Spring Tea!

"Tea" to the English is really a picnic indoors. ~Alice Walker

Salutations, Reader! After a veeery long pause between posts, this beautiful June morning seemed the perfect time to resume our tea party fellowship. Can't express how delighted I am to be back with you. And, OH! Do I have wonderful new tea party themes and tips to share!

Though spring draws to a close today, June continues to linger in a deep and delightfully breezy-cool mood. With weather this temperate and gorgeous, it's impossible not to spend extra time lollygagging outside, taking in lungfuls of delicious late spring air. What better compliment to this joyfully-alive season than to host a Spring Tea?

Begin with All Things Floral

Whether you lay this tea out on the patio, lawn or indoors on the dining room table, mix and match floral china, teacups and accent linens/napkins to give it the authentic feel of a colorful garden. No one has all the same plant in their garden, so don't be afraid to mix different patterns, especially if they're in the same color palette. Here I used bright green, lavender and white linens and serving pieces to establish my base colors and then incorporated a modern but classic floral china to jazz things up. This china works well because it's different enough to emphasize the main color scheme but remains in harmony with it. (Too many competing colors will make your table feel schizophrenic.) Layer modern floral-shaped salad bowls and plates to add a bit of playful freshness.

For continuity, select floral teacups in patterns that highlight one or more of your dominant colors. Finish the tablescape with a crisp and simple napkin presentation and plain or lightly-etched glassware. If you have a teacosy that ties in with your color scheme, throw that in too. 

Now, all that being said, I will always advocate first and foremost to pull from whatever you have on hand. If you're like me, you gravitate toward certain patterns and color-schemes and will probably have a bunch of things scattered throughout the house that could work on your table. Great! Look for accent pieces/bowls/trays/etc that might add interest and spice up your tablescape.

Now, what shall we eat?

The name of the game for this tea menu is fresh, flavorful fare and creamy salads & spreads. Here are some ideas to get your culinary creativity flowing.

Spring Tea Menu

• Fresh Basil & Olive Bruschetta
• Teapot Toasts with Smoked Mozzarella Spread
• Spinach & Feta Mini Quiche
• Spring Chicken Salad on a Bed of Arugula in Corn Tortilla Cups
• Organic Chocolate Popovers with Homemade Chocolate Cheesecake Filling

Fresh Basil & Olive Bruschetta

Teapot Toasts with Smoked Mozzarella Spread (I used English Muffin Bread for these and cut them while still frozen with a cookie cutter to get clean shapes.)

Spring Chicken Salad on a Bed of Arugula in a Corn Tortilla Cup (Warm tortillas briefly in the microwave, brush with olive oil and bake them tucked into mini ramekins for 5-10 minutes to get this shape.)

Organic Chocolate Popovers with Homemade Chocolate Cheesecake Filling (Made with WildTree Poppin' Popover Mix--just add 2 tbl sugar & 1 tbl cacao powder to the batter for this look & flavor.)

Tea Pairings (Visit the Coffee Drop Shop for other delicious ideas.)

• Start with a traditionally-prepared English Black Tea with milk and sugar
• To compliment dessert, pair one of these with milk: a Caramel Creme Oolong or a Cinnamon Apple Red (Rooibos)

Of course as every modern girl knows, the best part about having friends over for a Spring Tea is just sitting and sipping together. When the table is set and the goodies all prepared, be sure to take a moment, my fellow hostess, to just drink in the peace and pleasure of this spring moment with dear friends.

Come along inside... We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place. 

~Attributed to Kenneth Grahame

Tea Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.