Tag Archives: English Breakfast Tea

How to Decorate for a Graduation Tea Party

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Serve up an elegant graduation tea party complete with old style tea sandwiches, canapé, classical music, and amusing treats like tassel pasta and edible diplomas.

A Graduation Tea Party should be a short sweet and elegant affair where many guests are invited. It is one of the few tea parties where it is quite common to have as many to thirty guests to hundred guests at one time. Of course all of this depends on the number of guests that you want to invite at one time.

As graduation tea parties are quite large in number, it is usual to serve mostly sandwiches to save on mess and preparation time. A soup and Jell-O salads are also served to round out the meal a bit.
For this tea party you will be serving three types of teas

English Breakfast Tea: ironically a Scottish professor who presented the blend to Queen Victoria developed this tea. It is a blend of black teas including Keemun tea.

Earl Grey Tea – This is a very famous English black tea with a heavy bergamot scent (a citrus fruit) that first became popular during the 1830 (during King William’s reign.)

Caravan Tea – This is a heavy dark sweet tea that is often served with a teaspoon or two of honey. jam. Caravan has its origins in imperial Russia, getting its name from the camel caravans that brought the tea (usually a blend of Chinese and Indian black teas) overland.

A cute idea for the invitation would be to give it a tassel just like a graduation cap. Remember to include the menu on the invitation:

English Breakfast Tea
Earl Grey Tea
Caravan Tea
Endive With Tomato Rosettes
Lemon Pineapple Dessert Mold
Bean and Sausage Soup
Champagne Melon with Smoked Trout
Cucumber-Watercress Tea Sandwiches
Curried Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches
Brie Pear and Walnut Sandwiches
Edible Diplomas
Cream and Currant Tea Scones
Date Bread
Blondies
Maple Blueberry Mousse
Tassel Pasta

On the invitation ask you guests to dress casually but formally. Make it clear that classic music will be on the menu as well as several classic games of strategy and skill – poker, chess, checkers and croquet in the back yard. Winners of these games can expect to receive small party favors such as tiny silver picture frames, pens and bookmarks

The design theme for this party should be black and white to match the formality of the occasion of graduation. A nice touch is to display photographs of all of the other graduates in the family on the walls and pictures from old yearbooks. One contest that could be held is “worst year book “ photograph for which the winner wins some kind of booby prize.

As this party is very grown up, you should use your very best silver tea service and crystal bowls. Square black and white plates also add an interesting touch to a staid looking table. White Oxford China with your laciest white tablecloths would be best.

If you like you could also attempt to make an ice sculpture of your school’s mascot or have on ordered up professionally. You can also give this type of party of personal touch by offering napkins or souvenir matchbooks engraved with a favorite saying or a motto.

How To Decorate For A Boston Tea Party

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Celebrate independence by throwing a Boston Tea Party complete with old-fashioned Boston Tea Party recipes such Boston Harbor Chowder, Boston Cream Pie and Red and White and Blue Independence Trifle.

The original Boston Tea Party, which actually took place on a crisp December evening was a protest against taxes. In fact the slogan “Tea, Not Taxes!” might make a nice moniker or slogan for your Boston Tea Party celebration. At the original Boston tea party ships were invaded and 340 chests of tea were pitched overboard in protest of high taxes on the delicious beverage. This incident of course led to the entire American Revolution.

At your party, which is best held around tax time or in December during the end of the year, a nice touch would be to have a complimentary. document shredder on hand, should anyone have any documents that pertain to the government that they would like to get rid of for good. This would be symbolic of the hauling of the “old regime” overboard to make way for the new.

As the Boston Tea Party was an occasion that celebrated freedom and the rights of hard working, ordinary people, red, white and blue is a perfectly acceptable color scheme for this party. You can also encourage individuals to dress casually but also include these colors in their dress. A nice touch would be to encourage your guests to dress casually but then hand them a scarf decorated like the U.S. flag as a party favor to wear however they want at that party.

It is also suggested that the music be American, and very home grown. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Janis Joplin would be perfect for a modern day Boston tea party.

On your menu will be the three kinds of teas that were thrown overboard during the original Boston Tea party.

English Breakfast Tea – This is a heavily caffeinated blend made with a smokey fine grade Keemun.

Earl Grey Tea – This is the famous Assam tea that is scented with delicate and tangy traces of the fruit bergamot.

Darjeeling Tea – This lack tea from the Darjeeling region of India. Darjeeling tea is treasured for the rich golden liquor and unique muscatel flavor.

Of course you should include your entire menu on your party invitation —

English Breakfast
Earl Grey Tea
Darjeeling Tea
Boston Tea Party Popcorn
New England Revolution Crudite Tray (simply a tray of cut vegetables such as radish roses and cucumber fans on a revolving Lazy Susan)
Ham and Cheese Scones
Shrimp Cocktail
Broiled Lobster Tails
New England Crab Melts
Boston Harbor Chowder
Boston Baked Tea in A Kettle
Boston Cream Pie
Independence Day Trifle

Notice how the menu includes selections that are both antique and modern and there is some choices on the menu that dislike fish. Ham and cheese would be a traditional mainstay of Boston tea parties.