How to Celebrate Afternoon Tea Week

Afternoon Tea Week Celebrations

‘Afternoon tea week’ is a celebration of one of Britain’s timeless traditions. It is the perfect excuse to bring family and friends together. Drink delicious tea, eat delectable sandwiches and chat for hours on end. Introduced to England in the mid 19^th Century, the pause for tea in the afternoon became a social event that people even now still love to participate in. There’s nothing British people seem to love more than a scone and cuppa. 

To celebrate afternoon tea week, why not make the most of this tremendous tradition in the comfort of your own home. Whip up some homemade triangle sandwiches, some sweet and savoury scones, and a pot of tea. Or, head out and celebrate it in luxury at one of the many excellent British hotels and restaurants around the country. 

A Traditional Array

The selection of food you’d find at a traditional afternoon tea includes an array of both sweet and savoury treats. No matter what your taste buds prefer, there’s something for everyone. From scrumptious homemade strawberry jams, and thick clotted cream covering tasty scones to cucumber, smoked salmon and cheese finger sandwiches for those without a sweet tooth. Although the food selection offered is important, it is truly the tea that takes centre stage for this event. 

Why not take the occasion to celebrate Afternoon Tea week in the workplace? Here at Billi, we can ensure your tea is of the highest quality. Our range of boiling taps provides you with fresh, filtered boiling water at the touch of a button. Brew a tasty tea for you and your office co-workers using our taps, and sit down to enjoy your afternoon tea spread! 

What Tea Should You Serve?

To really throw the best Afternoon tea celebration, it’s important to have a wide variety of teas to on offer. A selection of Earl- Grey, Peppermint, Mixed Berry, Chamomile and Ginger should suffice. However, if you’re feeling even more indulgent, why not purchase a large tea box, so that every attendee has their favourite flavour tea.

Nowadays, Afternoon tea is not limited to traditional English breakfast tea and sandwiches. Why not reinvent the experience with homemade flavoured iced tea? Create some sweet, refreshing tea based drinks with ease using our selection of chilled water taps. Infuse tasty flavour parings such as peach, lemon, mango and passion fruit with black tea bags to create a delicious jug of fresh ice tea to pair with your sweet and savory nibbles. 

For those who prefer an alternative to tea, a jug of sparkling elderflower cordial made from our sparkling chilled taps can make the perfect substitute. Deliver in a jug with ice, pieces of fresh fruit and mint to create a delicious refreshing drink. Or, serve as a palette cleanser when all the cakes, scones and treats have been eaten. We have a feeling you’ll need something a little refreshing! 

Savoury, Then Sweet

Once your tea and other drinks have been arranged, it’s time to consider what tasty munches you’re going to pair them with. Here’s a selection of our preferred afternoon tea munches that work perfectly with certain tea flavours. For a refreshing and light taste, a silky white tea pairs flawlessly with cucumber placed on wholemeal bread. Similarly, keeping to savoury flavours a fine green tea can boost the taste of a well-seasoned coronation chicken sandwich. 

Change your taste palette from savoury to sweet with citrusy teas combined with indulgently sugary treats. No afternoon tea experience is complete without the sticky sweet taste of Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam scones with a strong black tea. Similarly, Earl Grey and English breakfast make a sublime pairing with lemon and citrus pastries or cakes. 

We hope to have inspired you to throw your own celebration for Afternoon tea week. We’ll be munching down on scones all week, just because we can. If you do celebrate and use your Billi taps to make those all-important cups of tea, make sure to send us a picture.