Baby shower afternoon tea food ideas

37 Crowd-Pleasing Baby Shower Food Ideas

Planning a baby shower is lots of fun, especially when it comes to brainstorming food ideas. Whether you’re looking for food ideas that match your chosen baby shower theme or you’re just looking for quick, easy, and flavorful options that everyone will love, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our 37 baby shower food ideas, including savories, sweets, and thirst-quenching drinks.

9 Tips and Ideas for Planning a Baby Shower Menu

When planning a baby shower, you can be as creative as you like with the food ideas, but it’s also important to consider some practical aspects.

As the host, you’ll have a lot to take care of, including decorating the venue, so it’s good to plan food that is quick to make and easy to serve and eat.

Here are some tips to help you think about the types of food to choose, how to serve it, and more:

Savory Baby Shower Food Ideas

Whether you plan on having only finger foods or an entire menu at the baby shower, here are some ideas for the savory food:

Baby Shower Dessert Table Food Ideas

Besides having a baby shower cake as a centerpiece, you may want to have a dessert table with an assortment of other sweet offerings. Here are some ideas for crowd-pleasing sweets and desserts:

Drinks

Beyond serving the usual wine spritzer or sparkling wine at the baby shower, consider some alcohol-free drinks, like mocktails, punch, and homemade sodas:

The Bottom Line

You’ll no doubt have lots of fun planning and serving the food for the mom-to-be’s baby shower.

If you’ve decided to prepare most of the food, round up some of the mom-to-be’s friends and family to help. Make it easier on yourself by using some store-bought elements, too. You could also make some of what’s on offer but ask each guest to bring a small plate to share.

Set up food and dessert tables so that guests can serve themselves buffet style, and stick to foods that aren’t too messy to eat while standing up and mingling.

If you have a set theme, you can tie the food into the theme by using colored frosting, or by piping lettering onto foods like “Oh, Baby!” Cookie cutters are your friend! Cut everything from brownies to sandwiches into shapes that match the theme. You can also connect the food and drinks to the theme based on the colors you choose for the straws, napkins, and cupcake liners.

Having a chocolate fondue fountain or a soda bar can create an interactive element that guests will love.

Have fun with it! Your options are endless, and you might find you really get into it once you get started. And, always remember, no matter what food and drinks you serve, your guests — especially the guest of honor — will really appreciate your efforts and thoughtfulness.

While you’re here, check out our baby shower checklist to double-check that you’ve covered everything for the upcoming event.

An Afternoon Tea Baby Shower

It almost seems like a cliche to write about a shower in April, but I had to share a few details from a recent celebration that was a long time coming.

This afternoon tea is also another chapter in my sister’s story, and since you’ve already joined us virtually for the winter engagement, the West Coast wedding, and the backyard reception here on the homestead, it’s only fitting we tie things up with a baby shower.

Now this joyous event had originally been planned to take place back in November, when my sister, Miranda, was six months pregnant, a comfortable stage of the pregnancy to travel from her Halifax home.

The invites had been sent, Miranda had purchased a plane ticket – and then my nephew was born early. Almost 2 months early.

Since he weighted a mere 3lbs, 4 oz and was making his home in the NICU, all baby shower plans were postponed – until now. Of course every baby shower and every new life is incredibly special, but we had extra reason to celebrate Alfred (Alfie) James considering his adventurous start.

{Side note. Why do people have to give their opinion on such matters? I had more than one person tell me that they never heard of a baby shower after the baby is born – as in who does that? Let there be no right or wrong, black or white for celebrating life, be it the first baby or the fifth, pre or postpartum.}

So celebrate we did! With tea and scones, sandwiches and pickles, Pimm’s Cup punch and a tableful of sweets shared among friends and family. Read on for details on the full spread, then be inspired to host your own tea! Mother’s Day is on the way, after all…

Some time after serving that famous outdoor buffet in a canoe, I decided the baby shower must be considerably more civilized. A while back Miranda and I had spent some time in London together, including a most memorable Wolseley afternoon tea, and the charms of that occasion inspired this present day event. We’re also half British (my dad is from Lancashire), so spending the afternoon chatting over Eccles cakes and scones feels perfectly natural to us.

