WHAT TO SERVE WITH A VEGAN AFTERNOON TEA…

With Afternoon Tea Week 9th-15th August I thought a post on a Vegan Afternoon Tea might be an interesting read.

On Vegan News website they wrote an article on how to host a perfectly British Vegan Afternoon Tea, from cucumber sandwiches and Earl Grey to cream tea and scones, this Brit knows how to set up the most delightful vegan afternoon tea.

Like brunch, the food served at afternoon tea is not inherently vegan, but if we can veganize piles of pancakes and Eggs Benedict, we can veganize clotted cream and scones.

Here’s what you need to know to execute the perfect vegan afternoon tea spread. 

Bottom Tier

Savory snacks are always placed on the bottom tier. These can include finger sandwiches, mini vegan sausage rolls, tiny pasties, and thinly sliced pinwheels or wraps. The goal is to keep each item clean and neat. Check out the vegan recipes below to get started. 

• Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
• Vegan Tea Sandwiches
• Smoked Tofu and Cream Cheese Pinwheels
• Mini Vegan Sausage Rolls

Second Tier

Time for the sweets. From macarons to petit fours, the second tier is home to just about anything sweet you could crave (as long as it’s delivered in a dainty, one-to-two bite package). Mix a few store-bought items (like vegan brownie bites or mini cupcakes) with one or two homemade delights. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Macarons
• Mini blueberry cheesecakes
• Chocolate chip brownies
• Banana cream cupcakes
• Macaroons (yes, these are different from macarons)

Top Tier

The top tier is for cream, curds, jams, and scones—all the necessary accouterments that make up cream tea. Here’s the secret: you can offer more than one kind of scone! Just make them small so your guests will have room to sample each one. Stock up on an assortment of jams at the supermarket, but you may have to make the scones and creams by hand to keep it vegan. Here are a few recipes to help you out. 

• Chocolate espresso scones
• Blackberry almond scones
• Vegan blueberry scones
• Vegan clotted cream 
• Vegan lemon curd

Once you have created all of your delicious sweet and savory snacks for your vegan afternoon tea, boil the kettle and wait for your friends to arrive. A classic afternoon tea is the perfect time to gather with friends and family that you haven’t seen in a while. 

By Elliot Radford who is a keen vegan foodie who loves to travel and follow a sustainable lifestyle from Manchester, UK

Other suggestions from The Wallflower Kitchen include vegan tea sandwiches, including cucumber, roasted pepper & pesto and caramelised onion & hummus fillings, and summer fruits vol-au-vents.

There are so many cake recipes that can be adapted for a vegan afternoon tea as well as cupcake recipes like early grey tea cup cakes, vegan brownies, lavender and lemon cheesecake vegan Victoria Sponge cake or carrot cake. The list is endless, the most important thing to do is to enjoy it.

Why not hold your own ‘Vegan Afternoon Tea’, during Afternoon Tea Week and raise funds for a charity, there are lots who have fund raising packs to make it that bit special. Otherwise, just have your friends round and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea.

Source: Vegan News, Wallflower Kitchen