34 Tea Party Food Ideas That’ll Make You Feel Like a Queen
I’m all about British period dramas right now (and always), which means I constantly have a hankering for tea party food. You know, the bits and bobs you’d eat at a London café with a pinky raised while saying things like, “Fancy a cuppa?” I’m talking about blueberry cream scones, bite-size deviled eggs, fussy and fabulous trifles, and tiny tartines. All of that, of course, gets washed down with a classic Pimm’s Cup and both boozy and non-boozy tea options. (I’m a benevolent ruler.) Whether you’re making TV snacks, like me, or throwing a real-life dinner for friends, these tea party food ideas will have you feeling like a queen.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore4/33Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio6/33Granola Scones
“These scones are full of flavors and textures reminiscent of a granola bar,” writes Roxana Jullapat in her cookbook Mother Grains. Meaning, you can have your scone and get your fiber, omega-3s, antioxidants, and protein too.
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski8/33Swirled Sesame Tea Cake
GENTL AND HYERS (C)201312/33Smoked Salmon Smørrebrød
"You can put whatever you want on them," says chef Nicolaus Balla, who serves the Scandinavian open-face sandwiches at San Francisco's Bar Tartine. Simply slather a creamy spread like butter or sour cream on dense rye bread. Top with classic combos like roast beef and crisp onions, or smoked salmon and scallions.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon16/33Scotch Eggs
17/33The Pimm's Cup
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh18/33Preserved-Lemon Tea Cake
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime19/33Yuzu Kosho Deviled Eggs
The Japanese condiment yuzu kosho provides a jolt of heat and citrus to elevate your classic deviled egg. To eat these in style, chef Alex Raij of Txikito in New York recommends arranging the eggs on a plate covered with shiso leaves. (She likes to wrap the leaves around the eggs for a delicious, easy-to-hold bite.)
24/33Clementine Posset
31/33Simple Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberries are a classic choice for this summertime dessert, but if there are other fresh berries out there callin’ your name, by all means, use those instead. If you've never made homemade whipped cream before, you're in for a treat—it's so good, you could skip the shortcakes altogether and still have an amazing dessert.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.33/33Thandai Shortbread Cookies
Think of thandai—a popular drink at Holi celebrations in northern India—as a lightly floral spiced milk punch. In this recipe from her book Mumbai Modern, author Amisha Dodhia Gurbani mixes some of the rosy, nutty masala used for thandai into tender-crisp butter cookies, where its flavor blooms in the heat of the oven. Use leftover thandai masala to flavor hot chocolate, eggnog, or apple pie, or to sprinkle over your morning oatmeal or yogurt.
