The Friendsgiving Afternoon Tea Party: a bijou event.

Large, lavish and a wealth of cuisine are the themes we often think about when planning a Thanksgiving dinner for family or friends. Typically, it is a reunion for families, including stops at multiple homes and an evening dessert and wine party that goes into the wee hours of the night. This year, intimate, private and relaxed are the themes I hear buzzing through the circle of friends and over FaceTime with family. While the state of socializing with others differs from state, county, and city; the one thing on all of our minds is how do I celebrate a family holiday safely.

The November tablescape focuses on creating an intimate tea party with close loved ones. This set up is perfect for bringing a few loved ones into your home for the holidays for parties of four to 10 guests. Nonetheless, if you plan to spend thanksgiving alone or with your immediate family in your home, there are many tips in this blog post that will help you have a pleasant Thanksgiving.

During this not so typical holiday season, I give you a Thanksgiving tea party consisting of a three course meal that is easy to plan and accomplish.

Enjoy!

On the Table

With all that is going on in the world, I have felt sadness that a sense of tradition has been taken from me. Unable to celebrate Thanksgiving with my 20+ family members, the way that I have come to love; I knew I needed to think outside of the box to create an experience in my home with those closest to me.

One way to feel extra special during the holidays is to really do up your tablescape. This means getting all the fancy dishes out from the cabinets, polishing the silverware, and bringing in elegant colors to create a comforting atmosphere.

Stemware: At this quaint tea party, Royal Albert tea cups and saucers bring a bit of elegance with old country roses in pink, red and yellow painted on their rims. Crystal glasses are set aside with a jug of cucumber mint water.

Plates: Royal Albert gold trimmed dinner plates, salad plates and bread & butter plates are stacked above a gold charger. Each of these plates will prove useful as guests will indulge in a three-course afternoon meal.

Linens: Light linens are used to dress the table. A cream damask table cloth drapes over the table and cream textured mats are used to frame the dishes. To bring in a sense of family tradition; I have added in my mother's vintage napkin linens that have an adorable lace trim. These napkins were a wedding gift to her and she has kept them in immaculate condition all these years - over 40 years!

Centerpiece: This month's centerpiece features two focal points at either end of the table to allow visibility to others and room to converse. The centerpieces include large floral arrangements with eucalyptus vines as a runner. Metallic silver and sage pumpkins frame the centerpiece bringing in the cozy feeling of the holidays.

Accessories: To pull in the old country roses, tapper candles in orange and yellow have been selected. Each of these is placed on a gold candle raiser and positioned throughout the table framing each of the centerpieces. Purple hurricane candle holders have also been included in this tablescape to soften the mood.

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What is afternoon tea?

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry in the late afternoon between lunch and dinner. The Duchess would request bread, filling and a slice of cake to be brought to her on a tray accompanied tea. This became a daily routine of hers. She slowly started to invite friends to join her and your tea parties grew in frequency and fondness. This practice became a trend in the 1880s with upper class and society women. Women would gather in long robes and fashionable attire typically between the hours of 3 pm and 5 pm to attend beautifully curated afternoon tea parties.

Traditionally, afternoon tea would be served on tiered cake stand:

1st Course:

served at 3 pm

dainty finger sandwiches and savories

2nd Course:

served at 4pm

scones and jams

3rd Course:

served at 5pm

sweets

On the Menu

For our Friendsgiving Afternoon Tea, I modernized and added a ethnic twist on the menu.

Menu

1st Course:

cheese tea sandwiches, ham and cheese croissants, spinach and cheese samosa, and curried mince pie

2nd Course:

raspberry scones and peach jam

3rd Course:

cupcakes, tea cakes and biscuits

Want to make these yourself? Click on the links below to view the full recipes:

ham and cheese croissant

spinach and cheese samosa

I hope you enjoyed the November tablescape and are able to incorporate hints of comfort into you Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving festivities.

Share your stories by sending me photos of your celebrations or tag me on Instagram @Babeeta

Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving

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