Well my 4th not 5th themed Afternoon Tea has come and gone Mermaid style.

From my themed Afternoon Tea project Tea with me

From the initial idea stage to actually doing it takes some planning, ensuring a balance of baked treats, nothing too heavy or stodgy, enough to fill you up and making sure not to  make too much.

This time i think the balance was just right, light choices so everyone can have one of each( if they desire ) i think i still need to ensure things are smaller if possible.

I was lucky enough to plan it when Asda brought out a Mermaid homeware range. This meant a Teapot, Mugs, Plates and Jugs etc. I ordered the Mugs online they came smashed to pieces ( no surprise when there was no packaging at all in the box!

The range is very shiny and catches the light very well in photos.

NOT ONE OF THEM SURVIVED INTACT

smashed mugs

And now back to the Tea

I did order some Shell Teaspoons which didn’t arrive in time for the day, i had the nets leftover from the Pirate Party and the fish and shells from the Beach.

I found some Mermaid Plates in Tkmaxx in the sale so used them. I played Little Mermaid music in the background and also Ocean waves which set the scene.

I used my 4 tier Cake stand i got on Ebay it is slightly bent but makes no difference to using it, i was able to fit all my treats on the stand for once! very happy with it and fits the plates perfectly.

For Sandwiches i  do switch them up every so often this time was

  • Mature Cheddar and tomato relish
  • Smoked Salmon Gravadlax with Cream Cheese and a Dill Mustard dressing
  • Corned Beef

As for the Sweet selection i went for some Nautical theme and some others with  Nautical colours.

  • Lemon Cookie truffle Balls – Covered in Under the Sea sprinkles in White Chocolate
  • Mermaid Donuts – These were inspired by the Disney Little mermaid Donuts i saw in Disneyland Florida. I made my own interpretation of them. I have a Blackcurrant & Casis  icing with White  Chocolate Tail and shell Decorations.
  • Bubblegum Eclairs – Made with Bubblegum Icing & filled with Chantilly Cream with Sugar pearls and Seahorse sprinkles
  • Sponge Shells – Filled with Passionfruit Posset Pearls encased in a White Chocolate Sphere.
  • Orange Blossom Starfish Meringues
  • Shell Scones – These looked nothing like Shells when baked
  • Mermaid Tail scones – savoury Cheese and Chive these turned out fab and kept their shape

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This was all filmed live via Facebook  video below

WHAT WENT WELL?

  • Good music sound in background
  • Cake stand big enough for all treats and Sandwiches
  • Good balance of lighter pastries and small treats
  • Crockery and background scenery worked well to set scene
  • Happy with how the Donuts, Shells, Mermaid Tails and Meringues came out

LESSONS LEARNED

  • Make sure to have a Teabag rest tidy for used Teabags as we all had different Teas
  • Misplaced Mermaid Napkins
  • Eclairs icing and finishing practice
  • Fry Donuts instead of baking them, or use Cake recipe for a Cake Donut
  • Smaller Cake truffles for Tea, okay as treat too big for Tea
  • Cut all sandwiches in triangles next time rather than long sandwiches.

We were all certainly full afterwards which was  a good thing and had leftovers for another day and i took some to work which i sneaked in. Hope they like them!

The next Tea will be an Easter themed one so onto working on that one, coming end of April most likely.