Easy Summer Afternoon Tea Recipes and Ideas (2024)

RECIPES | Summer | Teatime

ByStephanie Wilson

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A summer afternoon tea is about savoring beautiful, sunny days and fresh and delicious foods. It’s also about simple gatherings in the company of friends, flavorful teas, and seasonal treats.

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Whether that be on the porch, the summer garden, or even in your backyard.

Summer teatime is a gracious experience of delicious summer flavors, beautiful, bite-size food, and fragrant blooms. It should also, above all, be easy. Here are some recipes, ideas, and inspirations to help you host your own Summer Afternoon Tea.

We’ve gathered inspiring ideas from simple floral arrangements to beautiful summer tea tables. Plus, more than 31 teatime recipes to help you host your own Summer Afternoon Tea.

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Capture the beauty of summer with this perfect Afternoon Tea bouquet created by floral designer Erin Benzakein.

Floral Arrangement Materials Used:

  • Scented geraniums
  • Lemon verbena
  • Love in a puff vines
  • Seven-son flowers
  • ‘Platinum Blonde’ dahlias
  • ‘Café au Lait’ dahlias
  • ‘Kathryn Morley’ roses
  • Scabiosa Yellow’ zinnias
  • Collarette dahlias
  • Feverfew

Follow step-by-step instructions here >

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Savor the warmth of friendship with a flavorful luncheon served during a day of croquet.

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The heart of French style is imbued with a refined sensibility—a devotion to the pleasures of taste, smell, and touch. Its expression is as simple as a table set for tea.

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Although afternoon tea is a British tradition, Japan, too, offers an opportunity to enjoy tea time with all the luxurious trimmings.

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Welcome summertime’s beautiful weather and carefree days with a tea party on the patio. Invite your neighbors for a buffet-style outdoor tea party.

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A garden gazebo is a soothing and relaxing setting for Afternoon Tea.

Love Teatime? More Afternoon Tea Reading

  • Favorite 3 Tier Stand for Afternoon Tea
  • 8 Top Teas for Afternoon Tea
  • How to Serve an Easy Afternoon Tea
  • Queen Elizabeth Afternoon Tea Recipes

31 Easy Summer Afternoon Tea Recipes

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Summer Tea Sandwiches

Photo Credit:www.victoriamag.com

“This trio of savories showcases a medley of spring’s brightest flavors. Clockwise from above left: Accents of green onCucumber Tea Sandwiches with Herb Aïoli,Ham-and-Apricot Pinwheels, andLobster Salad in Puff Pastryhighlight the season’s abundance of tender vegetables.”

2

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Chicken and tarragon sandwiches

Photo Credit:www.taste.com.au

“Whip up these delicious high tea sandwiches in super-fast time to create an elegant afternoon tea.”

3

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Ham Salad Tea Sandwiches

A simple ham salad recipe elevated to incredible with the addition of a few unique ingredients. And is utterly delicious. Ready in 10 minutes, and perfect for summer teatime.

4

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Garden Veggie Stack Tea Sandwiches

Photo Credit:www.teatimemagazine.com

“TheseGarden Veggie Stack Tea Sandwichescombine fresh eggplant, yellow squash, and tomato in a delicious tea savory.”

6

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Avocado Toast Recipe

Photo Credit:www.olivemagazine.com

“Smoked salmon sandwiches are an afternoon tea classic. Try our open avocado on toast with smoked salmon and a tomato dressing for a little twist for your afternoon tea.”

7

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Salmon Salad Tea Sandwiches

Incredibly delicious but exceedingly simple Salmon Salad Tea Sandwiches with herbs and a creamy dressing. Utterly simple and perfect for a summer tea party.

8

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Salmon, Herb, and Crème Fraiche Tarts

Photo Credit:www.taste.com.au

“Smoked salmon is only made more delectable by fresh dill and chives. Teamed with crème fraîche these tarts are the perfect summer lunch or grown up party food.”

9

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Salmon Quiche with Spinach, Dill, and Mozzarella

Whether you're baking for brunch, afternoon tea, or simply a gathering of friends, this Salmon Quiche is a treat your guests will love. Light, creamy and custardy with the seafood and savory flavors we love. Easy to make, so pretty to serve.

10

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Easy Asparagus Quiche Recipe

Easy Asparagus Quiche recipe begins with a premade crust and is filled with fresh spring asparagus, green onions, savory bacon, and shredded Gruyère cheese. A simple but perfect brunch recipe.

11

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Filo bites recipe

Photo Credit:www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk

“Fill homemade filo pastry baskets with a prawn co*cktail or ham and asparagus filling then serve to guests – a perfect summer party canapés.”

