Welcome to Royal Wedding Week High Tea for Catherine and William.
Royal Wedding Week High Tea
I began with a pale pink damask cloth topped with an antique piece of linen featuring hand embroidered roses and vines in a cheerful pink and green palette.
A bird’s eye view of the table.
Here is a close up of the floral centerpiece. I decided to go for a rather modern look to help cut the overall sweetness of the table. The stems of the roses are cut short and nestled tightly within a low glass vase and matching votive holders.
I mixed both silver and gold finishes.
Do you take cream or sugar in your tea?
A close up of the tiny tea plate holding savories such as a cucumber sandwich, a crab puff and a delectable sweet~ chocolate mousse.
If you need seconds, please help yourself.
Other savories include mini traditional meat pies, also known as the Cornish Pasty.
Sweet sweets such as the pink-tipped chocolates.
Over on the sideboard, additional bounty awaits.
The star of the show is the orange marmalade cake.
The lemon raspberry tea cake is also delightfully yummy.
Care for a blueberry scone?
You can top it with lemon curd, a bit of cream and some additional berries.
Make sure to try the English toffee bonbons.
I do hope you have enjoyed my High Tea Tablescape.
May your own home be your castle,
Laura
Thank you so much for hosting this Tea Party! Your tea-scape is spectacular! Such a pretty setting (love how you dyed your tablecloth and napkins – great idea!) and so many delicious treats to sample! I really like how you arranged the roses in your centerpiece. Now that's my kind of HIGH tea!
DD
ummm, your table looks delightful and the treats look so so good.
How fun is this.
Thanks so much for having this fun tea party for us all to join in.
xo bj
Hi Laura!
Oh, your table looks lovely! All the pretty dishes and cups are wonderful. And the food, I want to grab a plate and help myself!
I love High Tea. I've been to many of them; Victoria, BC at the empress Hotel, The Rose Cottage, in Pasadena, Ca. and the Huntington Library, San Marino, Ca. among others. My favorite part of it is the Devon Cream. I can eat a whole jar of it at one sitting, or guiltily standing by the fridge door.
Your table is beautiful. There's a lot of work and love, and it shows! Congrats!
Leslie
Hello Laura,
whow, you made a bunch of wonderful and yummy looking treats. But not only the sweets are great, your table is very lovely also. I love your center piece, what a gorgeous idea! Everything is perfect and I think the Queen would be “very amused” to have tea with you.
Thank you for hosting this Royal event, I am happy to join in.
Greetings, Johanna
Thank you for hosting, dear Laura! You just don't know what I would give for one of those crab puffs right now, YUM.
Have fun today! What a great party.
xo, Andrea
Oh Laura. First time I'm left speechless with a post… I have no words, though I could write a REALly lomg post about it… but I have to savour all this before I add my Thanks and Congratulations!
This is hands down the Post of the Year in my wwwive.
Love,
Teresa :droppingdeadofenvyofsuchpanache:
And I beg to differ with Johanna. The Queen wouldn't be “amused”. This is all a step above (the right one to top) and I'm sure it would earn one of those few “delighted” granted by Her Majesty per year…
Hello Laura…
Ohhh what fun, my friend! Thank you so much for hosting this fabulous Tea Party for us to enjoy! And…you set such a gorgeous tea table! I just looked at it and “sighed”…ahhh! Everything looks so beautiful…from your lovely table linens…the pretty tea set and cups…right down to all those scrumptious treats! I was especially “eyeing” the lemon raspberry cake! I would love that recipe…will you share it with us? Anyway, thank you so much, my friend! I would just adore sharing this lovely tea table with you!
I wanted to badly to join your party today and so I'm sharing a teascape that I had already done…I do hope that will be okay! I'm sooo looking forward to visiting all of the party participants! I do declare…we have some of the very most creative and talented people in blogland!
Warmest wishes,
Chari @Happy To Design
Thanks so much for having me for tea today. I hope you don't mind that I have linked up 2 posts, one that I did last year on the history of high tea and one that I posted yesterday on my love for tea!
This was such a great idea-thank you!
Best wishes,
Natasha.
Here in France the French often refer to the English teatime as
'Le Five o'clock'.
Hey Laura! 🙂 I promised I would participate and here I am! lol Your food looks amazing!! Love everything you've done!
I set my tablescape at 4:30 one morning when I awoke with a headache and couldn't sleep. 🙂 My husband says he plays drums when he doesn't feel well…I told him I like to play house!
Love ya girl and thanks for hosting such a lovely gathering!
Missy
Your table is absolutely stunning and inviting! And yummy too!! LOVE IT! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Beautiful table Laura! I'll have a piece of the orange marmalade cake please:@)
What a beautiful setting, Laura. The centerpiece is so pretty and I bet it smells so good too. The food looks so delicious. I love the table cloth and everything on it. Yummy! Thanks for hosting…Christine
Laura,
Oh how I'd love a slice of that lemon raspberry tea cake with my coffee. (How very American of me.) Your table setting and foods are indeed, fit for a queen! Beautiful.
Your Friend,
Deborah
Actually 'high tea' is what is known as the working man's dinner. Usually the coal miner's, factory workers etc who came home, ate an early dinner and went off to bed because of an early rise the next day.
Americans seem to mistakenly use the term “high tea” often when they are in fact referring to a cream tea or something else equally elegant. They are not 'high tea'.
It's 6:00 a.m. and I am drooling over your delights. Everything looks delicious. The funny thing is my mother is from England and I don't like hot tea. Shameful I know. My daughter does and they enjoy sharing a “cuppa”. Also I couldn't drink iced tea either. When my mother got to this country she couldn't believe people were drinking their tea cold, she thought is was gross so we never had it growing up. I never acquired the taste for it.
Dear Laura,
Your table would certainly be a must visit for our British Queen! It is so English… with a twist! I love the mix of patterns and the table topper! Anything Chintz gets my attention, it is so ladylike.
And what would a tea table be without a little silver? Can you hear my heart go pitter-pat?
I see we were both thinking “roses” but don't they look so different. Cutting them short and putting them in those cute vases was very clever and creative. Grouping them is such a pretty look. I am on the lookout for the vases, I might use them filled with tulips for Easter.
Thank you so much for hosting this fun event. You are the Queen of Tea!
xo Yvonne
Laura,
Your tea is beautiful. You have some delicious food set out here. Most certainly fit for a queen. Thanks for such a fun party.
Sherry
You made me SO hungry, and I haven't even had breakfast yet! The centerpiece is wonderful. . . but there's nothing about your tablescape that I don't LOVE. 🙂
Hi Laura! Oh, I've been on a blogging break and didn't know about you tea party! What a great idea for the tea party. Your table and all the pretties and the fixins looks wonderful and I do wish I could attend! 🙂
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
What an absolutely beautiful table you've set for the occasion, sweetpea! Oooh, to be able to do that now here in this state. Not many women in Idaho would understand I'm afraid of how much we love decorating and entertaining this way.
xoxo,
Connie
I'm under the weather today so there will be no tea partying at my house (sadness), but I LOVE looking at all the tea-scapes. While enjoying a nice hot cup of tea of course! Thanks for hosting this!
Hi Laura, I'm back to tell you I've pulled up an old tea party post and am using it because I wanted so to come to your party. Hope it's okay.
continue to be a sweetie,
Shelia 🙂
Laura your table is beautiful. The tea looks scrumptious. I love all the elements. I should really try to put together a tea now and then.
Thanks so much for the history, too!
I do hope you invited some close friends to enjoy all those luscious treats! Beautiful job–I enjoyed it!