We started with Pimm’s Cups, because it is the spring cocktail in the UK, and very complementary to finger sandwiches. I served it up in punch form for practical reasons (no need to stand by and play bartender). I played around with my recipe a bit, but based it off of this version from Serious Eats. If it’s good enough for J. Kenji, it’s good enough for me!

While guests arrived, found a glass of punch and made little Alfie’s introduction, my two shower co-hosts (Alfie’s grandmothers) and I piled hot scones and sandwiches onto tiered trays.

I am currently enamoured with finger sandwiches, cut into lengths rather than triangles, and with the crusts removed, of course. They are ever so dainty and a perfect three-bite accompaniment to a cup of tea or a glass of Pimm’s punch.

We served:

Chicken salad, which my mother-in-law cleverly assembled with one side of each white and wheat bread.
Cucumber & cream cheese – a classic!
Smoked salmon & radish on rye – which I served open face, with a sprig of dill and a smear of creme fraiche.
Cream cheese & red pepper jelly – tangy cheese and hot/sweet jelly make for an unexpected and delicious bite.
Herbed avocado egg salad & onion sprouts – another classic, dressed up for tea.

I could have added even more to this list, as my Sandwich board on Pinterest hints (avocado! radish & butter! pickled carrot & Brie!) but I restrained myself. I almost always go overboard in the food department and I wasn’t sure how enthusiastic our guests would feel about, well, plain old sandwiches.

As it turns out, I shouldn’t have worried; the sandwiches disappeared in a twinkling, along with several pots of tea.

Oh hey, look for my egg salad recipe to make an appearance here on the blog next week. I made it without mayonnaise, and instead I used smashed avocado for a creamy binder, which worked out really well. Update >> it’s HERE!

We need to talk about scones. I may have obsessed over finding the perfect British-style recipe, testing variations from Jane Hornby, Pippa Middleton’s book, Celebrate, and many more. We ate a lot of scones, but there was no complaining from the kids!

The absolute best recipe I found was from cookbook author, Claire Ptak, who owns the Violet Bakery in Hackney, East London. Her sweet cream scones graced the cover of Saveur magazine a few months ago; fortunately you can also find the recipe over at Saveur along with the story of their evolution.

It’s worth noting that I was hunting for a classic scone, with no additions whatsoever. I do love my Triple Berry Scones in the summertime, Cranberry Orange Scones for the winter holiday months and Cheesy Irish Soda Scones to accompany a pot of soup any day of the week. But for afternoon tea, the scones had to be inspired by London tea rooms: the classic cream.

After nibbling on all the scones and sandwiches we could, we took a bit of a break for – you guessed it! Games. And gifts, too. And Clara took the opportunity to break away from the festivities and rip around the sopping wet yard in her party dress and stocking feet. Gracious me. Apparently she can only behave like a lady for a few hours before the tomboy urges take over.

When we had wrapped up an intensely competitive game of Nursery Rhymes Jeopardy, it was time for sweets. I kept most everything bite-sized, so guests could sample one of each.

Eccles cakes, in tiny, two-bite servings.
Buttermilk pound cake, my mother-in-law’s excellent recipe.
Vanilla and toasted coconut marshmallows.
Cream cheese cut-out sugar cookies, in little teddy bear shapes and dressed up with royal icing and sprinkles.
Strawberry cream puffs. Janice’s recipe, with strawberry jam swirled into the cream and a strawberry slice, too.
Lemon-glazed lemon madeleines. A basic version of these beauties.
Chocolate truffles, because chocolate is essential.

I boiled the kettle yet again and made a fresh pot of each English Breakfast and Earl Grey tea. Everyone lingered over the sweets for some time as the sun slanted through the trees and the afternoon slipped away.

Guest of honour Baby Alfie seemed unruffled by the attention; a handsome little man in a room full of women.

Motherhood certainly suits my sister, who is a glowing new mama. Her sweet boy is now triple his birthweight and has just started laughing out loud. Their whole little family has relocated to the Greater Montreal area, so we’re going to get to see Alfie grow up.

