In the fourth installment of our Afternoon Tea series, it’s all about love! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we here at Chado have love and romance on the brain. Whether you want to throw an afternoon tea for your friends or for your love, we have all of the tips for throwing an afternoon tea perfect for Cupid himself.

Decor

Setting the mood is key when it comes to romance, so let’s get inspired! Key colors to utilize for Valentine’s day are always red, pink, and white. With so many different shades of red and pink it’s easy to pick how explosive and bright you want the color palette to be. For a kid’s afternoon tea bright tones of red and pink are ideal, for an adult afternoon tea more muted and pastels tones of red and pink can help to add sophistication. For your china tea set, beautiful tea cups, saucers, and plates with roses of any color add the perfect touch of romance. You can set up big or small vases as your centerpiece filled with roses, or better yet have rose petals strewn across the table. This can be done with either real or fake petals, but will help to add a pop of color and decor at the same time. Red or pink Valentine’s themed napkins can help to add to the theme without breaking the bank, as they can be found in almost any store at all price points. If mood lighting is what you’re looking for, candles of all sizes laid out on the table can help set a warm, romantic mood. Lastly, chargers are always a great accessory to use. Silver or gold chargers add a contrasting color against the hues of red and pink.

Menu

White Chocolate Almond Scones

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add white chocolate and almonds, stirring to blend.

4. In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cream and lemon extract, stirring to blend. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If the dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring the mixture together with your hands until a dough forms.

5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 1-inch thickness. Using a 1¾-inch round cutter, cut 18 scones from dough. Place scones 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of scones with remaining 1 tablespoon cream, and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

6. Bake until edges of scones are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 20 minutes.

7. Serve warm.

Prosciutto Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups chopped roasted chicken

• ½ cup chopped roasted red pepper, well drained

• 1 (4-ounce) package prosciutto, chopped

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 20 slices white sandwich bread

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, red pepper, prosciutto, mayonnaise, parsley, and black pepper, stirring to blend.

2. Divide chicken salad among 10 bread slices, and spread evenly. Top each with another bread slice. Using a serrated bread knife, trim crusts from sandwiches. Cut each sandwich diagonally into 4 triangles.

Honey-Lavender Shortbread with Strawberry Preserves

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. In a large bowl and using a mixer at medium speed, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, reserved vanilla-bean seeds, honey, and vanilla extract until creamy.

2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, fresh lavender, dried lavender, cardamom, and salt.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined.

4. Remove dough from bowl, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2¼-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut as many cookies as possible, rerolling scraps until all dough is used. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets. Using a 1-inch heart-shaped cutter, remove centers from half of cookies; sprinkle resulting cutout cookies evenly with sparkling sugar.

7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are slightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, and transfer to wire racks to let cool completely.

8. Spread heart cookies with approximately 2 teaspoons each strawberry preserves, and sandwich with cutout heart cookies. Sandwich cookies can be stored, at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Tea Selection

For the season of love, we have the perfect selection for a Valentine’s Day Afternoon Tea! With blends infused with roses, chocolates, chai and so much more we have the perfect tea for every taste palette.

Rose Chai

Steep this fragrant blend of signature Chado chai spices and roses for a cup of chai like no other. Lightly spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, star anise and ginger, it is further permeated with a sweet, piquant aroma from the addition of rose petals.

St. Valentine

This premium black loose leaf tea contains hints of rose petals as well as raspberries and strawberries, to create a fruity, floral tea of great flavor and complexity. This is a full bodied black tea that smells just like you’ve stepped into a garden.

Vivaldi

Take a moment to savor this cup made of delicate black tea leaves, chocolate, and raspberry dissolving in your mouth. Taste how all these notes melt together in a satisfying and silky smooth flavor of luxury, like a dessert without the calories. The elegant infusion will hypnotize your senses with each sip.

Colombian Cacao Kisses

A decadent cup that harnesses the complex flavors of cacao. A sin in the best possible way. Your first sip of Colombian cacao black tea may leave you shaken, but you’ll soon come around to reveling in the deep, complex flavors. Toasted cacao nibs and cocoa husks feed into the loveliness. It’s a sin to be this good.

White Champagne Raspberry

White Champagne Raspberry Loose Leaf Tea is an afternoon tea that will leave you refreshed and tantalized. With a light scent of White Champagne under the fruity notes of Red Raspberry, this blend will leave a lasting impression on your friends and family and wanting to consume more.

Reena’s Rose Oolong

Fragrant, flowery and zesty, this oolong tea embodies the essence of a rose whilst contrasting fruity, citrusy notes of fresh lemon. Inspired by and dedicated to Chado founder Reena Shah, this is an oolong tea worth savoring and sharing.

Want to browse more of our products for your holiday shopping?

Check out our Selection of Teas we have to offer from all over the globe.