A Harvest tea sounds wonderful -- everyone here has posted such great ideas; I love this website and all that it inspires.
Though our family takes tea daily and generally has callers to tea on Sundays or during my at-home day on Thursday, I generally open my home for a festive tea a few times per year. Here is what we had for our open-house tea last November.
*hot buttered teacakes & honey
*scones & devonshire cream & jam
*cucumber sandwiches, smokes-salmon sandwiches, chicken curry sandwiches
*Dundee cake
*tea w/ a pitcher of brandy nearby for those who needed warming, and mulled cider
*I lined the sideboard with small potted mums, which I gave to my guests when they took their leave.
*I used an antique lace table cloth and napkins, and my grandmother's silver tea service, including tiered serving trays, and china cups.
**I placed my iron table-top ornament tree on my round table in the foyer; next to it I placed a silver tray filled with elm leaf cut-outs that I make from stock paper. Next to the tray I placed a gold-leaf pen, which my guests used to write something on a leaf for which they were thankful. The leaves were then hung on the tree with gold floss. The tree ended up looking quite charming & its sentiments were inspitational.
**I had crackling fires going in the kitchen hearth, as well as in the diningroom and the drawingroom.
**The party commenced at 4pm, and as it was dark outside, the house was ablaze with candles in the chandeliers as well as in then candelabras, and Bach an Mozert were played softly on the piano, in the background.
**children who attended were given a nursery tea (cambric tea, bread and butter, and cake), followed by a romp through the back garden with my niece. After she exhausted them, they retired to the nursery for a lie-down.
**A dozen or so stayed on for dinner at 8pm where we dined on rack of lamb, roasted potatoes and asparagus, served with a lovley claret.
Though our family takes tea daily and generally has callers to tea on Sundays or during my at-home day on Thursday, I generally open my home for a festive tea a few times per year. Here is what we had for our open-house tea last November.
*hot buttered teacakes & honey
*scones & devonshire cream & jam
*cucumber sandwiches, smokes-salmon sandwiches, chicken curry sandwiches
*Dundee cake
*tea w/ a pitcher of brandy nearby for those who needed warming, and mulled cider
*I lined the sideboard with small potted mums, which I gave to my guests when they took their leave.
*I used an antique lace table cloth and napkins, and my grandmother's silver tea service, including tiered serving trays, and china cups.
**I placed my iron table-top ornament tree on my round table in the foyer; next to it I placed a silver tray filled with elm leaf cut-outs that I make from stock paper. Next to the tray I placed a gold-leaf pen, which my guests used to write something on a leaf for which they were thankful. The leaves were then hung on the tree with gold floss. The tree ended up looking quite charming & its sentiments were inspitational.
**I had crackling fires going in the kitchen hearth, as well as in the diningroom and the drawingroom.
**The party commenced at 4pm, and as it was dark outside, the house was ablaze with candles in the chandeliers as well as in then candelabras, and Bach an Mozert were played softly on the piano, in the background.
**children who attended were given a nursery tea (cambric tea, bread and butter, and cake), followed by a romp through the back garden with my niece. After she exhausted them, they retired to the nursery for a lie-down.
**A dozen or so stayed on for dinner at 8pm where we dined on rack of lamb, roasted potatoes and asparagus, served with a lovley claret.