Here’s to many more special occasions shared between our two families and our wider extended family. Here’s to babies, and here’s to afternoon tea!

How to Take Afternoon Tea 💡 Holidays | HomeInteriorz.com

Tea Time Tables
Planning Your Tea Party - Step by Step

decor, blue hair and pinky fingers stuck in the air? If so, you are right and wrong. You're right, because as the Afternoon tea tradition evolves over time, it has become a graceful affair. You are mistaken, because "High" tea was often enjoyed by the British working class as a supper, with more heartfelt pay than the sandwiches and tea scones now associated with tea parties.

As the custom has evolved, tea is usually scheduled from mid to late in the evening. It's an in-between snack that's a lot more elegant than a bag of chips from a vending machine. It doesn't have to be extremely fussy, although meals often include savory bun sandwiches, muffins or biscuits, as well as sweets (along with a good cup of tea, of course!) Both men and women enjoy afternoon tea in England and it is often used as function for entertainment business customers.

Afternoon tea party is suitable for many celebrations. If you're looking to host a party that isn't a dinner party, tea party might be the answer. It's the perfect format for a bridal or baby shower, retirement, birthday party, or time to catch up with good friends. Food is prepared before the arrival of your guests and is served either as a buffet or through plates of treats at the table. The only thing you need is the tea itself and you will have enough time to relax and enjoy your guests.

The guest list can include dozens of people or just one good friend with whom you would like to share an intimate conversation. It can be a very formal affair, as you'll find in some of the more elegant hotels, or it can be as simple as tea time and some cookies.

Whatever your reason for hosting your next tea party, enjoy a cup for me!

Tea Time Tables

In many parts of the world, tea time is an honored tradition of sophistication and elegance. When you're planning a tea party - whether it's a shower, prom, birthday or just for fun - decorate your table with the finest china, silverware and linens. They add polish and finesse to the occasion, and in our world of "paper cups" they lovingly remind us of earlier times.

Planning your tea party - step by step

Select a date and send invitations. Depending on the reason for your party, your invitation can range from a very casual invitation to a formal invitation. Incorporate a tea bag into a more casual invitation for fun and set the tone for your party.
Buy your tea and accessories. You will need several teapots to prepare various teas for your guests.
View recipes for sandwiches and tea treats. Most tea parties have a selection of both savory and sweet bites to satisfy both kinds of appetites. If your tea party is a mixed meal, you'll need a small selection of bites. If your tea party is replacing a full meal, you will need to choose a wider selection.
Plan your menu. Include both savory and sugary foods. Here is an example of a tea party menu.

Brew and serve a proper pot of tea. Accompany a selection of teas with cream, sugar and lemon slices to satisfy the varied tastes of your guests.

Relax and enjoy your guests while contemplating the virtues of tea. Try reading the leaves for fun. Jump to tea quotes and read the leaves for inspiration.

Instruction video: Trip to IRAN. Hitchhiking, Hospitality, Statutes & Traditions, Visa, Food, Internet etc.

Despite the fact that tea appeared in England much later than at the court of many European powers, it was here that the foundations of tea traditions were laid. Thanks to the British, tea drinking has become a ritual that provides for certain norms and rules of etiquette. It is useful to know them, because over a cup of tea they discuss business and make deals.

— Fife-o-clock is famous in Russia, someone has heard of afternoon tea, but it is not clear how one differs from the other.

- These two concepts miraculously combined for the British themselves. Afternoon tea, or afternoon tea, is an exquisite tradition that comes from the best English houses. Everything is regulated in it, from the serving of scones and the nuances of stirring sugar to the order in which milk and tea are added to a cup. Moreover, by the fact that a person pours into a cup first, one can judge not only his manners, but also his origin.

The Duchess Anne of Bedford is considered the founder of the afternoon tea tradition. A friend of Queen Victoria was a textured woman, she loved to eat well and, in order to make it to dinner, which was served rather late in the middle of the 19th century due to the appearance of kerosene lamps, she introduced the custom of drinking tea in the afternoon, with certain rituals.

For centuries, this tradition has acquired various legends. For example, it was believed that Queen Victoria personally composed the rules and wrote the mythical tea moralities that no one saw in reality. In fact, under this name, tea parties were held under her patronage.

