What could be more British than tea and a delicious slice of cake? The classic Afternoon Tea has been around since the mid-1800s and has been associated with luxurious celebrations. In recent years, afternoon tea delivered to your door has become increasingly popular, especially since many of us have spent birthdays, anniversaries, and other important celebrations in isolation. Despite the world returning to normality, afternoon tea deliveries remain highly enjoyed and in demand across the country. If you are not already offering this service to your customers, fear not, you’re not too late to join the party.
The aim of this article is to inspire and guide you through designing your own afternoon tea box to entice your customers and for you to capitalise on this growing trend. So, let’s get started.
Traditionally, sandwiches prepared for an afternoon tea were intended to be eaten between lunchtime and dinner to prevent hunger until the main meal was served later in the evening. They can take a number of different forms; however, they should be easy to handle and be capable of being eaten with a few bites.
A selection of different types of bread can be used to add flavour and colour to your spread. Mini bread rolls can be added to add variety. It is very common to remove the crusts of your sandwiches, resulting in a more delicate finish. Just remember to use a clean, sharp bread knife to do this. Below, we have included our recommended top 5 afternoon tea sandwich fillings:
When filling the sandwiches for your boxes, the key is to not overfill them. Overfilled sandwiches can look messy and are harder to eat. You also don’t want to fill your customers up too quickly; they have lots of sweet treats still to enjoy.
Tea is just one of the many aspects of enjoying one of these delightful afternoon tea boxes and is essential when recreating and setting the scene at home. Tea bags can be included for your guests to enjoy with their sweet and savoury treats. There is a large variety of teas available; below we have recommended our top 5 teas suitable for afternoon tea:
What could be more iconic to the classic afternoon tea than freshly baked scones? Whether you decided to make your own in-house or buy them ready-made, scones are a MUST. Throw in a pot of clotted cream and jam, and your customers will be back for more. There are many advantages to making your own scones; they are cheap and easy to make, plus freshly baked scones are just delicious and not easily forgotten. We’ve included our scone recipe in a link below should you wish to bake your own.
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Cakes, biscuits, tarts, and pastries are all great additions to the sweet aspect of your afternoon tea box. We recommend adding sweet items which not only add flavour but also vibrant colours to your teatime spread.
It is important to remember that these afternoon tea boxes will need to be transported and delivered, meaning that whatever items you add to the box need to be sturdy and not too delicate. It is also important to bear in mind that fresh cream, if used in cakes, can be temperamental in warmer conditions, so try to avoid using it if possible. Butter cream is slightly more resilient if need be. Below are some items that we believe are great additions to an afternoon tea box which is going to be transported and delivered. These can be homemade or bought in ready to serve:
Prosecco or Champagne are usually a fantastic addition to any afternoon tea, especially for celebratory occasions. Adding a small bottle of either of these can add a special touch to your boxes, also bumping up the value of each box, increasing your profit. However, for those who don’t currently have a license to sell alcoholic beverages, other non-alcoholic drinks can be substituted. Adding bottles or cans such as fruity San Pellegrino or sparkling elderflower bottles works beautifully alongside the rest of the items. Offer your customers a few choices when placing their orders.
The main priority when it comes to packaging and delivering your Afternoon Tea boxes is to ensure that it is presented beautifully and arrives to your customer just as presentable as it was when it left your kitchen. We recommend Colpac Platters and Sleeves when it comes to this sort of food packaging, mainly because it’s been tried and tested in our shop The Sweet Life many times with 100% success. As mentioned above, the multiple compartments ensure that sweet and savoury are kept in their correct position and prevent cross-contamination of flavours. These compartments also prevent items from sliding around the box during delivery, resulting in a complete mess on arrival; every caterer's worst nightmare!
The outer window sleeve enhances the aesthetic appeal, allowing your customer to visibly see the time and effort put into your product. The Colpac Platter Box is great for when you need to deliver multiple boxes, as they are sturdy enough to carefully stack in a delivery vehicle. The sleeve is fantastic for preventing food items from drying out when your customers need a little break in between serving.
To set your afternoon tea boxes apart from your competitors, here are a few additional ideas you can use to impress your customers. Including a formal afternoon tea menu explaining the contents of each box is a simple, yet beautiful addition. Your customers will appreciate knowing what delicious goodies they are about to enjoy, especially the sandwich fillings and dessert varieties. It’s an opportunity to show off all that your afternoon tea box has to offer.
Set Up Instructions
Many of your customers may have never experienced an afternoon tea before. Why not include an easy-to-follow set of instructions on the best way to present their afternoon tea box at home. Although the Colpac platters are aesthetically pleasing, you can’t beat a beautiful cake stand and a vintage tea pot set out on a lace tablecloth to present your foodie treats with.
Keeping It Seasonal
A great way of keeping your customers coming back for more is to change up your afternoon tea box menu every so often. Why not use special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas to your advantage? Each one of these special occasions offers opportunities for new flavours and additions to your boxes. It’s a fantastic marketing tool as people will pay for gifts for their loved ones if they feel they will be paying for an experience they can’t get elsewhere. Subtle changes such as different jams, seasonal sandwich fillings, and cakes can be adjusted to provide a unique experience with each afternoon tea menu that you create.
