Ah, Mother's Day. That special celebration of those unique women in our lives can sneak up on the best of us. What to do when you're short on ideas but big on good intentions? An afternoon tea complete with scrumptious little goodies, perhaps? It’s girly, it’s intimate, it’s perfect! A chance to sit together sharing some quality time and a few little indulgences.
Now that you have the idea, it’s time to sort out the details.
What Tea to Take for a Mother's Day Tea Party?
Of course you can always offer up a pot of Orange Pekoe, a perfectly good choice for its brisk, clean taste, but why not go that little bit further and pick up something special for the occasion?
Black teas
Stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than other teas, black tea is the go-to choice for a nice, strong cup. here’s a few suggestions:
- Ceylon: Light with a citrus taste
- Keemun: Fruity aroma with a slightly bitter taste
- Earl Grey: The addition of oil of bergamot orange flowers gives this tea its distinct floral taste
Green teas
A lighter choice, these teas go particularly well with a variety of savoury sandwiches as they won’t overwhelm the flavors of the food:
- Chinese Green Tip: A rich jade colored tea
- Dragon Well: light and fragrant
- Jasmine: Very floral with a light taste.
White teas
something a little out of the ordinary for the special day:
- Assam White: A refined aroma with a sweet taste
- Darjeeling White: A delicate scent and a mellow taste
How to Brew the Perfect Cup
- Start with loose leaf tea instead of bags; the tea in tea bags is actually the dregs of the leaf sifting process and is of much lower quality. You’ll need about about 1½ tsp (2.5g) per cup (250ml). Don’t forget to add a teaspoon ‘for the pot’.
- you can add the tea loose to the pot and pour into cups through a strainer, or, much less fuss, spoon the tea into a cheesecloth tea bag and throw in the pot.
- Water from the tap is fine, just make sure it’s freshly drawn. Water that’s been sitting around, or worse, reboiled, will not bring out the color of the tea. For black teas, bring the water to a vigorous simmer, but not to boiling or about 200°F (95°C). For green and white teas, take the water of the heat a little earlier, at about 185°F (85°C). Pour over the tea into the pot and allow to steep for about five minutes for black teas, three to four for the green and white varieties.
- Most teas are best enjoyed without the addition of milk, lemon, honey or sugar. This is particularly true of green and white teas. If you do want to add a little milk to your black tea, do so after it’s poured so that you can appreciate the color.
Teatime Treats
Now that you’ve got the brew sorted, time to concentrate on what to serve alongside. To start with, remember that you want to make the afternoon special, but you also want to enjoy it yourself, so stick to easy tea sandwiches rather than some extravagant lunch menu. Easy does not mean boring, however. Forget the cucumber and try an assortment of these sandwich fillings:
Brie and Olive
- 4 oz (125g) Brie, room temperature
- 3 oz (80g) softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup (80ml) sliced, pitted green olives
Cut rind from Brie. In a bowl, mash Brie and cream cheese together with fork; mix in olives.
Tuna with Wasabi Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup (80ml) mayonnaise
- ½ tbsp (7ml) rice vinegar
- 1 ¼ tsp (6ml) prepared wasabi
- 1 6 oz (170g) can tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
- ¼ cup (60ml) shredded red radish
Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar and wasabi; mix in tuna and radish.
Curried Turkey with Watercress
- 2 ½ tbsp (40ml) mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp (30ml) yogurt
- 2 tsp (10ml) lime juice
- 2 tsp (10ml) minced sweet mango chutney
- ½ tsp (3ml) curry powder
- 6 oz (170g) diced cooked turkey or chicken
- ¼ cup (80ml) finely diced firm mango
- 2 ½ tsp (40ml) finely diced celery
- 2 ½ tsp (40ml) toasted chopped almonds
- 1½ tbsp (20ml) thinly sliced green onions
In a bowl mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, chutney and curry powder. Add turkey or chicken, mango celery almonds and onions; mix thoroughly until combined.
Prepare these mixtures in advance as the flavors will only improve if you let them rest in the refrigerator a bit. Make sandwiches using a selection of buttered sandwich bread (white, whole wheat, egg), remove crusts and cut into finger sandwiches. Each of these recipes yields about 24 finger sandwiches (regular sandwich bread cut into four). Any leftovers will make great sandwich fillers for days to come.
Sweet Stuff
Nothing goes better with a steaming cup of tea than scones. Serve these with thick, clotted cream and a selection of jams.
Cream Scones
- ¼ cup (80ml) whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ tsp (40ml) currants
- 1 ¼ cup (310ml) all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (80ml) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp (15ml) milk
- In a small bowl, beat cream and eggs; stir in currants. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter to flour mixture and loosely combine with hands until the butter is about the size of peas with some larger pieces. Stir in cream mixture just until dough forms.
- On a lightly floured work surface, pat or lightly roll out dough to about 1/2-inch (1cm) thickness. Using 2-inch (5cm) round cutter, cut out circles, repeating with scraps once and discarding any extra scraps. Place 1 inch (2.5cm) apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Beat together yolk and milk; brush over tops of scones. Bake in center of 450°F (230°C) oven until tops are light golden, about 11 to 12 minutes.
Set it up
Serve your little delicacies on pretty plates, pour your perfectly brewed tea into your nicest china, remember to decorate the table with some lovely flowers and voilà! An afternoon mum will remember for a long time to come, or at least until next year.
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