Another common mistake is that due to the association with the phrase “high society”, many people think that the word “high” in “high tea” (high tea) is used to denote sophistication, but in reality it is a question of a high dining table: it is at such at the table they have a hearty dinner with meat and fish dishes and drink tea after five o'clock in the evening, when the working day is over, representatives of the working class. This is not an aristocratic concept at all.

There is no exact time for afternoon tea, which is drunk at a low table (low tea). Modern hotels tend to start laying the table for him after lunch, but Her Majesty is known to drink tea at four o'clock.

The tradition of fife-o-clock appeared ten years after the aristocrats, led by the queen, began to drink tea constantly. In 1851, a law was passed that significantly restricted the sale of alcohol, but supported the consumption of tea, coffee, lemonade and other drinks. It used to be considered very dangerous to drink ordinary water, and this fear was not without reason (for example, before the appearance of the first drinking fountain in 1859, Londoners had no alternative to the dirty water of the Thames), so the inhabitants of Britain, young and old, are used to drinking alcohol in all forms. The nation, the country and the empire became an inveterate drunkard. In the law, which was called the "law of five hours", one of the clauses stated that every day at exactly 17:00 all employees, sailors and workers should be given a 15-minute tea break.

Despite the fact that the aristocrats never worked and drank tea slowly and ritually, without any timing, the law is the law ... Yes, and the first attempts to play democracy (the Duchess of Bedford was the daughter-in-law of the British Prime Minister) spurred change.

In government offices, for example at 10 Downing Street, everyone drank tea at the same time: both the prime minister and ordinary employees, sometimes even all together. And so that such a great idea would not be lost and the people would know that even the Prime Minister does not miss a fife-o-clock, newspapermen were called. Not without their help, the law gradually took root and began to seem like a primordial tradition.

- Back to afternoon tea. Is it served in a special way?

— Afternoon tea is served with a certain set of treats, which can be placed both on separate plates and on special three-story shelves (in English - tray, in Russian - geridon). These treats are taken strictly from the bottom up.

The legendary English sandwiches are on the lowest, first level. They come in several types (cucumber, egg, salmon, ham) and shapes (rectangular, square, triangular). Few people know that this appetizer got its name from John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The secular rake was a very gambling man, and he did not like to interrupt the game for the sake of food. According to legend, once he ordered meat to be served to him, and bread to be placed on top and bottom so that his greasy fingers would not touch the cards. Members of the elite club quickly picked up this habit and began to ask to be served food "like a Sandwich."

A little higher, on the second level, there are scone buns - they are not cut, but put on their plate, broken in half and then eaten, breaking off a piece with their hands. The way a person pronounces the word "scone" will tell a lot about him: correctly - short "scone", and not "sko-o-he" or "skoon". Scones are served with very, very thick cream (almost butter) and one or two types of jam, with strawberry jam being a sign of good taste, and mango jam being nouveau riche.

Give preference to ingredients grown in an English garden. The exception is orange jam, which is served in memory of Queen Catherine of Braganza, the one to whom the British, in principle, owe the tradition of drinking tea. From her native Portugal, where tea became known much earlier, oranges were sent to Her Majesty, which they were very proud of. Of course, not all of them endured the long journey well, so jam was made from them.

There is no unambiguous "etiquette" answer to the difficult class-geographical question: what to put first - cream or jam? According to the rules for this ceremony, only Devon or Cornish cream is served, any other breaks the tradition of afternoon tea. And if in Devon it is customary to put jam first, and then cream, then in Cornwall it is the other way around. At the same time, it is not possible to understand the taste that the very right cream was offered to you, so the disputes have not subsided for several decades.

Members of the royal family have never officially commented on how they do it, apparently so as not to inadvertently take sides. It is tacitly believed that the queen first puts the cream and then the jam, although it is said that depending on the time and situation, the kings supported different subjects.

Small cakes (petit fours) are on the third level.

— What do the British mean by afternoon tea today?

