Pulling off a high tea is doable without breaking a sweat—and eminently less pressure-filled than assembling a multi-course lunch or supper. What you’re going for is a mix of sweet and savory small bites that can be eaten out of hand, or on a small plate, while juggling a cup of tea (depending on the season, hot or cold tea works).
For maximum ease, remember that you don’t have to make everything from scratch. Go high-low with some simple make-aheads and a few tasty sweets you can pick up premade, such as our seasonal High Tea Dessert Set.
As for the tea itself, don’t feel, well, boxed in. According to Statista, Lipton Pure Leaf was the top-selling ready-to-drink tea brand in 2021, but that’s only scratching the surface. A traditional tea service includes steeped tea. Read on for tea party food ideas—plus the perfect steeped tea pairings for every bite.
While high tea and afternoon tea are often used interchangeably, and are both steeped in British tradition (pun intended), they originated as separate events. Afternoon tea was served around 4 p.m. and involved sitting down for a cup of tea, sandwiches, scones, and cake. The light meal was not meant to replace dinner but instead to tide people over until dinner, which was usually served around 8 p.m. for upper-class British society.
High tea originated among the working class and was served between 5 and 7 p.m., as supper. Rather than petite nibbles, high tea consisted of meat dishes, potatoes, baked beans, and other heavy bites. However, today you’ll often see what was once called afternoon tea referred to as high tea—even in England. Why? Many say it’s because high tea just sounds fancier.