Tea Party

An afternoon tea party may be one of the most delightful and informal affairs in the whole social round or it may be an unmitigated bore.  It all depends upon the hostess.  If she is a wise woman she will limit her guests to the tea party to the number her house can accommodate with ease, and have her hours long enough to avoid all coming at the same time, she will have some regard to making her guests to the tea party acquainted if they have not already met; and she will furnish forth her tea party table so invitingly that those who come perfunctorily will remain to chat over the teacups, and pay her the compliment of forgetting the time of day.

• Chocolate-pots resemble vases or urns, and the cups which are used with them flare at the top somewhat as the teacups do.  Of course when chocolate is offered at a tea, whipped cream is put on it when it is served.

• The cake served at afternoon tea should always be of the lightest sort.  It is never wise to offer any sort of layer or fruit cake, or anything which is sticky.  There are all kinds of wafers and nut strips which are easily prepared at home which are delicious, and certainly far more tempting than the ordinary things bought from the baker.

• The scone is a small British quick bread of Scottish origin. Scones are especially popular in the United Kingdom, the United States,Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, but are also eaten in many other countries. They are usually made of wheat, barley oroatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent. The scone is a basic component of the cream tea or Devonshire tea.

• A macaroon is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring.

• The sandwiches offered at teas are of infinite variety; sometimes they are filled with a salad mixture, sometimes with a sweet, and often with some sort of nuts with cream or fruit.

and many more :))