Laura, your table looks so pretty and I love your linens. Gorgeous. Your menu is fabulous. Wow, so many wonderful treats to choose from. This is fun. I am enjoying seeing all the Teas. Thanks for the fun party. Hugs, Marty
Yum…I will be right over…..thanks for the party Laura!
Thank you for hosting this tea party, Laura. Your table is delightful and your goodies look scrumptious. I'm looking forward to visiting all the other tea parties in blogland.
I just love this. It's so fun, and I've been looking forward to it since I heard about it. After my computer fiasco of last week, I just didn't have the courage or heart to attempt a table, but I am going to LOVE LOVE LOVE looking at all the others.
I'm already making my choice for winner and planning to see how I stack up against the esteemed judges.
Thanks for fun in blog land!
Oh! And I love your table!
Thank you for hosting this tea party! I loved the history about High Tea. Your table is beautifully set and everything looks delicious.
Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/
What a gorgeous tea you have set. I would definitely have to have one of everything! ;-D
Loved your bit of history in this post…very interesting. Wonderful post and party, Laura!
XO,
Jane
What a spectacular tea party, Laura! I meant to participate but the time got away from me and as I always host a Tuesday Tea party every week, your party sort of sneaked up on me. Anyway, hopefully I will be able to participate next time. I would link up yesterday's post but I don't think it would be appropriate. Looks like you're all having a splendid time!
Blessings,
Sandi
The table looks perfectly divine….and I can not get over all the yummies there are to eat…! I am going to attempt High Tea with a French twist this week.
Hi lovely lady. I love your Tea Party so sweet. I need to do a table for tea also ~~~ Im your newest follower on your Blog.Thans so much for your lovely comments on my Tablescapes for toady. I hope you and your lovely family have a Beautiful Day ~~~
Thank you so much for asking me to join in. I don't usually, because most of the time I only showcase a tea cup, and no lovely foods. So I didn't think I belonged in a tablescape meme. But since you asked me to play along I will. Maybe next week I will actually set a table with tea and then I will join in again!
Your tea setting is absolutely beautiful. I would love to sit down at your well appointed table and enjoy tea with you. Your tea cups are very pretty and your china gorgeous. I love the tablecloth you have used as well. Do I even need to mention that the food is divine! Yum!
Hugs,
Terri
Laura this is beautiful! Did you embroider the lovely flowers on the tablecloth? Also, we NEED the recipes for these! Especially the marmalade cake you are boasting 🙂
Hi Laura – Your party has turned out wonderfully! No wonder with all the scrumptious food, beautifully laid table, and oh my goodness – clotted cream and lemon curd??? What to choose! Also, I absolutely love your sideboard – it's gorgeous. Thanks for having this. xo Nancy
Hurray for another Royal Wednesday! I love them! Though I've got a bit behind and need to go read your last few! Your tablescape looks lovely. I am so hungry after looking at all your delicious treats! I wish I could come for tea! 🙂
Hi Laura,
You have set such a pretty tea and lots of delightful treats too.
I just found out you were hosting a tea so I have joined in.
Thank you for hosting,
Carolyn
Thank you for hosting this lovely celebration. I love any excuse for a tea party.
Wouldn't it be something if the Queen or Princess to be found this blog and all these fabulous tea parties?? One can dream!! I first looked at your tea party early this morning. I had to fast this morning because I had a physical and wasn't supposed to have any food until have mid-day. Ask me if that wasn't hard and viewing your gorgeous tea party and food. xoxo P.S. Thank you for hosting this fabulous week.
Laura,
Hello! I just liked up a previous post from a few weeks ago when i attended a Tea at the Stegmaier mansion!
Thanks for hosting this party and what a lovely Teascape you have shared with us today.
I did chuckle at the pic of Queen Elizabeth with her gloves on and a tea cup. You always take your gloves off for Tea according to my good friend and expert in Tea and All Things Victorian, Victoriana Lady!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Thank-you for inviting me to tea, and what a lovely tea it is. I especially like it because it is a pretty table-scape , with all the things I appreciate about taking tea, without the fussiness, which can detract. The education on how tea is traditionally taken was very interesting.
