As I mentioned in this post (here), May is my birthday month, and this table is one I set to celebrate it last year. My birthday coincides with Queen Victoria’s, so I thought that an afternoon tea, with Victoria sponge, of course, would be so fun!
I often hear people refer to tea in one of two ways: “Afternoon Tea” or “High Tea”. Often, people seem to think that “High Tea” sounds fancier or is more extravagant, but the reality is quite different. “Afternoon Tea” is what most people think of when they think of a tea celebration. An “Afternoon Tea” can also feature champagne, which sometimes is also identified as a “Champagne Tea”.
“Afternoon Tea” usually features pastries, scones, and finger sandwiches. It is often served in a living room or porch, which means that you don’t normally seat at a regular table, but rather, at a low table. “Afternoon Tea” is usually served between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. When many people are in attendance, you may set a buffet of sorts on a regular table, but the tea itself is taken somewhere other than the table.
On the other hand, a “High Tea” is is a more rustic meal. And I say meal because that is exactly what it is, a much more substantial meal, with meats, and vegetables, and eaten at a table, hence the term “high”, which refers to the “high table”, rather than the “low” tables found in living rooms. Really, the only reason why it has the word “tea” in it is because “tea” is served.
With that said, it is perfectly acceptable to serve consommé or broth with afternoon tea, but it is not taken with a spoon. Instead, it is consumed in consommé or bouillon cups, which often have two handles. The handles are, precisely, to hold the cups while drinking the broth. By the way, although many people may not know, it is also perfectly okay to use these cups to drink hot chocolate! I’ll try to explain why in a future post!
So….what kind of “tea” did I serve? Well, technically, I served it on a regular table, which would make it a “high” tea, but what I served had many elements of an “afternoon” tea. The moral of the story is…just call it a “tea” and serve as much as you want!
For this table, which has been one of my favorites, I chose Wedgwood’s “Clio” pattern. The “Clio” pattern is a lovely pattern that combines really exhuberant pieces with simpler ones. Because I wanted this table to be representative of the floral exhuberance of Spring, I decided to use the floral border pieces, and accentuate the black in them by combining them with these porcelain Fitz & Floyd black Rennaissance water goblets, as well as with antique etched goblets. The champagne coupes are also an antique wheel-cut pattern called “Frontenac” by Libbey Rock-Sharpe.
As you can see, I combined my Wallace Grande Baroque sterling silver flatware with mother-of-pearl handle Victorian dessert flatware. I also featured sterling compotes or tazzas, handled baskets, a cake stand with a dome protecting my birthday cake, and a British, silver-plated tiered tea stand.
I layered vintage, hand-embroidered, pink organdi Madeira placements over a custom, linen tablecloth, and accented the table with porcelain bisque rose place card holders. The “tea” aspect was served from this antique sterling over porcelain set. I also featured this KPM porcelain warmer and added my homemade jams capped by these lovely silver plated lids that I bought in this charming tea shop in Spain (here).
I really hope you enjoyed this table, and that it inspires you to set an unabashedly feminine table to celebrate this Spring! Do let me know what you think in the comments on my Instagram post (here).
THE STERLING OVER PORCELAIN TEA SET:
THE SERVING PIECES:
THE WEDGWOOD CLIO CHINA:
THE FLATWARE:
THE STEMWARE
THE TABLECLOTH & PLACEMATS:
THE PLACE CARD HOLDERS & OTHER ELEMENTS ON THE TABLE:
[show_shopthep
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH! Join me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest
