Welcome to our Spring round-up of the top 50 Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea Party Food Ideas! From classic sandwiches and savory options to delectable scone recipes, with recipes for tasty creams, curds, jams, and sweet treats, we’ve got all you need to spoil the guest of honor this Mother’s Day. Happy party planning!
Tea Party Ideas for Planning a Lovely Afternoon Tea
No Mother’s Day afternoon tea is complete without the tea itself! Whether your preference is in the traditional or you’re ready to try new varieties, there are plenty of flavors to complement every item on your carefully selected menu of Mother’s Day tea party recipes.
Popular hot tea choices for your special occasion
From robust black tea to delicate white tea, a variety of teas lend their unique taste and character. Set out a try of the following so all participants can choose their favorite.
Chai Tea: A spiced tea blend that combines black tea with strong, fragrant spices.
Chamomile: An herbal tea with a soothing, floral taste, perfect for relaxing.
English Breakfast: A hearty blend of black teas and a classic.
Earl Grey Tea: Black tea infused with bergamot oil, giving it a citrusy twist.
Green Tea: Known for its health benefits with fresh, grassy flavor.
Jasmine Tea: Green tea scented with jasmine flowers, providing a sweet and aromatic experience.
Oolong Tea: A traditional Chinese tea with a rich and complex flavor profile.
Peppermint Tea: Refreshing and invigorating, a caffeine-free option.
Choosing your tea pot
The teapot, a symbol of tea culture, has evolved over centuries from its origins in China to become a focus for today’s tea parties. Whether you’re serving a classic Earl Grey or a delicate green tea, choosing the right teapot can set your afternoon tea above expectations, making it a memorable celebration of motherhood. And, after all, isn’t that the goal?
Teapot materials and their benefits:
Cast Iron: Known for its durability and excellent heat retention, it’s great for keeping tea hot for longer parties.
Glass: Allows you to see the tea as it brews, perfect for blooming teas and appreciating the color of the tea variety.
Porcelain: Retains heat well and does not absorb flavors, making it perfect for those delicate white and green teas.
Silver: An elegant choice for ideal heat distribution, making it a choice for special tea parties.
Stainless Steel: Durable and practical, it’s a modern option that is easy to clean and maintain.
Yixing Clay: Ideal for oolong and black teas, it absorbs flavors over time, enhancing the tea’s taste.
50 of My Favorite Tea Party Food Ideas
When planning the perfect tea party menu for Mother’s Day, you will want to choose items that complement the ladies on your invitation list. That is why I am excited to share some tasty ideas to inspire your Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea Party! Take a look through this delightful spread of 50 recipes that cover tea sandwiches and savory options, a dozen delicious scone recipes, plus creams, curds, jams, and a sweet treat or two!
Consider the balance of flavors and textures to cater to a wide range of tastes, ensuring there’s something everyone will enjoy. Oh, and presentation makes a tea party! So, serve your dishes on beautiful platters and tiered cake stands to make the table look as inviting as the food itself. Let’s dig in!
Sandwiches and Savory Items
Begin your tea party menu planning with a selection of finger sandwiches, light bites, and more. I have included popular choices along with savory pastries, mini frittatas and sliders, crisp veggie bites, and deviled eggs.
1. Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
These egg salad tea sandwiches prepared on soft white bread are the perfect way to add a fancy touch to your tea party, baby shower, or Mother’s Day celebration. They’re a lovely addition to a delightful afternoon tea experience.
For all the crust-hating sandwich lovers, you'll love these finger foods that are packed with different chutneys and flavors from Indian cuisine. These three different varieties of Indian-style tea sandwiches are inspired by British afternoon tea time.
A cucumber sandwich is perfect for brunch, lunch, or afternoon tea. It’s so easy, but more importantly, it’s incredibly delicious—cream cheese puts it over the top!
Easy Classic Egg Salad is deliciously creamy, made with perfectly hard-boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, a little relish, and salt and pepper. Just right on crusty bread to make a delightful sandwich, or enjoy with crackers and with a spoon.
For the Best Chicken Salad recipe, look no further. Using fresh herbs and lemon juice, this one is easy, creamy, and delicious! Serve with crackers and fresh fruit or as sandwich filling on your favorite bread.
These fresh Dilly Cucumber Bites make a great healthy appetizer. Cucumber slices are topped with a fresh dill cream cheese and yogurt mixture, and finished with a juicy cherry tomato.
Lobster Deviled Eggs are the perfect appetizer for spring and summer entertaining with their creamy, dreamy insides loaded with lobster and a perfect piece to garnish the top, too.
These mini BLT sliders appetizers have all the vibrant flavors of your favorite bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich on a toothpick. They’re easy to pick up and eat, and your guests will love the flavors of these small bites!
My savory peppery Homemade Pimento Cheese is prepared with fresh ingredients — like hand-grated cheddar cheese, mild pimento peppers, white onions, silky cream cheese, and mayonnaise — combined into a cheesy, fluffy, spreadable texture.
Scones are the tea time food item you cannot skip. And you would be surprised how easy they are to make from scratch. Light and flaky scones are moist and versatile, just right for enjoying with a cup of delicious tea. Here are a dozen flavors I love.
13. Classic English Scones
Classic English Scones are different from the large, super sweet and glazed scones you can find in North American cafes. Sometimes this classic recipe topped with Devonshire cream and preserves or jam.
This Fresh Strawberry Scones Recipe with Lemon Glaze is laden with sugary-sweet berries, brushed with rich, heavy cream, and topped with a light citrus glaze and a dusting of crunchy sugar.
Light, tender, moist, and flaky Orange Scones are a spot-on Panera Bread orange scone recipe! Cream scones are made with fresh orange juice and zest, bursting with bright citrus flavor. Glazed with fresh orange vanilla butter icing, tastes like spring!
Petite Vanilla Bean Scones are little melt-in-your-mouth treats that are both crumbly and soft. These delicious vanilla scones are topped with a vanilla bean glaze, and freeze well!
Start your morning off on a sweet and tangy note with these delicious lemon almond scones. Made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and topped with lemon glaze and a sprinkle of slivered toasted almonds, these lemon scones are the perfect balance of zesty and nutty flavors.
These Blackberry Scones are a tender, buttery, lightly sweet American-style scone packed with juicy blackberries. They’re perfect for an afternoon snack or a lazy weekend morning!
These delicious apple pie scones have a delicious layer of apple pie filling and streusel topping over a delicious scone base. They are made in a scone pan to make it easy and they're perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.
Easy mixed berry scones with a delicious butter lemon glaze are incredibly moist, packed with flavor, perfect for brunch, garden parties, bridal and baby showers, Mother’s Day, Sunday brunch, and so much more! I used blueberries and raspberries, but use what you have!
These vanilla Earl Grey scones with vanilla bean glaze are the perfect morning treat! Try these bergamot scones and you won’t need any other Earl Grey scones recipes!
Bacon Cheddar Scones, filled with cheese, crispy bacon, and green onions are a wonderful addition to brunch menus and even pair perfectly with a savory soup.
Serve your scone selection with a selection of fresh homemade creams, curds, and jams. Let everyone choose some fresh berries and a dollop of these creamy additions to add to their plate.
28. Clotted Cream
If you’re looking for homemade Devonshire cream, this is a simple four—ingredient recipe: cream cheese, heavy cream, white sugar, and vanilla extract. BONUS: Whip it up in just five minutes!
This easy homemade Lemon Curd is smooth and bright, with the best sweet-tart lemon flavor — it tastes like a jar of liquid sunshine! There are countless ways to use a batch of lemon curd, from filling cookies, cakes, and tarts to spreading over biscuits and scones!
Whether spreading it on toast, swirling it into yogurt, or using it as a filling for your favorite pastries, our homemade strawberry curd will surely become a staple in your kitchen.
Sweet and creamy peach curd made from fresh peaches and a few simple ingredients. Perfect for filling cakes, pies, and cupcakes, or using as a spread or topping.
This Homemade Easy Calamansi Lime Curd Recipe is thick, tangy, sweet and overflowing with fresh lime flavor. You only need 4 ingredients and under 30 minutes.
Turn fresh cranberries into tart and sweet cranberry curd with just a few simple ingredients. Perfect for spreading on seasonal goodies and breads or using as a topping or filling for cakes, cupcakes, pies, cheesecakes, and more!
Make this Easy No-Cook Strawberry Freezer Jam using half of the amount of sugar than other strawberry jam recipes but with all the incredible fresh strawberry flavor!
Sweet, juicy plums and warm cinnamon spice in my Easy Homemade Plum Jam Recipe make a flavorful and fruity breakfast jam made in the Instant Pot without pectin.
Whether you are serving a dish of fresh fruit and whipped cream, or one of these sweet treats, no party is complete without a sugary ending. And honestly, tea party desserts are bite-sized delights perfect for anytime.
36. Mini Strawberry Tarts
Make the components of this mini strawberry tarts recipe ahead of time for a special yet quick dessert. And with a strawberry tartlet, you get the benefit of satisfying your sweet tooth without the guilt of a big dessert!
Lemon Ricotta Cake is an Italian dessert with refreshing citrus notes, a light, fluffy texture, and ricotta cheese to keep it rich and moist. It’s much like a classic lemon cake, but a little less sweet and far more flavorful!
Made with fresh cherries and a sugary butter streusel topping, this easy and beautiful Cherry Coffee Cake Recipe is a delicious summertime treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes provide perfect portion control while providing a rich, dreamy chocolate indulgence! Life is all about balance and a healthy meal can be topped off with a delicious Individual Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe.
These sweet but tart Easy Mini Fruit Tarts are absolutely delightful tea party food. These bursts of flavor in flaky tart shells take just a handful of common ingredients and can be made in just minutes. I absolutely love these easy berry tartlets for a brunch or afternoon gathering!
Classic Shortbread Cookies! These perfectly buttery shortbread cookies have a wonderful, rich flavor and crisp texture. With just 4 ingredients, they couldn’t be easier to make.
These elegant Lavender Cream Puffs are light and airy French pastries filled with whipped cream and garnished with a lavender glaze. This are one of my personal favorite tea party food ideas.
We’re getting pretty fancy by making a decadent French pâte à choux—which translates to “pastry shaped like a cabbage.” But you may know them better as Cream Puffs, a light and airy pastry with a decadent chocolate filling.
This Coconut Cake is fluffy and moist, completely made from scratch, and easier than you think! It's made with shredded sweetened coconut, coconut extract, and coconut milk to give you the best coconut flavor.
Using classic French techniques and accessible ingredients, this dessert is perfect for those moments when you want to offer something special without hours in the kitchen. Fresh berries and a gentle dusting of powdered sugar complete the dish, for a dessert that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
These Individual Lemon Pavlovas are light as air, with a lovely lemon curd filling and topped with whipped cream, and are the ultimate finish for any brunch or afternoon tea.
Whether you're looking for a show-stopping Easter dessert or a refreshing summertime finale, this recipe is sure to impress. It makes 8 large pavlovas or 16 mini strawberry pavlovas.
Now that you have chosen your menu, there is one more thing to decide on. I think you would agree that setting a proper tea table is essential. After all, the table sets to mood!
Start setting up with a clean, pressed tablecloth, preferably in light colors, to complement the delicate tea service. Centerpieces can include floral arrangements that aren’t too tall, allowing for easy conversation across the table.
Each place setting should have a small plate for food, a teacup and saucer, and the appropriate utensils with a cloth napkin. Remember, the goal is to bless those you are serving with personal touches, making the tea party a joy for the mothers you love.
Tea party ideas for decorating
Decorating for a Mother’s Day brunch is all about creating an environment that’s warm, inviting, and elegant. I like to see soft, pastel colors, the soft glow of candles, and the natural beauty and aroma of fresh flowers.
Vintage tablecloths and delicate china, handwritten place cards, and perhaps a handmade party favor for each mother add a personal touch. By blending the classic charm of a traditional tea party with your own unique touches, you’ll set the room for an unforgettable experience that celebrates Mom with class and personal flair.
Give them a personal party favor
A thoughtful way to put the icing on your Mother’s Day cake, so to speak, is by presenting each mom with a small gift or favor. It can be anything from practical to decorative, just to remind them of the special day. Then set a tray of favors by the door to take as they leave, or put one at each place setting. The choice is yours!
Ideas for small gifts or favors
Sugar Cubes: Attach a bag of flavored and shaped sugar cubes to a small stash of tea bags with a little thank you note.
Personalized Tea Blends: Create custom blends for each guest, packaging them in adorable little tins or sachets.
Tea Infusers: Choose a decorative tea infuser that can be used for their favorite loose-leaf teas.
Miniature Teapots: These can serve as a delightful reminder of the day, perfect for a cup of tea.
Tea-scented Candles: Combine the comfort of a tea bag attached to a scented candle.
Vintage Tea Spoons: Spend a day shopping for spoons at antique shops for a gift that’s personally chosen by you!
Tea-themed Recipe Cards: Share recipes for some of the day’s tea party foods, giving guests a way to recreate the experience at home.
Individual Tea Cups: A beautiful cup can make their daily tea even more special.
Beyond the Recipes: What is High Tea?
High tea (just a mention), contrary to what many assume, is not the elevated, fancy version of afternoon tea. In Britain, high tea was actually a working-class meal served on high tables, thus, the name. Interesting, right?
This break from the day was for the laborers who returned home after a long day’s work. This meal included a spread of meats, bread, cheeses, and pies served with a cup of tea.
Most people now use “high tea” to refer to a more luxurious or elaborate tea service. But originally, the meal was about a hearty meal and good company over a cup of hot tea.
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About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
Love, love, love tea parties and this is an amazing list of ideas! I cannot wait to plan something for Mother’s day!