While the tradition may have slipped from everyday life, the golden memories of its former glories make its occasional resurrection all the sweeter. And what more perfect time to do so than Mother’s Day? Whether you’re rustling something up for your own mum or hinting that your children might do so for you, we’ve gathered our favourite teatime recipes to inspire. Think homemade rather than Instagram-perfect.
Coronation Chicken Finger Sandwiches
Good To Know
We are partial, to say the least, to a good cucumber sandwich (the trick being in the liberal use of salt and pepper). But there is something inherently pleasing about a plate of Coronation chicken sandwiches cut just so – you can practically feel it beg you to dust down the trestle tables and host a street party. It does, of course, just as nicely for tea for two – plus it’s a great way to use up chicken from a roast. Get the recipe.
Mary Berry’s Scones
BBC
What is high tea without a good scone? You can argue – as people endlessly do – over pronunciation (to rhyme with ‘gone’, for our money) and whether it’s cream or jam first (ahem: it’s cream). What you cannot argue with is Mary Berry’s recipe, which keeps everything as classic as it should be. The only question that remains: to keep them plain or to add sultanas (we’re team sultana). Get the recipe.
Coffee & Walnut Cake
Great British Chefs/ Karen Burns-Booth
There are times to be experimental in the kitchen. And then there are times when nothing but tradition will do. Baking a classic coffee and walnut cake – that towering giant of the confection world – is one of those moments when the latter is called for. We love Karen Burns-Booth’s recipe, which is moist, dangerously moreish and based on the one her mother used to make on a Sunday and which you must now rustle up for your deserving mama. Get the recipe.
Earl Grey Tea Cakes
Olive Magazine
Afternoon tea in a hotel setting is all about fancy presentation and pretty confections. At home, it should be about comfort. To that end, this classic tea cake – this one infused with delicate Earl Grey – is a total winner. Best served straight from the oven, slathered in butter and washed down with – what else? – hot, strong tea (specifically Earl Grey). Get the recipe.
Classic Crumpets
Jamie Oliver
Leaning further still into the comfort, may we suggest a homemade crumpet for a maximum cosy kitchen teatime treat? Yes, you can buy them for pennies at the supermarket, but if you have the time and inclination, the homemade versions are sublime. Jamie suggests making your own butter – but if that’s a display of domesticity too far, a slick of Lurpak will do just as well. Get the recipe.