I will be adding your link to my Tea Times and I also appreciate the time allowance for this…Saturday! Gives me more time to have a cup of tea with everyone participating.
Wow, Laura, this is beautiful! So much research goes into your blogs, I don't know how you find the time!
Those sweets look soooo delicious. Yum.
~Linda
This is so lovely, royal in every way. Love celebrating this special occasion – and what better way than with High Tea!
Thank you for hosting this lovely party,
Kathy
Lovely party Laura!! I'm linking up!
bee blessed
mary
Hello Laura, It is nice to meet you. I just found your blog. Your Tea Party setting is beautiful and the food looks delicious. I'm your newest follower.
Have a blessed day!
~*~Wendy~*~
Thank you sooo much for inviting me to your lovely tea party!! thank you for visiting my blog, I have to say I love your tablescape, your damask cloth are beautiful, the tea set are lovely and the food, oh my…..they are absolutely gorgeous and look delicious,i'm your newest follower and thank you for hosting the tea party! Blessings, Susan
Hi Laura: You set a table fit for a Queen. Thank you for hosting this wonderful party! Blessings, Martha
Ditto Lisa above! Your lovely photos reflect Afternoon Tea at its best. High Tea would be a heavy meal with meats, cheese, pickles, etc for the workman with a nice pot of tea setted at at a “high table”. Your blog is lovely.
Hey!!
What a fun party!! Laura–your tablescape is beautiful!! I love the centerpieces!! The roses are beautifully displayed. I also loved the mixed china patterns.
And, the food!!! Oh, the food!! I knew you were cooking up a storm & you sure did. Everything looks great & I'm starving.
But, I really NEED to get to know this Orange Marmalade Cake (mocha-choca-latt-ah). NEED TO KNOW IT. It really looks fabulous.
Thanks for making my week!
Love & hugs,
your Royal “PEAculiar”
Laura…your tea table is absolutely delightful! It looks so proper, so very English, so springlike, and so delicious…it couldn't be more perfect!
I just did two posts on tea things (one was on floral tea cups like yours ♥) so it was wonderful to discover your post…I'm just thrilled with it.
Off to look at the others…
xo J~
Although I am an Brit, afternoon tea afficianado & British Royal Commemorative dealer, I deleted myself from the linky because I don't do tablescapes…just enjoy them. I will enjoy checking out everyone's contributions.
Ruth
http://www.timewasantiquesfamily.blogspot.com
http://www.antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com
Love the table setting. I could eat one of each plus two pieces of cake. Doesn't make me very lady like, does it??
My daughter and I stumbled upon your blog and this post. We will not link up but we are SOOO excited to visit all the tea parties. What a treat! Thank you for hosting this
well, this was just too much fun. I may never get through all the posts … because I'm lingering at every stop. Thanks so much for hosting this linky … and for sharing such a beautiful teascape yourself.
Love your high tea. Learned so much reading the preface.. Wow. didn't know half of that. Being German, we have coffee and cake in the afternoons and it's nothing as formal as this. Your setting is beautiful and so pretty. I love the tea pot and all the goodies. Thanks for dropping in and leaving your kind comment.
I am a new follower of yours…..we share a lot in common. First of all, thank you for stopping by to visit me and inviting me to join your tea party. I am honored to have the invitation delivered so personally. Your tea table is “over the top” with your gorgeous linens, china, silver, and the roses are the “cherry on the top” of it all. I lingered over your fantastic photos and the food is so deliciously prepared. I can tell that a whole lot of love and thought was put into your table!!
Oh I do love all this! Your table setting is wonderful and fit for any Queen! You got me on the lemon curd…I adore lemon! I'm not a hot tea drinker, but this is a tempting way to enjoy it! I love all the desserts, I must admit that is my weakness! Thank-you for coming by my blog!
