‘To Tea or Not to Tea…’: Champagne Afternoon Tea

It was New Year’s Eve and I was getting more than a little bit excited. It has becomes a tradition for a few close girlfriends and I to always spend NYE together. Despite the logistics of living at opposite ends of the country, over the past 9 years we’ve only missed 1! (My fault, damn nights rota). With the girls making the long journey up to me this year, what better accompaniment to the marathon of gossip than a homemade Afternoon Tea? The perfect way to kick off the new year celebrations before the evening ahead!

After popping open the champagne, clinking our flutes and toasting to the new year ahead, we began by tucking into the sandwiches. Of course, the traditional sandwich filling for afternoon tea is cucumber (how dull!).  Instead, I served a variety of smoked salmon with cream cheese, ham with wholegrain mustard, cheddar cheese with red onion chutney, and cream cheese with fresh chives. Anything goes, just remember to cut off the crusts for extra delicacy ‘dahhhling’.

I made Welsh Cakes as a quirky alternative to scones (recipe below). Smothered in butter and jam, they were equally as delicious! They were also the perfect personal touch for the girls’ first trip to North Wales, none of whom had tried the traditional cake before. I made mine with sultanas, but you can use any dried fruit (cranberries work well) or even chocolate chips.

Other sweet treats included Strawberry and Vanilla Fairy Cakes and some Mini Lemon Meringue Pies. For the ‘pièce de résistance’, I served some Raspberry and Elderflower Champagne Jellies to finish! (All recipes below). Once the champagne had started flowing, we forgot to drink the tea….

Several hours and bottles of champagne later, we saw in the new year whilst watching the fireworks at Beaumaris Castle. Try out my recipes below and invite the girls over for your own afternoon tea. Happy 2015! 

Welsh Cakes (makes 12)

1)      Using your hands, mix together 225g self-raising flour with 110g salted butter until it makes breadcrumbs.

2)      Add 1 egg, 75-85g sugar and a generous handful of sultanas. Mix together to form a ball of dough.

3)      Roll out on a floured surface until 1/2cm thick, and then cut out circles approximately 5cm diameter.

4)      Melt a blob of butter in a frying pan on a medium heat. Cook the welsh cakes for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Sprinkle with caster sugar before serving.

Strawberry and Vanilla Fairy Cakes (makes 12)

 

 

1)      Just remember equal quantities of butter, sugar and flour! I’ve chosen 100g to make it easy.

2)      Whisk together the unsalted butter and caster sugar.

3)      Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract, then gradually whisk in 2 beaten eggs.

4)      Fold in the flour using a wooden spoon. Spoon into cakes cases and bake at 180⁰C for 15-20 minutes.

5)      To decorate, make butter icing by whisking together 115g icing sugar with 60g caster sugar, then stir in a few tbsp. strawberry jam. Scoop out the top of each cake using a small spoon, fill the hole with butter icing then replace the cake top. Finally, add pieces of fresh strawberry and dust with icing sugar for some seriously luxe-looking fairy cakes!  

Mini lemon meringue pies (makes 4)

Tight for time? Try this quick ‘cheat’ recipe:

1)      Line mini tart cases with ready-rolled shortcrust pastry and some baking beans. Bake at 180⁰C for 15 minutes, or according to the instructions.

2)      Fill each case with lemon curd.

3)      Make the meringue. Whisk 2 egg whites with 13g sugar to form stiff peaks. Add a drop of malt vinegar, then gradually whisk in a further 13g sugar.

4)      Top the pies with a dollop of meringue and bake until golden. Chop each tart into quarters to make bite sized pieces.

Raspberry and Elderflower Champagne Jellies (Makes 6)

1)      Soak 6 gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slowly heat together 150ml elderflower cordial with 100g caster sugar until dissolved. Remove from the heat just before the mixture boils.

2)      Remove the gelatine leaves from the water, squeezing out any excess, then add to the elderflower mixture and stir to dissolve.

3)      Add 500ml champagne or sparkling wine (not chilled) and stir.

4)      Add a few raspberries to each serving glass. Pour the champagne mixture to fill 1/3 of the glass. Chill for 2 hours to set. Meanwhile, keep the pot of remaining mixture warm by standing it in a bowl of hot water.

5)   Once the jellies have set, add more raspberries to each glass, then top the glasses up with the rest of the mixture. Doing this in 2 stages prevents all the raspberries from floating to the top. Return to the fridge to set before wowing your guests!