My favorite thing when I used to travel on business was to take afternoon tea as my dinner (if no dinner appointments.). I would let the hotel know in the morning (to ensure they did not run out of the tea sandwiches) then when I returned to the hotel I would either enjoy it in the lobby/tea room or have it sent up to my room. What a glorious dinner! The Ritz Carlton in Boston was a favorite and also the Peninsula in Beverly Hills. The best was The Stanhope in New York. Helga ran the tea room (sadly the Stanhope is no more). If you travel a lot I really recommend trying this!
Very pleased to read that the Stanhope was one of your favorite’s, as I was the afternoon tea consultant who trained the staff and created the menu. It was indeed a jewel box with a wonderful team of people who worked tirelessly to insure the guests had a good time. Thank you for appreciating their efforts. Ellen Easton , Red Wagon Press
The tiered dessert tray in the photo shows pastries on top, sandwiches in the middle, and scones on the bottom tier–should they always be served in this order when using a tiered serving stand?
The order of an afternoon tea menu is tea sandwiches followed by scones and then dessert. In the photo above the scones are wrapped to keep them warm at the bottom of the tiered stand, which is how The Plaza organizes them. You can change the placement based on the stand you are using, such as wrapping the scones separately to keep them warm and then the sandwiches and pastries on a 2-tiered stand.
The correct placement order is scones on top, sandwiches , then sweets. However, many venues have changed the order for various reasons. Ellen Easton, Red Wagon Press
I’ve never seen American brownies at an English tea.
What a fun post!! Thanks for sharing. Gorgeous tablescape!
Dying over the Eloise tea set.
My favorite thing when I used to travel on business was to take afternoon tea as my dinner (if no dinner appointments.). I would let the hotel know in the morning (to ensure they did not run out of the tea sandwiches) then when I returned to the hotel I would either enjoy it in the lobby/tea room or have it sent up to my room. What a glorious dinner! The Ritz Carlton in Boston was a favorite and also the Peninsula in Beverly Hills. The best was The Stanhope in New York. Helga ran the tea room (sadly the Stanhope is no more). If you travel a lot I really recommend trying this!
Xo
Very pleased to read that the Stanhope was one of your favorite’s, as I was the afternoon tea consultant who trained the staff and created the menu. It was indeed a jewel box with a wonderful team of people who worked tirelessly to insure the guests had a good time. Thank you for appreciating their efforts. Ellen Easton , Red Wagon Press
The tiered dessert tray in the photo shows pastries on top, sandwiches in the middle, and scones on the bottom tier–should they always be served in this order when using a tiered serving stand?
Dear Davina,
Thank you for your comment!
The order of an afternoon tea menu is tea sandwiches followed by scones and then dessert. In the photo above the scones are wrapped to keep them warm at the bottom of the tiered stand, which is how The Plaza organizes them. You can change the placement based on the stand you are using, such as wrapping the scones separately to keep them warm and then the sandwiches and pastries on a 2-tiered stand.
Best regards,
Myka
The correct placement order is scones on top, sandwiches , then sweets. However, many venues have changed the order for various reasons. Ellen Easton, Red Wagon Press
This post has inspired me to host a tea party this weekend!
Thank you for sharing!