Liz
Would love to be at that tea party!
Have a great weekend!
Xo,
E&J
What a sweet tea party! I love that you use your vintage linens. I just did a family linens post here: http://myplacetoyours.blogspot.com/2011/02/family-linens.html
I hope you'll consider stopping by for a visit.
Your table looks scrumptious! Fit for a Queen, indeed. The dishes are lovely, too. Thanks for hosting this tea party.
I am in love with all those images. This was such perfect timing for me. I posted #47 – images from the tablescape of a tea party baby shower I hosted for my SIL. This is just 1 of 5 links to the details of the shower – would love for you to check them out! I am now addicted to tea parties – can't wait to have more with my little girls!
Thanks for hosting!
Hi Laura, what a fun party and I really enjoyed your history of tea. Very topical. Looks like you got a great turnout. I had some scrumptious tea sandwiches last week — crustless, mixed bread with chive edges. We eat those for lunch where I live, LOL. None of us have time for tea as there are only 30 minutes in every hour. Lovely to see it live on somewhere and be so gracefully celebrated. Thanks for stopping by. Jane
Cadbury & Walker's … Ohh,Laura, you captured me right there. Your teapot is my teapot, don't you just love it?!
Another elegant & exquisite setting … you do such an inviting & delightful tea.
TTFN ~
Have a beautiful day ~
Huggers & love my friend ,
Marydon
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment directing me to your lovely blog and this wonderful high tea party. I LOVE High Tea and am thoroughly enjoying all of the lovely table settings. I'll be back again and again!
Thanks for checking out my blog. Yes the work on those chandeliers was worth it. Actually, it was a pretty day, and I was happy to be outside doing something constructive.
Wow, your post and all the lovely links make me want to institute afternoon tea at my place of work! Our office manager is British, and she would especially love it! I especially enjoyed seeing the embroidered table square and the way you arranged the roses. A really pretty table, and all the goodies look divine!
Such a dainty table! Very nice! I'm crazy about your dining room furniture. Beautiful. That cross-stitched tea cloth is wonderful!
I could just devour everything on your table! That raspberry tea cake looks scrumptious. This is my first visit to your site. I came via BNOTP today and I discovered you were having a tea party yourself. Yum!!!
Absolutely lovely! Each and every detail. The food looks delicious!
Laura, not only is your tea table beautiful, but your food is beautiful too. Love that pretty tablecloth, and your sideboard filled with treats looks so pretty. I also enjoyed learning about English high tea. A beautiful post. laurie
Thank you for sharing your lovely tea party. The food looks divine, and the table is beautiful.
Hello Laura!
Think the sugar cubes and cream add so much in making our tea even more delicious!
Every detail of your Tea looks lovely.
I was not able to contribute to this event, but so glad so many others did.
Have a sweet week-end and God bless,
d from homehaven
I'm so very very
late for tea and
hope you'll forgive
me, Laura! My mom
was here and we've
been painting and
sewing and generally
being worker bees!
LOVE high tea ~
LOVE this post ~
LOVE Royal Wedding
Wednesdays….
LOVE you!
Happy Weekend. Enjoy
your special houseguest!
HRH Queen Elizabeth,
perhaps??
xx Suzanne
Hello there dear Laura,
What utter fabulousness! ~ Thanks so much for hosting this elegant, 'tea-licious' – blogparty!.,
Your table in it's every exquisite detail is a dream, a vision of loveliness!.., The history and photos are a fabulous prelude and part of your overall, 'Royal Wedding Wednesdays', theme as well.
The dainty food, embroidered tablecloth and the flowers are also both delicious and beautiful!.., Wow!
Thanks so much for joining us for TTTT and also for the 71st, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'!
