How to have a Garden Tea Party this Summer!

Early in June I made a reel on Instagram sharing my intentions for the month, things like going for evening walks (check!), enjoying iced drinks in the afternoon (check!), and the last thing I wrote was "have a tea party in a garden."

It was just an idea but suddenly I had to make it happen!

By chance, we had plans to spend time with some of our best friends here in LA, Justine & Paul (and their sweet baby) in mid-June. I reached out to them and asked if they would fancy having a little tea party in their garden...it was an immediate YES!

To simplify things, we divided up the tea party tasks.

They made the incredible tea sandwiches and we brought the pastries/dessert and tea.

On the day of it was 90° outside so instead of the usual hot tea, we opted for iced tea and lemonade. 

We each also ended up providing flowers, and Justine made the outdoor table so gorgeous with a beautiful tablecloth, napkins, and even her own pottery plates - it was stunning.

Honestly, it was the best day I've had in so long. Between the refreshing tea, the delightful company, the delicious sandwiches, and the darling lavender tea loaf - I couldn't have asked for more.

If you are in your Bridgerton Era, are obsessed with tea, or just love a fun party with people you love...you too should have a garden tea party this summer!

To help make that a reality here are the recipes we used for our Garden Tea Party!

Tea Sandwiches:

Justine and Paul made the most delicious tea sandwiches I think I've ever had. 

Of course, we had the traditional cucumber sandwiches - which are always a favorite of mine! 

Desserts

I was in charge of desserts for the party and chose a Lavender Tea Loaf and a Chocolate Biscuit Cake! 

Both were fairly simple to make and didn't take a ton of prep time. 

However, the Chocolate Biscuit Cake had to be refrigerated overnight so if you're looking to make this one be sure to make it a day in advance of your party!

Lavender Tea Loaf

This tea loaf might be my favorite baked good I have made since I learned how to make my favorite Broma Bakery Cinnamon Rolls last year. 

The loaf itself is light and sweet but not overpowering and the sugar glaze on top adds just enough extra sweetness. 

I took a piece home with me and had it with my favorite Earl Grey for a little mid-morning snack the day after the party and it was delightful!

A few things to note:

1. I bought the lavender from Amazon since my local grocery store was out. Here's a link to the exact one I got!

2. The lavender I got was very strong smelling so I opted to use half of what the recipe called for and in the end I was VERY glad I did that. The other attendees agreed it was the perfect amount of lavender flavor and didn't feel like you were eating a bath bomb!

3. The recipe calls for either vanilla creamer or milk. I opted for milk but added 1 tsp of vanilla extract because I LOVE vanilla! 

Chocolate Biscuit Cake 

Tea

As I shared earlier, we ended up having lemonade and iced tea due to the heat! It was still a total delight!

I love using Tazo's Passion tea to make the iced tea and add in just a splash of lemonade! 

You could also buy already made iced tea if that makes life easier! Or, weather permitting, you can steep your favorite hot tea to enjoy!

My favorite Earl Grey comes from a cute little tea shop in my hometown of Vancouver, WA called Dandelion Tea House. Here's a link to the best Earl Grey (but really all their tea is incredible!).

I also made a iced matcha latte for my dearest Justine and I always use Matchaful matcha. I've been purchasing it for 6 years now and the quality has been so consistently incredible!