The 7^th – 13^th August marks Afternoon Tea week giving all of us a great excuse to enjoy this great British tradition, a cuppa with friends and some tasty treats.

Here at Becketts we serve our popular Afternoon Tea in our Restaurant and it’s also available as an option to takeaway!

Should you fancy putting your own Afternoon Tea together at home, to enjoy in the garden, we’ve rounded up some of the best ingredients from our Farm Shop to help.

Tier 1 – Sandwiches and Savouries

Our freshly baked bread from the bakery counter is an excellent starting point for your sarnies! Soft and spongy and available in white, wholemeal or granary our classic high tin loaves can be cut into the perfect rectangular finger sandwiches. When it comes to fillings, we’ve got a few suggestions for your menu:

• Fowlers Extra Mature Cheddar from our Deli Counter, with The Bay Tree Spicy Tomato and Caramelised Onion Chutney
• Sliced Deli Ham cooked in store with Tracklements Strong English Mustard
• Becketts Butchery Roast Chicken with salad from our Greengrocers, we recommend lashings of Charlie & Ivy’s Garlic & Thyme Mayonnaise too

Lots of afternoon tea offerings now have not only sandwiches, but other savouries too. Our deli is stocked with scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pork pie and samosas to name a few ideas. Surprise guests by including a little something extra on the savoury tier.

Tier 2 – The Scones!

Scones are something that we all learn to bake at school but perfecting them takes skill. Our Bakery fruit scones are baked to perfection by our talented bakers, so why not ‘cheat’ and pick up a pack in store for your guests.

You’ll also find top quality clotted cream and whipping cream too! Then, wander down the Farm Shop to shelves bursting with fruit jams, in such a range of flavours. Stick to the classic strawberry if you’re a traditionalist, or push the boat out with blueberry, rhubarb & ginger or morello cherry!

Warm the scones a little before serving.

Tier 3 – The Sweet Treats

Ovens at the ready, it’s time to get your bake on! For the final tier of the afternoon tea, traybakes and cakes are required. Good baking requires great ingredients.

You’ll find top quality flour from Oxfordshire based, Wessex Mill, ground from wheat grown on British soil, using traditional methods.

You can learn more about their mill here.

Free range eggs and a range of fresh fruits are available at our Greengrocers, great for zesty lemon drizzle, buttery blackberry crumble slices or a Victoria sponge cake with fresh strawberries!

Lots of afternoon teas now have more than just cake! Little pots of mousse, mini milkshakes and even trifles might adorn the sweet tier! Check out our recipe for Black Forest Trifles. You could make mini ones in small glasses for something extra special!

 

We hope you enjoy afternoon tea week however you celebrate. Don’t forget our own Afternoon Tea is served Monday – Saturday 2pm-4pm, so if you’d prefer to leave the baking and preparation to us, be our guest!