Bath Bomb Make & Take Tea Party

As we start to think about getting together with friends, I thought the first party should be a small get-together. After living through an extraordinary year, what would be better than getting together with a few good friends for a Make & Take Tea Party? Make & Take parties let guests work on a project together and then take home what they make. For this one, take a relaxing bath to the next level with a handmade bath bomb.

For almost every party I put together, I usually start about 30 days out. First, I figure out the date and time. For this party, I thought an afternoon tea starting at noon would be perfect. One of the great things about hosting a tea party is that you can do most of the preparation in advance, giving you time to enjoy the party yourself.

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There are lots of rules to follow if you want to have a proper tea. This can be a little intimidating, and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know all of them. To keep this fun, we’re going to divert a bit from a traditional tea. There is no sense in stressing over a party designed to reduce stress.

I will tell you about the three types of afternoon teas that I’m familiar with. The first is Cream Tea. This is a pot of tea served with scones, jam, and clotted cream. Next, there is a Light Tea, a Cream Tea, plus sweets, such as cookies, cake, or pastries. Okay, it’s getting better. The last one is a Full Afternoon Tea and the type I’ve put together for this party.

A full afternoon tea consists of three courses.

1. Savories, such as finger sandwiches or small finger food appetizers. You can also serve hot savory dishes such as quiche or soup.

2. Scones served with jam and clotted cream.

3. Sweets such as cookies, shortbread, cake slices, or individual serving-sized small cakes or pastries.

I’ve been getting a subscription to Tea Time Magazine for some time now. Over the years, I’ve collected some delicious go-to recipes that I’ve tried and tweaked.

For my first course, I’m serving a hot savory dish along with a finger sandwich and canape. The first-course menu consists of Herbed Gruyere Quiches, Roast Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches, and Smoked Salmon-Cucumber Canapes.

For the second course, Vanilla Heart Scones topped with sugar for extra sweetness.

For the third and my favorite course, bring on the sweets. I will be serving New York Style Petite Cheesecakes, White Chocolate Macarons, and Blue Battenberg Cake. These are some advanced desserts, so you can swap out one or all of these for purchased desserts. This is supposed to be a fun get-together, so don’t add extra stress to yourself. But if you love to bake, try these delicious recipes out.

Click on the menu items above for step-by-step directions.

All the recipes are also available in the Party Handbook. Click on the handbook to the right to download a copy.

To make these recipes, I used some special equipment and ingredients.

All the supplies and ingredients for the recipes are linked below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click on any of the images below.

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Time Saving Tips

Like I said, parties should be fun for both the guest and host. I’ve given you some menu suggestions, but you can make or replace whatever you like – it’s your party.

• Instead of making mini quiches, you can replace them with frozen quiches you can get at your local grocery store.

• Instead of chicken salad for the tea sandwiches, you can replace it with deli meat and cheese.

• Instead of Battenberg Cake, pick up a pound cake. You can even top it with cherry pie filling to make it extra special.

• Instead of Macarons, pick up cookies from the bakery at your local grocery store.

Come back tomorrow for all you need to plan your tea party.