— In addition to paraphernalia, the process of brewing tea is no less important. Even in the richest houses, tea is poured by the hostess. This tradition is due to the fact that earlier both tea and porcelain were very expensive, so the servants were not trusted to do such a thing.

There is also the role of the hostess's girlfriend - she is honorable, it is not customary to refuse her. English humor is peculiar, and ladies often offer this difficult (taking into account the above) role to foreigners. Watching them try to overcome all the difficulties of the ceremony, the English women have fun from the bottom of their hearts.

The hostess first warms up the dry teapot with boiling water, then brews tea at the rate of one spoon per person plus one more. They say that an extra spoon for the queen, because fans of the monarchy are always waiting for Her Majesty, and she can go to any house.

Tea is poured into cups, and the rest in the teapot is immediately topped up with boiling water. Actually, here lies the main English subtlety. When offering tea to neighbors, it is necessary to clarify which they prefer: stronger or vice versa, and depending on tastes, a certain amount of boiling water is added to the tea leaves.

— Are there any rules about how to hold a cup, add sugar?

- If a person is sitting at a low table, then the cup and saucer are raised from the table at the same time, that is, together, and if at an ordinary one, then only the cup is raised. It is not customary to put aside the little finger and thread the finger into the handle of the cup, and in general somehow spread the fingers. It is considered vulgar to stare or shoot with the eyes (as they used to say) over the top of the cup. And of course, only one thing can be in the mouth of a participant in a tea party: either tea or food. It is also not customary to ask for coffee during the afternoon tea ceremony.

Great importance is attached to how to stir the sugar in the tea. Queen Elizabeth stirs not in a circle, but up and down (or, as they say, according to the 6-12-6 pattern, if you imagine a cup in the form of a clock face). English etiquette experts usually recommend just this option - and in Russia, for example, this rule is historically not observed, as, indeed, in Europe. It is more correct to give preference to white sugar: it is believed that brown can spoil the taste.

A true English class trap is the milk in first tradition. It arose because of the fabulous prices for porcelain, which was fragile and could crack from boiling water. In addition, porcelain production techniques were imperfect, and pure drink could stain the cups. It is not customary to serve hot milk with tea, a maximum of warm milk. This method helped to protect precious porcelain from damage. But aristocrats do not pay attention to such trifles as the loss of a service, so they will definitely pour tea first, and then, perhaps, add milk.

— Where is the best place to order afternoon tea?

— In many castles, guests are offered a traditional tea ceremony, often following some local rules. Many vintage hotels host such tea parties, such as the Ritz in London or Claridge's. I personally like the tea ceremony at Fortnum&Mason.

— Each tradition acquires new features over time. Has afternoon tea changed in the 21st century?

- Despite the fact that afternoon tea is quite traditional, some fashion trends have appeared. For example, it has now become popular in private homes to recall family history or travel stories as part of a ritual. At informal home events (even in castles!) assorted cups and saucers are used instead of sets. In this way, the owners emphasize that the house has a history - perhaps these single cups were once donated or purchased in memorable places. And stories about it are a great topic for small talk.

— What is the difference between Russian and English tea drinking rules?

— Russia and Great Britain are tea countries where they like to drink tea many times a day. When the outbreak of World War II was announced, many English people immediately sat down to drink tea. Both Russians and Britons drink tea in any incomprehensible situation, using it almost as a universal cure for all ailments. Believe it or not, once Russian tea was considered better, because it was delivered by land, and to England - by sea, which significantly affected the quality of the product.

Ceremonies, more or less regulated, are many in both countries. But there is one important difference from the point of view of etiquette - this, of course, is dessert, that is, when tea, as an integral part of the meal, becomes its final chord.

Firstly, in England this final chord is pudding, and if you ask for dessert, you will be served fruit or ice cream.

Secondly, in Russia they eat cake with tea. In the United Kingdom, cake will be served first, and then (often even in a different room) tea or perhaps coffee. The request to bring a cake along with tea will surprise the English greatly.

And thirdly, Russians do not have any special differences in what kind of tea and at what time to drink. In England, they do not serve tea, which is intended exclusively for morning tea drinking (and these are, as a rule, the strongest varieties, such as English Breakfast), after dinner.