12

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Deliciously Easy Asparagus and Cheese Mini Tarts

An easy to make but beautiful savory tart, perfect for summer teatime.

13

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Pistachio and rosewater scones

Photo Credit:www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk

“Eric Lanlard’s recipe adds the fragrant flavors of rose water and pistachio to classic British scones for a Middle-Eastern spin on afternoon tea.”

14

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Raspberry Scones with Lemon Butter Glaze

Easy to make, sweet and flaky, these Buttermilk Raspberry Scones are everything you love about the season. Make a batch and enjoy a cup of tea!

15

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Strawberry Scones: Rustic Summer Scones with Tea

Indulge summer with this Fresh Strawberry Scone recipe. Incredibly easy to make with fresh strawberries. With no cutting or rolling dough, these scones are perfect for summer with a cup of afternoon tea.

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Easy English Scones Recipe

These light and fluffy English Scones are easy to make and perfect for afternoon tea or even breakfast. Serve with clotted cream, jam, or lemon curd. Beautifully simple, and delicious!

17

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Easy Blueberry Scones with Lemon Butter Glaze

These easy to make Blueberry Scones with Lemon Butter Glaze are flaky and tender, sweet with blueberries, bright and fresh with lemon. And... they're absolutely perfect for breakfast, brunch... or afternoon tea.

18

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Rhubarb Shortcakes

Photo Credit:www.olivemagazine.com

“American shortcakes are more like scones than biscuits. Usually filled with strawberries and cream these pink rhubarb ones are a great British twist to serve at high tea.”

19

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Corn, Goat Cheese & Chive Scones

Photo Credit:www.teatimemagazine.com

Fresh chives and corn, cut from the cob, combined with goat cheese give theseCorn, Goat Cheese & Chive Sconesgreat flavor and texture.

20

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Earl Grey and Lemon Mini Loaf Cake

Photo Credit:www.greatbritishchefs.com

“Urvashi Roe’s glorious Earl Grey and lemonloaf cakesare the perfect dinky addition to an afternoon tea. Pair with pear and honey green tea – an ideal blend of sweet and tangy that match these mini loaves brilliantly.”

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Lavender Tea Bread

This Lavender Tea Bread is a moist and sweet tea loaf, perfect for afternoon tea or simply to celebrate when the lavender blooms. Delightfully rich with butter and lavender cream, and unforgettable with the vanilla flavoring.

22

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Strawberry Muffins, a Perfect Sweet and Buttery Treat

Make these buttery, delicious summer muffins in a mini muffin tin for bite-size summer tea treats.

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Summer Teatime Cupcakes

Photo Credit:www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk

"These cute cupcakes are ideal for a summery afternoon tea. They have a simple vanilla sponge base and their toppings can be flavoured in three ways: blueberry, cherry ripple or lemon and earl grey."

24

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Mini Blueberry Tarts with Lemon Curd: A French-Inspired Teatime Treat

A 3-ingredient, simple tarts inspired by my favorite French boulangerie. And utterly perfect for teatime.

25

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Strawberry Shortcake

Photo Credit:www.victoriamag.com

Tiers of delicate sponge cake covered in succulent berries and a cloud of whipped cream with a hint of Grand Marnier makeStrawberry Shortcakea perennial favorite of every generation.

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Strawberry Bread with Lemon Icing

Strawberry bread is an incredibly moist and tender quick bread recipe that takes minutes to prep. Filled with fresh strawberries this lemon-glazed strawberry bread is an indulgent, delicious treat.

27

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Victoria Sponge Cake: A Teatime Classic

This Victoria Sponge Cake is an afternoon teacake recipe, favored by Queen Elizabeth, with a long British royal heritage. An easy-to-make, simple two-layer cake that's lightly sweet, soft, and perfect!

28

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Strawberry Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze

This Strawberry Bundt Cake Recipe with Lemon Glaze is utterly delicious with fresh strawberries and lemon. A tender and moist texture from Greek yogurt make it irresistible and perfect for the season.

29

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Old-Fashioned Creamy Orange Icebox Cake

Photo Credit:www.victoriamag.com

"Old-Fashioned Creamy Orange Icebox Cake pairs vanilla-bean shortbread with a zesty buttercream kissed with citrus. A mound of freshly picked raspberries, blueberries, and mint crowns the show-stopping treat, and a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar offers the final touch."

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Lemon Tartlets

Photo Credit:www.teatimemagazine.com

“These delicious Lemon Tartlets are filled with homemade lemon curd.”

