When hosting your own High Tea party at home, there’s a lot of aspects to keep in mind. The history and culture of such an event can be difficult to capture, but it’s versatile enough to apply to any number of special occasions. With Women’s Day around the corner, it’s the perfect occasion to host a dazzling High Tea party for all your girlfriends and the most beloved women in your life.
Also Read: 3 Spots to enjoy bottomless mimosas with the girls this Women’s Month
Let’s delve into throwing a flawless and fun-filled High Tea party that’ll leave the ladies flabbergasted:
1. Scene Setting
Setting the Scene is a great place to start. While there are central themes that can (and should) carry through any High Tea event, regardless of its nature, it’s also important to think about the details of the event itself, and how this should be reflected in the décor.

2. Decorations
The décor is definitely the fun part of hosting any party. When deciding how to decorate, it’s important to select a colour palette to carry through the whole occasion. Typically, pastels are a classic trademark of a High Tea, but in our modern day, your Tea Party can be as unique and colourful as you are. Once you’ve got the colour story locked in, it’s quite easy to find or make decorative features to match the theme. Depending on the theme and overall colour scheme, any decorations can be used to dress the setting further – your possibilities are truly only limited by your imagination.

3. Setting the table
Take your table from simple to stylish with a drop-dead gorgeous centrepiece. Centrepieces for any High Tea event is undoubtedly the table. When dressing the table there’s a range of exemplary accessories to take your table from simple to stylish.
The Tablecloth
An understated accessory, the humble tablecloth provides the blank canvas for your High Tea table setting. While traditionally crisp and white, a modern take might be to add a splash of colour or texture, reflecting your events theme and colour scheme.

Doilies
Reminiscent of your grandmas living room, these delicately crocheted decorations do wonders to evoke a sense of nostalgia and create a retro vibe. Used as a centrepiece of the table, or even as placemats or coasters, doilies bring a sentimental element to a High Tea place-setting.

Cake Stand
Display your delicious treats with a cake stand, arguably the centre piece of the table, the cake stand acts to highlight the delicious treats on offer. Typically, a singular level cake stand will display a centre piece whole cake, whereas a tiered style stands often houses savoury treats on the bottom tier, from scones to jam and cream on the middle, topped with cookies and teacakes. Whether its a singular level or tired style stand , it’s an essential table dressing, honouring the Victorian era when High Tea was first born.

Fine China
No High Tea is complete without a set of fine china. Ask your grandma to dust off her delicate tea ware, which is probably stored in those glass display cupboards of her. She’s sure to have a matching teapot, teacup and saucer set, which is essential, along with a matching plate to pile high with treats. For those who are feeling more modern, inject your own modern edge by pairing modern tea sets with vintage decor elements.

Now that your scene and table is set, all you need to focus on is delicious treats to offer your guests. Ask your grandma or aunts for some classic High Tea recipes for you to draw inspiration from to create an authentic High Tea experience. Get ready to pull out all the stops this Women’s Day!
Thirsty for more? Some more High Tea eateries and inspo in Cape Town:
- A new High Tea offering at The Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia
- Feel like royalty at these 10 scrumptious places to High Tea in Cape Town
Also Read:
5 Asian restaurants you have to add to your ‘must-try’ list in Cape Town
Picture: Unsplash