Our pick of the best afternoon teas you can have at home
Over the last year or so, we’ve all become used to recreating events at home. Some (birthday parties, family dinners, virtual schooling) simply don’t work as well at home as they do in real life. But a sophisticated afternoon tea, with sandwiches, scones and cakes, can be just as enjoyable in your living room as it would be in a café or restaurant. And with Mother’s Day coming up next weekend, you could consider getting one of these at-home afternoon teas delivered to your mum to make her day that bit more special.
SUGARFALL PATISSERIE, GLASGOW £34 for afternoon tea for two
There isn’t exactly a shortage of upmarket bakeries in Glasgow’s west end. Yet SugarFall Patisserie, on Byres Road, still manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to its range of immaculately presented sweet treats. It is run by Aiste Berlinskaite, a professional pastry chef, and Karolis Juskenas, a chocolatier, who make everything by hand while working to the motto that “creating desserts is an art”. And the food certainly is an art form, with picture-perfect petit gâteau, colourful macarons and delicate tarts that look just as good as they taste.
Despite its incredibly high standards, SugarFall Patisserie offers a reasonablypriced afternoon tea for two, including three tea sandwiches per person, three scones and a selection of decadent pastries. Jam and cream are not included but free delivery is (within 12 miles of a G12 postcode), while you can also opt to pick up from the store if you prefer. Well worth the money. www.sugarfall.co.uk/afternoon-tea
BLOSSOM TREE CAFÉ, EDINBURGH Regular afternoon tea is £13.50 per person (additional extras available)
Just because you are having afternoon tea at home, you still want it to feel like a special event. Fortunately, the striking presentation from Blossom Tree Café will make an undoubtable occasion out of your high tea, with a custom-made cake stand included with every order. It also wraps its afternoon tea in cellophane and secures it with a ribbon, making it the perfect gift to hand over on Mother’s Day if you want to gain some brownie points. The Regular Blossom Tree afternoon tea includes seven finger sandwiches, homemade sausage rolls, miniature quiches, scones with condiments (clotted cream and jam) and a dozen cakes each. Sandwich fillings vary but they usually always contain the classics – cream cheese and cucumber, ham with lettuce and a hint of honey mustard, peppered pastrami, tuna with mayonnaise – plus the option to change to gluten-free alternatives.
For Mother’s Day next weekend, it is offering a special afternoon tea, costing £29.95 for two people with addition of some extra goodies (chicken satay nibbles, vol au vents, pork pies with relish). If all that wasn’t enough, you can offer your mum a bit of pizzazz by adding prosecco (large or small), a bouquet of flowers (£25) or a choice of two cocktails (for an additional £12). Phew. Delivery is available around the south of Edinburgh but you can also collect if prefer. www.blossomtreecafe.co.uk
PINK INC CAFÉ, GLASGOW Takeaway afternoon tea theme is £45 for two people
Pink Inc Café is a specialist in afternoon tea. The café’s “Instagramable” floweradorned walls and (unsurprisingly) pink interior make it a bit of a mecca for those looking to have an extra-special afternoon tea, while the regularly changing Disneythemed cakes are a hit with adults and kids alike.
Fortunately, that same, uniquely “Pink Inc” character is just as obvious in the takeaway version of afternoon tea. For £45 for two people, you will be given a delicious selection of sandwiches, mini scones, chocolates, and colourful cupcakes on a takeaway cake stand.
If you order as part of the special Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, the cupcakes are even adorned with quirky Chanelthemed decorations making them the ideal gift for fashionista mums. And if you hadn’t already guessed the colour of the cake stand?
Pink, naturally. www.pinkinc.cafe
THE BOATHOUSE, GLENCAPLE, DUMFRIES
£14.50 per person with optional add-ons for an extra fee
In non-Covid times, when it is open for visitors, the Boathouse is one of the most beautiful venues in Dumfries and
Galloway. It is situated right on the banks of the River Nith and its glass-fronted building offers wonderful views of the water which looks particularly lovely at this time of year.
But rather than mourn the fact that we can’t currently visit to enjoy a sit-in meal, the good news is that the Boathouse’s gourmet afternoon tea tastes just as good at home.
This year it is offering Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, delivered direct to your door, with a selection of sandwiches, mini savouries, mini sweet treats, and a scone with jam and clotted cream.
