How to Host a Valentine’s Day Tea Party

Here are some notes from the, “How to Host a Valentine’s Day Tea Party Class,” on January 15th at the Antique Trove.

Get organized! Write up a schedule, make to do lists. Tea is all about the tiny details.

Decorations/Themes- Have a heart theme-do everything in hearts, or go by color-dress the entire table in white/pink/red.

Things to Consider When Planning Your Party

Other Ideas:

Cut sandwiches in heart shape. Garnish with red-such as a piece of tomato or pepper.
Cut out heart shaped cookies.
Bake brownies or cupcakes in heart-shaped pans.
Have a chocolate-themed dessert tea.
Use a chocolate fountain with fruits, pieces of cake, marshmallows.

Décor :

Details are everything
Everything doesn’t have to match
Use special paper for the menu or Valentine’s Cards.
Fold the napkin in a special way-place flowers or Valentine’s Day card inside pocket.
If you need extra chairs and they do not match, cover them with a tablecloth, tie ribbon around chair, decorate the back of the chair with lace, pearls, ribbon.
Place old love letters or antique valentines under a glass table top. For a special children’s tea, place valentines they have made under the glass.
Decorate with demitasse cups filled with chocolate kisses.
Place rose scented candles on the table.
Sprinkle rose petals or valentine’s hearts on the table.
Play soft romantic music.

Sample Menu for a Valentine’s Day Tea

Tea Suggestions:

Holiday Champagne Berry Tea or Summer Raspberry Champagne Tea served chilled in a champagne glass with a raspberry, tie a ribbon around the glass.
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tea
Cinnamon Bear Tea (our newest one!)
Diablo (cherry and cinnamon)
Sweet Almond Joy (choc, almond, coconut)
Velvet Fog (cinnamon and crème)
White Champagne Raspberry

What to Serve:

Tomato Basil Bisque (served in a tea cup or espresso cup, click on link for recipe)
Anniversary Scones (p. 137 in A Little of This and a Little of That). Try making them mini sized.
Lemon Curd and Devonshire
Carla’s Sundried Tomato Cucumber Tea Sandwiches (click on link for recipe or p. 43 in Making It Your Own Afternoon to Remember, use dark rye and cut in heart shapes)
Smoked Almond and Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches (click on link for recipe)
Hearty Herb Cheese Tea Sandwiches (p. 47 in Tea Time Tidbits and Treats)
Choc Bars (p. 133 in Amy’s Favorite Recipes or p. 115 in Creating an Afternoon to Remember)
Lemon Tartlets (use lemon curd recipe and put in pastry shells)
Cranberry Orange Bliss Cookies (p. 91 in Tea Time Tidbits and Treats)
Crème Brule Tea Cookies (p. 103 in Drop by for Tea)

Party Favor Ideas:

a little packet of your own homemade sugars-recipe on p. 16 Making It Your Own Afternoon to Remember, buy the molds at a candy/cake store or on-line at Sugar Craft. Use “bite-sized,” or “mini molds.”
package of tea put in a tea cup wrapped with ribbon
piece of chocolate wrapped in a special box
box of conversational hearts

Tips on Making Tea Sandwiches

Make your sandwich fillings ahead of time-most can be made at least 3 days ahead
If you are making chicken, always use fresh chicken, not canned.
If you are making a tea sandwich with cream cheese filling always soften the cream cheese before making the filling. Add freshly chopped herbs whenever possible. If you use a little sour cream in the cream cheese mixture, it will you’re your filling easier to spread.
Think about color when planning your tea sandwich menu. Use a variety of breads-dill rye, dark rye, buttermilk, white, wheat all work well. Always butter the bread before spreading on the filling, otherwise the filling will “leak” through.
Think about your sandwich size and cut. If you have a lot of sandwiches to make, then using a cookie cutter isn’t a good option, it’s better to cut the sandwich with a serrated knife into triangles, squares, or fingers.
Make your sandwiches the day before. Cut them the day of your event. The filling will be cold and solidified so they will slice nicely. If you do them the same day, it’s hard to get a “clean” edge.
Use fresh herbs, or chopped veggies for garnish. If you’re making an olive sandwich, slice an olive and garnish on top. Always garnish the day of the event for the best look.

Extra Tips:

Don’t press down when you cut.
Be careful with parsley garnish- no “astro turf”
Be careful of spreads that have liquid, too much liquid, makes them hard to cut nicely.
Try to handle them as little as possible.
Work with your filling so that you don’t have too much or too little filling. If you have too little filling, then the sandwich will taste only of bread.