“Be our guest, be our guest…..” The tune is instantly in your head. That’s what was going through my thoughts when I was asked to host a Beauty and the Beast Afternoon Tea Party. This party was to be held in honor of the motion picture release of Beauty and the Beast in 2017 and would have 2 young ladies as well as their mothers and aunts in attendance. How fun and what a treat for these young ladies.
I used the same planning, preparation and production steps that I used in the How To have a Valentine’s Tea Party https://teastheseason3.com/how-to-have-a-valentines-tea-party/ Here’s how it went together…..
How to begin the planning
As requested, this was going to be a theme afternoon tea party…..specifically Beauty and the Beast. I asked the same simple questions as I do with any tea party preparation. These are guidelines and considerations for you. The focus of the party was going to be on the two young ladies who were the guests of honor. Their aunt was the requestor of the event, so I met with her several times prior to the actual tea party. And I must admit, I pulled out the old animated movie to help get my creative juices flowing. I won’t tell you if I danced and sang as I put this one together.
- Pick the day and time of day you want to have your tea party. If you are having an afternoon tea, this will include savories, scones and sweets. So your guests will want to come prepared to enjoy a full serving of treats. This tea was going to be prior to the movie but at lunch time, so the guests would be ready to eat.
- Determine how long your tea party will be. My tea parties are generally 2 hours long. The hostess agreed to the same length of time for this tea party – 2 hours.
- Determine how many guests will be coming to your party. This will impact your location and your menu development. This party was going to have 8 people, to include the 2 guests of honor. This is a nice size to prepare for.
- Pick out your invitations. Will you use email? Text? General mail? I generally use either email or text and there are many vendors that can provide you with easy electronic invitations such as Smile Box http://www.smilebox.com or Evite http://www.evite.com. Make sure to have an RSVP and ask if there are any food allergies or food preferences (gluten free for example). These invitations were taken care of by the aunt. I took care of the menu development.
- Outline if you are going to have any activities. There are several tea party games that you can use. My guests generally are just full of conversation and we don’t have games. In this case, the guests of honor were younger and would need to have some form of entertainment. A two hour lunch would likely be too long for them to just sit. In coordination with the aunt, activity bags were made for the young ladies that reflected the theme of the party. They were delighted.
Menu Development
As in many afternoon teas, there are three courses – savories, breads, and sweets. I like to have 4-5 savories (small bite size morsels, one of which is a cucumber sandwich of sorts), 2 scones accompanied by cream and lemon curd, and 4 sweets to end the tea. I generally have a different tea for each course.
This menu needed to meet both the young ladies palette but also be able to satisfy the adults. I wanted this to be a fun and luxurious experience for all.
I have listed each course with comments on the selections. I have included the recipes in the next section.
Savories
- Cogsworth Cocktail (adjusted for the younger needs) – This was simply a Proseco Cranberry Cocktail. For the young ladies, it was seltzer water and cranberry juice. But served in a champagne flute for celebration.
- Quiche Lorraine ala Lumiere – small bite size Quiche Lorraine
- BLT Tower – Small stacked bacon / lettuce / tomato sandwich
- Cucumber Sandwich with Tomato Rose
- Gaston’s Meatball in Sweet Sauce – simple meatball, skewered with a cocktail sword and barbecue sauce
- Vegetables with Herb Dressing – Carrots and Celery in a cup with Herb Dressing at bottom of cup. Easy for little hands.
- Margaret’s Orchard Tea for the young guests – This is an herbal tea, served with a touch of sugar is a great first tea for littles
- English Breakfast for the adults
Scones
- Mrs. Pots’ Currant Scone
- Chip’s Cinnamon Scone
- Lemon Curd / Devonshire Cream
- Sparkling Sugar Plum Tea – This is a delightful black tea that has an iridescence to it. Guests of all ages smile with this – it sparkles in your teacup.
Desserts
- The Grey Stuff – This was the classic Grey Stuff.
- Belle’s Sweetheart Cookie
- Apple Rose
- Fruit with Honey Dressing
- Lemon Souffle Tea – This tea is a Rooibos tea, so is naturally decaffeinated. It has a light lemon flavor rich as a baked souffle. Pairs nicely with a dessert portion of tea.
Prepping Ahead
Planning and the ability to prep ahead is so critical for a smooth and successful afternoon tea. Here are some of the recipes that I was able to use and those in particular that I made ahead of time.
- Small Quiche Lorraines https://eatdrinkpretty.com/2014/03/mini-quiche-lorraine.html
- BLT https://doctopdftech.com/1020982094?subid_short=febb823a20dd047cdb0fda130b8b54ff&placement=15174778&ssg=21
- Mrs. Pots’ Currant Scone https://teastheseason3.com/currant-scones/
- Chip’s Cinnamon Scone https://www.melskitchencafe.com/amazing-cinnamon-chip-scones-best-basic-scone-recipe/
- Lemon Curd https://teastheseason3.com/lemon-curd-its-all-about-the-curd/
- Devonshire Cream https://teastheseason3.com/devonshire-cream-a-topping-for-your-scone/
- The Grey Stuff https://lilluna.com/grey-stuff-recipe/
- Apple Rose https://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/apple-roses/
In the top tier, you can see the scones – Mrs. Pots Currant Scone, Chip’s Cinnamon Scone. On the second tier, Gaston’s Meatball, Quiche Lorraine ala Lumiere, and BLT. On the third, Cucumber Sandwich with Tomato Rose and Vegetables and Herb Dressing.
Setting the Stage
Entering and Greeting Guests
As always, you want to set the stage for your guests to begin their tea party experience. In this case, my guests were entering into the story of Belle, a book reading beauty. I wanted this to begin from the moment they would walk up to the door. I opted to make large over-sized flowers out of newspaper. And of course, the guests were greeted….asking them to “Be Our Guest” as they entered.
Here’s the instructions to make your own newspaper flowers.
Upon entering my home, the guests were greeted with the classic dying flowers in a glass dome. Surrounded by white and black china, the fallen rose petals were a reminder of the Beast’s connection to the rose.
Place Setting
The place setting featured a single plate, teacup, and silverware. The napkin was rolled to resemble Lumiere and tied with a blue organza bow.
Table Setting
The table setting reflected Belle’s love of books. I used three different colors of tablecloths – red, yellow, and blue. Down the center of the table I took pages of maps from old books – this provided the table runner. For the centerpieces, I used old children’s books (actually heirlooms from my father). I stacked them and then placed candles on top. Enough to give interest but not too high to block conversation. And of course, rose petals through out. The chairs were each tied with a yellow satin bow to pull in Belle’s yellow ball dress.
Adding more to the fantasy, I took a small stool and covered it to look like the enchanted footstool. Topped with the Disney children’s book, the stool rested underneath the piano, waiting to become a puppy once again.
Another reminder of our heroine, a tray of books and teacups graced with a pair of white gloves, told our guests Belle was around, reading and waiting for her prince charming.
My guests came and enjoyed, with the two young ladies coming in full Belle costumes. Finishing with the dessert course, my guests readied themselves for their premier and feasted on Belle’s Sweetheart Cookie with fruit and honey, Apple Rose pastry, and yes….as Lumiere would sing “Try the Grey Stuff, its deeelicious….if you don’t believe me – ask the deeeeshes!” And as they say, they all lived happily ever after.
