I have a real love for Afternoon Tea. To my mind there’s something deliciously civilised about sitting down with a friend to eat cake, drink tea and just chat about the world.
The ritual of setting out the cakes and making tea is so very soothing. It sets aside this time for you and your considerations. The world around you can wait. You have tea and cake to focus on!
I love preparing for an afternoon tea. My Fruit Scones are quick and simple to whip up and are always a delight. I can spend hours fussing over making little dainty sandwiches and tartlettes.
But what if you have no time? What if your oven has broken? What if you just can’t bake?!
(You can, if you can read a recipe you can bake a cake. You only need to believe in yourself and have a go, make a few biscuit cakes (wrong flour, oven too hot) and do your best!)
Well, my friends, even I have found myself in these circumstances. Sometimes you need the ritual of afternoon tea to step away from your hectic, chaotic world without the chaos of hours of prep in the kitchen. Here is my advice: You Cheat. Mr Kipling is your friend.
Even if you have a reputation as a superb baker no one will mind if you have cheated. It’s taking the time to sit with friends with a little something sweet and a relaxing cup of tea that is important. With a nice cake stand and some pretty china (charity shops are a gold mine for this stuff!) take the time instead to lay a pretty table and forget about the stress of baking for a while. Sometimes it is simply the more civilised thing to do!
Anna in the kitchen 