Laura Childs | Let’s Have a Tea Party!

Fans of tea – as well as newly converted tea drinkers – often ask me for tea party ideas. Well, tea can pretty much be enjoyed anywhere, from a solo pot at home, to tea shops and restaurants, to a chai latte on the go. But to stage an actual tea party requires (to my thinking at least) that you start with a theme.

Consider for instance, a Book Club Tea. Here you could use bookmark-style invitations to invite your friends in for tea and a book discussion. Set the stage by piling stacks of books down the center of your table and top them with candlesticks or small floral bouquets. Make place cards with visuals of your favorite authors. Serve tea sandwiches, nut bread with cream cheese, and chocolate truffles. Individual slices of cake can be decorated to look like books. Sip Dragonwell (also known as Dragon’s Well), the tea of Chinese scholars. Favors for your guests might include book review magazines rolled up and tied with ribbon.

One of my other favorites is a Chocolate Tea. I mean, who doesn’t adore chocolate nut breads, chocolate-filled croissants, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and mini banana muffins with chocolate bits? Serve one of the wonderful chocolate teas that are readily available on the Internet or at tea stores. Or indulge in teas flavored with orange bits, rose hips, or peppermint that will subtly compliment your chocolate-inspired menu.

If you’re tucked in for a quiet evening by yourself, reading a terrific new book (I suggest STEEPED IN EVIL) there’s nothing quite like a Solo Tea. This is where you get to treat yourself royally and fix a tea tray just for yourself. Include cream scones, a mini quiche, and cucumber tea sandwiches. Select an unusual black tea blend. There are wonderful blends of Chinese and Indian teas, as well as blends that offer a combination of black tea, green tea, and jasmine. Put on your favorite music and relax in your favorite lounging pajamas. Now, be aware that the very act of sipping tea inspires calm and relaxation. Don’t you feel better for this? Of course, you do. And be sure to treat yourself with a few well-chosen truffles from a fine chocolatier!

Thank you and blessings to all.

Laura Childs

About STEEPED IN EVIL

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning heads to a winery where she is about to learn the true meaning of terroir…

Theodosia has never considered herself a wine connoisseur —tea has always been…well, her cup of tea. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to pass up an invitation to a fancy wine-tasting party at the upscale Knighthall Winery, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately, a sweet evening takes on a bitter aftertaste when a dead body is discovered in one of the wine barrels. The son of proprietor Jordan Knight has been murdered. Dissatisfied with the police investigation, Knight turns to Theo for help. She’s heard through the grapevine that there are both family and business problems at Knighthall. They say in vino veritas, but everyone at the winery seems to be lying through their teeth. Sorting through the guest list as well as family and staff, Theo has her pick of suspects. It may look like the killer has her over a barrel, but cracking tough cases is vintage Theodosia Browning.

About Laura Childs

Laura Childs is the author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Her books have been named to the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists and been featured selections of the Mystery Guild’s Mystery Book Club. Her next Tea Shop Mystery, MING TEA MURDER, will be out May 5.

Visit Laura at her website.