it was honestly giving me such a high when a seller would accept my bid. the cup sets with saucers themselves ranged from $7-16 but the shipping was always $10+ due to the package needing proper padding etc. so after all was said and done and the damage was completed, I awaited my 8 tea cups, pink toile bowl, 2 tea pots and creamer/sugar set to arrive.

if you live near thrift stores, I would certainly encourage you to look out for supply there - the earlier ahead of your party as possible. making it a slow and steady search is best so you’re happy with the pieces you buy.

aside from the tea cups, I didn’t have to buy too much else for serving. I have a pretty decent backbone of hosting props etc. (more to come on this in my full hosting breakdown guide soon) that are fitting for most occasions. I did however buy this new milky glass pink cake stand (but I already had my eye on it for some time)

decor + stuff:

for decor, I went with frills, ribbon and more ribbon

heres a link to everything I bought

• since I bought the ribbons in a pack, I had a ton and I put it to good use. last year I made a ribbon bow garland so I put that to good use again and hung it in my foyer. I also covered my light fixture above the kitchen island in draping ribbon bows. I’ll reuse the remains I have to wrap gifts, make more garlands etc in the future.

• hanging from the bow garland and on each plate setting, I gifted each girl a pair of frilly lace underwear

• I was considering buying fabric to make my own huge bow as seen on tiktok but went with ordering on amazon instead because I’m lazy

• I bought really cute nice sturdy plates that were soooo cute for the vibes. plus they’re reusable (and since afternoon tea is all little bites - most of the plates were hardly dirty aside from crumbs!)

bag charms supplies

this was another rabbit hole I went down. so many of the materials I saw people use on tiktok looked so cheap and I wanted them to actually be worthwhile making + using. I checked on etsy but they were a little pricy to buy and came in small quantities so I just searched the depths of amazon until I found what I was happy with. I ordered a little extra of each gold and silver item because I didn’t know which one the girls would want to do.

here’s a link with everything I bought

• key chain hooks

• variety of beads - all in 8-10 mm size

• the string I got at michaels was .5 mm bead cord. I initially got .8 but it was too tight of a fit for some beads.

• the large safety pins are cute to weave beads on or the alphabet letters

• I ordered velvet trays for each girl to keep their beads organized. you can also use paper plates

the food:

for food, I did 1 of each mini sandwich, 1-2 mini quiche, 1 scone + 1-2 slices of sponge cake per person. I prefer to be on the “too much” food side than not enough, so I encourage you o make a few extras of each sandwich. I only allotted 4 sandwiches and 1 scone per girl and wish I had just a few extras to pick on or allow people to have doubles of ones they liked (even though everyone was satiated, I would have felt better with a few extras)

finger sandwiches

bread: I used pepperidge farm white and it was perfect! i also tried the panera country white and it was a bit denser, pairing well with the cucumber dill sandwiches to give them more structure. I needed 2 sleeves of bread to make enough sandwiches for 8 girls. for the baguette, definitely get a nice french one from a bakery nearby!

to assemble: using a serrated knife, cut the crust off 2 slices of white bread at once. spread filling across the surface in a generous layer, top with the second bread slice and cut in half to make 2 sandwiches. for the cucumber sandwiches, we found it was easier to apply the cream cheese, cut the bread into 2 halves, then individually place the cucumber on each sandwich to avoid tearing the bread while cutting.

• dark rye bread/pumpernickel, cream cheese, smoked salmon, fresh dill, served open faced

• gigi’s of hoboken chicken salad (you can make your own chicken salad) on white bread

• cucumber and dill cream cheese on white bread (these are soooo simple but so good)

  • to make: i added 2 tbsp or so of chopped dill to room temp cream cheese and mixed together. for the cucumbers, use english cucumbers and slice lengthwise thinly. salt both sides and set aside for 10-15 minutes. dry off the cucumbers and stack a slice on each sandwich. cream cheese both sides of each piece of bread.