P.S.~ I have tried for several days Laura, to also add my 'Silken Purse' blog post to the party to no avail. That is why I added my Valentines tea post from my, 'The Plumed Pen, blog instead ; I was trying to see if that would work instead ~ and Linkie accepted that URL for some reason..,
.., Because Linkie Links would not let me add for some unknown reason, add my most recent, Blue and White', tea post; (which was my preference and intention),from the same blog. ~ A day later Linkie accepted that link. Now just my 'Silken Purse' blog post remains outside. Linkie Links, says repeatedly upon adding all of the info., that; “it's already in the collection”, which it isn't..,Here is the blog address: http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com.
Please leave the Valentines link as it's really one of my favorites.
Thanks and have a marvelous week!
Cheers and hugs from Wanda Lee
What a lovely tea setting! The food looks amazing! This is truly a great tradition, one in which I participate from time to time with friends. I wish we could do it daily!!! I told myself I would do it daily upon retirement, but retirement has been as busy as when I was working!!! What a pleasure to visit your blog for the first time. Thank you for visiting my blog yesterday! Have a wonderful, warm weekend!
What a fun idea! Not all the tea parties show up directly on the blog–but if you go to inlinkz you can see them all. Love them!
Hi Laura, your tea table is absolutely gorgeous… and all the food looks delish!!! I wanted to thank you for inviting me to join in on all the fun, but unfortunately I have been so busy lately that I just couldn't find enough time, wish I could have, looks like it would have been a lot of fun!
Hugs~~~ Daphne
Wow, I do wish I hadn't had so much to do when you joined my tea party on Tuesday. I had a new kitty to acclimate to her new country home, hospitals to visit to get medical records for a son, and picked up dear hubby from the airport on Thursday.
I missed the contest but that doesn't mean that I missed your delightful post! I'm so glad Natasha encouraged me to visit all of you lovely ladies who hold tea parties. To think I've been hosting a Tuesday Tea for months..and never knew that anyone else was doing so. I feel like I just landed in tea party heaven! I ADORE this post. How sweet!
Rebekah (my daughter and I) are plotting pretty tablescapes to share during our tea party. Thank you for your visit and for your fascinating desserts and history of tea. I've loved tea since I was in first grade.
I made 'tea' every night in a pot (loose tea). We were very poor, but we always ate very well..and tea was the highlight of the evening. Since I loved tea and was the connoisseur of all things tea related..I stood watch over the 'pot'. When the tea started to boil, I would whisk the pot from the stove (imagine me at 8yrs. old) and set it aside to steep. The iced tea we made was a little taste of heaven. Perhaps it was not high tea..but it was true Texan style tea ready to be poured over tall glasses of ice..and a blessing to our evening meal. I still think there is nothing quite as delicious as tea made from loose tea leaves.
I will never lose my love for tea, and so enjoy your lovely photos of the beauties and joys of a perfect tea time.
xo
Donna @ Comin'Home
Oh I'm drooling Laura! LOL, not very proper for High Tea. What a great post. Several of the swankiest restaurants downtown have high tea. It's a big to do and quite pricey at $25+ per person. Did you know that the only tea still grown in America is grown right here in Charleston? You can tour the tea plantation and all the grocery stores carry the tea. Thanks for sharing your wonderful Tea Party, hugs and blessings, Nan
I'm back to comment again! What a following you have … my teascape table had more page views than anything I've done in the last couple months! I'm lovin' all your royal posts! I'm just silly about this upcoming wedding! Thanks again … for making me polish the silver!
Can I just say you are downright amazing? Holy molely WOW! What heaven is that table. Really stunning. Ceekay mentioned you are close to her and I. I live in Litchfield Park. Great to “meet” you here. Lovely high tea.
Holly
Hi: I am so glad I was able to stop by your blog to visit. I have been so sick all week. I was shocked to see that you have the very same buffet that I do. Mine came from France. I just love it and have never see another like it. There it is. Where did you get yours? I would love to know. Your tea items are beautiful. Have a great week. Blessings, Martha