After spending two summers abroad in London, my love for taking afternoon tea was sealed. Now whenever we travel somewhere, I’m always on the lookout for a new, unique, or renowned tea to try. Since we haven’t really traveled much in the last year other than road trips home to Louisiana and the beach, I was really starting to miss the whole experience. I decided to order a new tea set and hamper (gift basket) from Fortnum & Mason, one of my favorite places to shop and take tea in London, so that we could recreate the experience at home. I chose the Camellia Tea Set, which is inspired by the wallpaper in their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon and has a beautiful chinoiserie branch pattern.
In traditional Fortnum’s fashion, I set the table with white linens, silverware, a 3-tier tea stand, and flowers. Raleigh told me he felt like he was back at sketch, which made my day. He has yet to visit Fortnum’s, but on our last trip to London, we took him to tea at sketch and the Original Sweet Shop at the Chesterfield Mayfair, both of which he loved. You can see more about that trip in this post.
Here’s a look at the items that I like to have on hand for tea.
Must Haves for Afternoon Tea
- Tea Set: Teapot, Teacups, Saucers, Strainers, Milk Jug, Sugar Bowl, and Teaplates
- 3-Tier Tea Stand
- Tea: Earl Gray, Assam Black, Chamomile, and Mint
- Sugar and Milk
- Champagne
- Tea Sandwiches: Cucumber and Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese, Egg Mayonnaise with Watercress, Coronation Chicken, and Ham and Mustard – Place on Bottom Tier
- Scones: Plain and Fruit – Place on Middle Tier
- Sweets: Tea Cakes, Biscuits (Cookies), and Pastries – Place on Top Tier
- Clotted Cream, Lemon Curd, and Jams for the Scones
- Flowers
The beautiful flowers and branches here are from Rose Bredl, one of my favorite flower and garden shops in Columbus, and the fresh foods are from Mozart’s, a delicious restaurant, bakery, and piano cafe, which is offering its menu curbside right now, including afternoon tea to go. If you’d like to order a Fortnum’s hamper and treats from the U.S., you can get them exclusively at Williams-Sonoma.
Counting down the days until spring and normal travel again!
GET THE LOOK
xx,