• ham & cheese baguette with butter + cornichon

  • use a high quality salted butter for the best result, and a nice jambon de paris or unsmoked ham. I used prosciutto cotto from eataly and it was great. for cheese, get a block of gruyere and cut into very thin slices. cut cornichons in half and add them inside as well as on a pick to garnish with.

• other sandwich ideas: tuna salad, egg salad, tomato basil capreses, croque monsieurs, turkey and cheese (avocado if you’re feeling crazy),

blinchiki

• I made a batch of my babushka’s blinchik recipe here. served with salmon roe and creme fraiche!

mini leek quiches

• I used my go to recipe here, halved, ham omitted, using a tablespoon to gently place the filling into each crevice

• I bought 2 packages of frozen phyllo cups and like a fool thought they would stay in that shape upon baking with no reinforcement?! don’t be an idiot like me and place them in a mini muffin pan to hold the sides up. I baked the minis at 350 F until golden brown and no longer jiggly. you can also make the pie dough in the recipe as listed (in a muffin pan) garnish with chives!

dessert

• victorian sponge cake from “sift” by nicola lamb

  • i added a decent amount of orange zest and piped my mascarpone whipped cream on top of them with the addition of a blackberry and drizzle of honey

  • this cake is UNREALLL. this book is amazing and I highly recommend it - it’s becoming one of if not my favorite baking book in the span of just 2 weeks of having it

• early grey scones from “sift” by nicola lamb

  • I did half early grey and half omitted for regular

  • served with strawberry bonne mamam jam + whipped cream

• sufganiyot from “breaking breads”

  • I made them mini and filled with nutella and jam

• russian waffle cake

  • this is a “cake” that’s super popular amongst eastern europeaners. it’s just layered waffle sheet with dulce de leche - similar to those you buy packaged at the store but gooier. unfortunately I’ve never seen the waffle sheets be sold anywhere outside of russian supermarkets. but if you’re able to find a store near you (netcost market etc) you’re in luck! I also found a few on amazon linked here, although I’ve never tried it.

  • to make it: you add a generous layer of dulce to the waffle sheet, spreading evenly so you can’t see waffle through your layer. then repeat with a waffle sheet, pressing down firmly to adhere the layers. repeat 4-5 times until you’re dulce is all gone (i often need 2 cans) then cover the cake in plastic wrap and place a baking sheet or pan on top, weighted down with books etc. for a few hours if not overnight in the fridge to adhere and soften the layers. cut into pieces and serve!

• trader joe’s macarons + amaretti cookie snaps

  • I placed these around to table to pick on - I adore amaretti cookies

• sour lips candy

  • bought these on amazon and wow they are soooo good and addicting. the perfect perfect soft texture and sourness. obsessed, we ate the entire pound bag that night lol.

to drink:

TEA OF COURSE!

• we had 2 teapots for 8 girls so we did 2 teas - oolong and earl grey.

• go for a loose leaf tea that you can sprinkle right into the tea pot. I would recommend getting a nice quality tea since it is the star of the show here! the brand I used was also from eataly called “la via del té”

• for the tea, I served sugar cubs along side oat milk for the non dairy girlies and whole milk for the dairy girlies :)

• for welcome drinks: I did strawberry lillet spritzes

  • i macerated a pint of sliced strawberries in granulated sugar for a bit then poured the syrup and some strawberries into each glass. then did equal parts lillet blanc and prosecco, topped up with club soda!

  • we opened a bottle of chilled red later into the night as we crafted <3 simple!

a tip:

I totally encourage you to outsource what you can from local bakeries - if you have a bakery near you that makes killer sponge cake, or scones or croissants or whatever it may be - add them to the menu! you certainly don’t need to make everything yourself and sometimes it’s better to leave things up to the professionals.

another fun idea to make it more of a group effort - have every person attending bring 1 variety of their favorite local bakery item for the sweet side of things. cut them into smaller pieces (to make them cute of course) and you can all try and share your items! this way you only have to worry about the sandwiches.

I hope this inspired you to maybe have a little afternoon tea party of your own! <3

xoxo katie

instagram: @babytamagooo

tiktok @babytamago

xoxo, katie

BTW!

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