Enhance your tea sandwiches with a delightful array of side dishes to create a truly memorable afternoon tea. Fresh fruit salad with seasonal berries and melons adds a invigorating touch, while mini quiches offer savory satisfaction. Classic scones with jam and clotted cream provide sweetness and texture. A crisp cucumber salad introduces a revitalizing element, and deviled eggs bring a creamy contrast. For more variety, consider fruit tartlets, petite fours, stuffed mushrooms, and sparkling lemonade. Each dish complements the delicate flavors of the sandwiches, making your tea gathering both enjoyable and varied. Want to explore more delightful options?
Fresh Fruit Salad
A fresh fruit salad provides a lively and invigorating complement to tea sandwiches, balancing flavors and adding a nutritious element to the meal.
Incorporate seasonal fruits like berries, melons, and citrus for peak freshness.
Light salad dressings, such as a honey-lime or mint yogurt drizzle, enhance the natural sweetness without overpowering the fruits, creating a delightful and rejuvenating side dish.
Mini Quiches
Complementing the freshness of a fruit salad, mini quiches offer a savory and satisfying addition to a tea sandwich spread. With various quiche varieties like spinach and cheese or ham and mushroom, they cater to diverse tastes.
For perfect results, follow baking tips such as using pre-baked crusts and ensuring even filling distribution. These delightful bites enhance any tea gathering.
Scones With Jam
Often considered a quintessential component of a traditional tea service, scones with jam provide a delectable balance of sweetness and texture.
Complementary clotted cream enhances the richness, following proper tea etiquette. These treats, typically enjoyed with a variety of jams, offer a delightful contrast to the savory tea sandwiches, ensuring a well-rounded and satisfying afternoon tea experience.
Cucumber Salad
Balancing the sweetness of scones with jam, cucumber salad introduces a revitalizing and crisp element to your tea service.
Utilizing different cucumber varieties, such as English or Persian, can add depth and texture.
Light salad dressings, like a dill-infused vinaigrette or a simple lemon and olive oil mix, complement the freshness of the cucumbers, creating a rejuvenating and delightful side dish.
Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs, with their rich and savory filling, offer a satisfying contrast to the delicate flavors of tea sandwiches. Their classic filling, typically made with mayonnaise, mustard, and paprika, provides a creamy texture that pairs well with the lightness of sandwiches.
Garnish options like chives, paprika, or a slice of olive add visual appeal and a burst of flavor, making them an excellent side dish.
Cheese Platter
Complementing the rich flavors of deviled eggs, a well-curated cheese platter introduces a variety of textures and tastes that enhance the overall tea experience.
Offering diverse cheese varieties, such as brie, cheddar, and gouda, paired with appropriate wine pairings, the platter adds an elegant touch.
The combination of creamy, sharp, and mild cheeses guarantees a delightful contrast that harmonizes with tea sandwiches.
Mini Pastries
Mini pastries are a delightful addition to any tea party, offering a sweet contrast to savory tea sandwiches. Chocolate eclairs, filled with luscious cream and topped with rich chocolate, are always a hit. Lemon bars, with their bright, tangy flavor and buttery crust, add a zesty touch. These varied flavors provide a satisfying balance to the menu, making the tea party experience both memorable and enjoyable.
Having a variety of mini pastries ensures that there is something for every palate. Guests can enjoy the delicate sweetness of the chocolate eclairs or the refreshing tanginess of the lemon bars. The contrast between the sweet pastries and savory tea sandwiches creates a well-rounded menu that is sure to please all attendees. Mini pastries truly elevate the tea party experience, offering a touch of indulgence and sophistication to the event.
Mixed Nuts
A bowl of mixed nuts offers a crunchy and savory addition to your tea sandwich platter, providing a satisfying texture contrast.
Including various nut varieties like almonds, cashews, and walnuts not only enhances the flavor but also brings numerous health benefits.
These nuts are rich in essential nutrients and healthy fats, making them a delightful and nutritious complement to your tea time spread.
Crudité Platter
For an invigorating and colorful addition to your tea sandwich platter, consider presenting a crudité platter filled with an assortment of fresh, crisp vegetables. This vibrant presentation pairs beautifully with various vegetable dips, offering a rejuvenating contrast to the sandwiches.
Popular choices include carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Enhance the experience with a selection of dips like hummus or ranch.
Macarons
Complementing the savory elements of your tea sandwich spread, macarons introduce a touch of elegance and sweetness to your afternoon tea experience. These delicate treats come in colorful varieties, adding visual appeal to your table.
For best results, follow baking tips such as aging egg whites and using almond flour. Their crisp exterior and soft interior make them a delightful addition.
Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread cookies, with their buttery and crumbly texture, serve as an ideal accompaniment to tea sandwiches, adding a touch of classic simplicity to your tea service.
These delightful butter cookies melt in your mouth and pair wonderfully with both savory and sweet bites.
For an invigorating twist, consider lemon shortbread, which adds a revitalizing citrus note, perfectly balancing the flavors of your spread.
Fruit Tartlets
Adding a burst of color and freshness to your tea service, fruit tartlets are a delightful complement to tea sandwiches. These mini desserts feature crisp tart crusts filled with smooth custard or cream and topped with vibrant, seasonal fruits.
A delicate fruit glaze enhances their visual appeal and adds a subtle sweetness, making them an irresistible addition to any elegant tea gathering.
Petite Fours
Petite fours, with their intricate designs and variety of flavors, add an element of sophistication to any tea service. These bite-sized delights often feature a chocolate drizzle or almond topping, making them visually appealing and delicious.
Perfectly complementing tea sandwiches, petite fours offer a sweet contrast that enhances the overall tea experience, making your gathering both memorable and elegant.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms offer a savory and flavorful addition to tea sandwiches, enhancing the variety of your tea-time spread.
Using different mushroom varieties like portobello mushrooms allows for diverse tastes and textures.
These bite-sized delights can be filled with cheese, herbs, or breadcrumbs, providing a delectable contrast to the delicate flavors of tea sandwiches, making your gathering both elegant and satisfying.
Are the Best Side Dishes for Cheesesteak Sandwiches Also Suitable for Tea Sandwiches?
When considering the best side dishes for cheesesteak sandwiches, it’s important to choose options that complement the rich and savory flavors of the sandwich. While these sides may not be traditional choices for tea sandwiches, lighter options like spring mix salad or fruit skewers could be suitable for a tea party setting.
Sparkling Lemonade
Sparkling lemonade brings an invigorating and effervescent touch to your tea-time spread, perfectly complementing the flavors of tea sandwiches.
Consider enhancing this revitalizing beverage with flavored syrups for added sweetness and depth.
Citrus garnishes, such as lemon or lime slices, not only elevate the presentation but also infuse a zesty tang.
This delightful drink offers a rejuvenating counterpoint to the savory notes of tea sandwiches.