The standard version costs £14.50 per person, but if you want to elevate your gift you can also add on the following extras: a mini metal “I love you” sign (for £3.50), some Ferrero Rocher (an extra £4.50), two oil wax melts with a mini wax burner (an extra £4.50), a mini bottle of prosecco (an extra £7.50), a bottle of Braes o’ Gowrie sparkling elderflower (an extra £8.50), a Kindness & Co. candle (extra £12.50) or a large bottle of prosecco (an extra £13). Orders can be placed by email (order@ theboathouseglencaple.com) or phone (01387 770 673). www.theboathouseglencaple.com
KILTARLITY POST OFFICE, NEAR BEAULY, HIGHLANDS £12 per person
When you close your eyes and picture the Post Office, a quality bakery that’s producing a deluxe afternoon tea probably isn’t what springs to mind. But that’s exactly what is on offer at the Kiltarlity Post Office, near Beauly, where a new “1st Class Cakes” business is based. Throughout next weekend the team will be delivering a special Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, across the Inverness area, for a very reasonable price of £12 per person.
That includes an egg mayo brioche roll, cheese and tomato brioche roll, BBQ chicken skewers, salad, lemon and white chocolate pots, vanilla and strawberry jam cupcakes, chocolate fruity bites, shortbread, tablet and a soft drink. Advance booking is essential, with delivery offered within the Inverness/Muir of Ord/ Drumnadrochit areas.
TUDOR COFFEE HOUSE, STRATHAVEN Afternoon tea platter costs £25
Situated right in the middle of the Lanarkshire town of Strathaven, Tudor Coffee House is a much-loved local business that is popular for its coffee, cakes and cosy atmosphere. Its takeaway afternoon tea is steadily building up a fanbase of its own, offering incredibly good value for money at £25 for a platter for two.
For its Mother’s Day version, this platter includes eight triangles of assorted sandwiches, two filled salad rolls, four chicken satay sticks, two sausage rolls, two strawberry tarts, two meringues, two “Tudor” truffles, two Mother’s Day cupcakes and two scones with jam and cream.
You can collect from the coffee shop itself or get it delivered if you live locally, with the option to add fresh flowers from nearby florist Lace Buds for an extra £25 if you want to make your mum feel really special. Plus, you can be smug in the knowledge that you are supporting two local businesses at once. www.tudorcoffeehouse.co.uk
CUP TEAROOM, GLASGOW Prices vary depending on package
Cup has become a bit of an expert in afternoon tea. With stylish venues in Renfield Street and Virginia Court in Glasgow, it is a popular choice for those who want to head out for a special high tea.
But what about its at-home offering? The good news is that it is almost as extensive as the options that are available in person, with regular, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, signature, prosecco, champagne and children’s versions.
There’s also a special Mother’s Day offering, available with a mini bottle of prosecco as standard, or an upgraded version that includes champagne or gin tasting.
Cup’s standard version, costing £29 for one or £49 for two, consists of four sandwiches (smoked ham hock and mustard mayonnaise, coronation chicken, egg mayonnaise and cress, and cucumber and soft herb cream cheese), a smoked applewood cheddar and chive savoury tart, plain and cherry scones, a strawberry Eton mess cupcake, a rhubarb and custard trifle lemon and lime meringue pie, a cranachan choux bun, chocolate brownies, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Phew!
You can collect from the Renfield Street branch in Glasgow or use Cup’s delivery service, available in the following postcodes: G1-G82 (excluding G63 and G65), PA1-PA11, and ML1-ML9. www.cuptearooms.co.uk/athome.php
MRS MITCHELL’S, DUNDEE £18 per person
Unlike some of the other options on our list, Mrs Mitchell’s is a takeaway-only venue that does not have a physical presence or café. So, that means it an expert in offering boxed-up afternoon tea to go, with a choice of regular or vegetarian options that can serve between one and four people.
Collection is available free of charge from the kitchen in Dundee, while delivery is offered in Longforgan, Liff, Invergowrie, Birkhill, Strathmartine, Douglas, Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, and Kingennie.
As well as treats, cakes, savouries, mini buttermilk scones, jam and cream, the take-home boxes also include English Breakfast tea and freshly ground coffee. Mrs Mitchell’s has specific menus for birthdays, or even Easter, but you can pick the option that best suits you and then add extras such as a birthday cake or some hot chocolate. www.mrsmitchells.co.uk/product/afternoontea-for-two