The proper spread
- Loose-leaf teas, steeped and poured properly — plus decaf and herbal pots
- Warm scones with clotted-style cream and preserves
- Savory course: cucumber, chicken-salad, and seasonal finger sandwiches
- Sweets tier: petit fours, shortbread, seasonal fruit
- Real china, linens, and three-tier trays — no paper plates in sight
- A host who pours, serves, clears, and vanishes politely
Occasions that suit a tea
Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirement teas, book clubs, garden clubs, Galentine's, Mother's Day, and welcome-to-the-neighborhood afternoons. Oak Glen's orchard season makes autumn garden teas especially lovely — book those early.
Grown-up parties, grown-up pacing
Afternoon teas typically run two hours with unhurried courses. Six to twenty guests is the comfortable range; larger garden parties are possible with notice.