Will Alice In Wonderland Create A Tea Party Craze?
Filed under: Decor

Every movie has its own tie-ins but its not often that Wedgwood China gets in the mix. But the English dishware company sees the release of the new Alice in Wonderland movie as a great excuse to encourage people to host a whimsical Mad Hatter tea party. Wedgwood China home entertaining expert, Jorge Perez, offers tips for hosting your own tea party. He suggests creating a relaxed atmosphere with comfortable chairs, a central table, brightly colored fresh flowers and an invitation that sets the tone. Traditional tea time is 4 p.m. but a tea party can be held anytime between 3-6 p.m. He recommends tight, floral arrangements in low vases to make conversation across the table easy and says you can use a teapot as a floral vase.
Basic tea party essentials include a teapot, teacups and saucers, luncheon size plates , a small milk jug, a sugar bowl (preferably with sugar cubes), and a plate for lemon slices. The flatware should be set with forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right with knife blade pointed toward the plate. Place settings don't need to match and good selections of loose teas are essential (no teabags please). Begin the brewing process with cold, filtered or bottled water. Tea party snacks should be both savory and sweet. On the savory side, small sandwiches with smoked salmon, egg salad or cucumbers and cream cheese fit the bill. Sweets ideas include scones and biscuits with plenty of jams and clotted cream and shortbread or simple cakes or, if you are feeling more elaborate fanciful cupcakes with Alice in Wonderland designs might be in order (check out these amazing teacup cupcakes). The Harlequin Polka Dot tea set shown above is available on the Wedgwood site.

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