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Berry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream

These bite-size Berry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream recipe is an easy afternoon tea dessert, Mother's Day brunch, or summer treat. Perfect, of course, with a cup of tea, a glass of frosted lemonade or iced tea, and a summer breeze. Easy, fresh, and perfect for the season.

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Chocolate Ganache Mini Tarts

These Chocolate Ganache Mini Tarts are a chocolate lover's dream. A tender toasted almond shortbread crust is filled with an irresistible chocolate ganache that's so easy, you won't believe it.

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Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes in Filo Shells

Simple, bite size Strawberry Cheesecakes, made in 10 minutes or less, for a light, teatime snack.

More Summer Afternoon Tea Recipes

More afternoon tea recipes to consider.

  • Easy Harvest Afternoon Tea
  • An Autumn Afternoon Tea: Celebrating a Glorious Season
  • 15 Gorgeous and Easy Spring Table Settings for Your Next Party
  • How to Make a Late Summer Fresh Flower Arrangement
  • Easy Irish Afternoon Tea

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Easy Summer Afternoon Tea Recipes and Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 main foods served at an afternoon tea? ›

There aren't any rules when it comes to the food, but a standard afternoon tea menu comprises a tier of sandwiches, a tier of cakes and one of scones or teacakes. But you could also throw in pastries, petit*-fours or biscuits.

What is a simple English afternoon tea? ›

roughly four little sandwiches per person (2 or 3 kinds); 1 average or 2 small scones: always one with cream and jams/honey; sometimes also one savoury variation. 1 or 2 pieces of cake/pastry (if 2, one rich, one simple) a few salad and fruit garnishes: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber, strawberries, etc…

How many sandwiches per person for Afternoon Tea? ›

How many sandwiches per person at afternoon tea? Prepare 3-4 sandwiches per person for your afternoon tea at home. The cake stand will be stacked from top to bottom with delicious food, so there will be lots for your guests to choose from, and you can be sure nobody will go hungry.

What is a typical British afternoon tea menu? ›

Usually consisting of a selection of teas, freshly prepared finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries with all the trimmings, a light Afternoon Tea should allow for 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 2 cakes (of different varieties) per person.

What is the difference between high tea and afternoon tea? ›

Whilst they both include tea as a beverage, afternoon tea includes delicate pastries, little sandwiches, scones and cakes. Whereas high tea is typically a more wholesome meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables served after a long hard day at work.

What do you have in a traditional afternoon tea? ›

An Afternoon Tea menu should include light cakes, scones and sandwiches. Traditional sandwich fillings are often cucumber, smoked salmon, coronation chicken or egg mayonnaise. But they should always be served with the crusts cut off - Anne, the 7th duch*ess of Bedford, was quite insistent on this point!

What do you serve at an afternoon tea party? ›

A traditional British afternoon tea is quite a substantial meal, there should be tea served in a teapot and china cups. There should also be a stand with scones, jams and clotted cream, a selection of dainty cakes such as eclairs, sponge cakes and finger cut sandwiches such as cucumber, ham and mustard etc.

How many finger sandwiches per person? ›

Plan three to four finger sandwiches per person when serving with a salad as a main dish. If you are incorporating finger sandwiches into an appetizer party menu, you will need one to two of each sandwich per person, depending on the time of day and length of the event.

What is the American version of afternoon tea? ›

High Tea or Afternoon Tea in the U.S. refers to a light meal of finger sandwiches, pastries/desserts and scones accompanied by tea and sometimes champagne. You will typically find it served in upscale hotels in the mid to late afternoon. It is based on afternoon tea in the UK.

How do you set a table for afternoon tea? ›

For tea party table settings use the traditional place settings convention. That is: forks go on the left of the plate and spoons go on the right side of the plate – and then the knives go to the right of the spoon. If you are using knife rests, they are not used when the table is initially set.

How to make afternoon tea on a budget? ›

There are many affordable food options that you can consider for your afternoon tea party. Some budget-friendly ideas include finger sandwiches with simple fillings like cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, or ham and mustard. Scones with jam and clotted cream are also a classic and affordable choice.

What do you serve at an Afternoon Tea party? ›

A traditional British afternoon tea is quite a substantial meal, there should be tea served in a teapot and china cups. There should also be a stand with scones, jams and clotted cream, a selection of dainty cakes such as eclairs, sponge cakes and finger cut sandwiches such as cucumber, ham and mustard etc.

What is a good summer tea? ›

Lemon Honey Tea:

Given that it's the one of the best Green teas for summer, this one tops the list. A delightful blend of flavours teases your palate with every sip of this tea – tangy lemon, sweet honey and mild, refreshing green tea.

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