How to host your own Royal Tea Party

Royal Tea parties – Inspiring Wedding, Birthday or Party Ideas

The Great British Tea Party, a tradition enjoyed throughout the summertime by many up and down the country and also by our very own Queen Elizabeth II too. Buckingham Palace hosts three Royal Garden Parties a year but there’s no need to wait for your invitation throw your own tea party or even get the whole street involved!

What do I need for a tea party?

One of the iconic pieces of any tea party is a tiered cake stand. Perfect as a centre piece, this will display your food items such as finger sandwiches, cakes and scones.

The other essential to think about is crockery. Using floral or mismatched crockery means your tea party will ooze authenticity and you can find many items with this style on offer at The Tea House or in many charity shops, which is perfect if you are throwing your tea party on a budget.

Depending on the number of people that you invite, you will need one or more tea pots. If you are going to be using one or two tea pots to serve your guests then china tea cups are a must. Other things to think about are cutlery, milk and sugar bowl and of course a cake slice.

If you’ve only a handful of guests, a wonderful idea that we’ve seen is serving each guest with their own Tea For One Set, most of which come with their own infusers so your guests can brew their tea to their liking and get a whole pot to themselves.

Setting up your tea party

Decorating the garden is very exciting and is sure to get you into the spirit. A tradition of any tea party is bunting. If you’ve any old fabric lying around simply cut into triangles, attach to some string and hang around the garden. Simple and easy but very effective. End of line fabric can be purchased very cheaply if on a budget.

A sturdy trestle table is perfect for serving your afternoon tea on but any long table will do just fine. Cover with a table cloth and your table is ready to be decorated.

Place names can add a real personal touch to the party. They also provide an opportunity to think outside the box a little! Some place name suggestions could be cookies or cupcakes with names iced on. Or, if it’s for a wedding or birthday, tea favours in small glass jars really look the part. 

Tea party food

There are many food options to choose from when it comes to an afternoon tea party. Traditional offerings include finger sandwiches, scones and cakes but the options are endless.

Top Tip: If you are making finger sandwiches, avoid them going soggy by preparing the filling separately and making up the sandwiches as late as possible.

Start the Party!

You’ve set the table, decorated the garden and prepared the food. Now all you need are your guests. Start the party with some iced tea (see our iced tea recipe) on arrival! It will go down a storm on a hot day and leave your guests feeling revived and refreshed.

As a good host it’s wise to have a good selection of other tea on offer too. Earl Grey and English Breakfast are must haves but if your looking to make your tea party that extra bit more exciting, why not add a lighter darjeeling tea too? 

Fruit and herbal infusions are becoming ever more popular with some of our best-selling fruit and herbal infusions including Strawberry and Kiwi, Citrus Burst, Camomile and Lemongrass and Calming Tea.

Green teas are also perfect for after a meal.

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