High tea sympathy

Would you like to have a spot of ‘high tea’ or ‘low tea’? For the uninitiated, ‘low tea’ is tea that you have just after lunch but we will focus on the ‘high tea’, which is what you have after 4 pm and can have loads of fun with, reports Lina Choudhury-Mahajan.

Would you like to have a spot of ‘high tea’ or ‘low tea’? For the uninitiated, ‘low tea’ is tea that you have just after lunch but we will focus on the ‘high tea’, which is what you have after 4 pm and can have loads of fun with. “There are different kinds of teas but high tea is something that you can also do at home and have a party with,” says Radhika Batra, who runs Teacup — Fine teas and whatnot, which caters to every and anything to do with tea. The tea expert advises that if you want to hold a high tea party at home, the first thing you need to do is choose your theme – British, Indian or Chinese. “You can customise your high tea accordingly,” says Batra, who, incidentally, also customises high tea for groups of people.

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If you are going the English way then you will have to shop for scones, teacakes, muffins and biscotti (Batra recommends Birdy’s for their biscotti). “These are savoury items. If you want sandwiches you can also source/make cucumber, mayonnaise and tuna sandwiches,” says Batra. And then of course there’s the tea. “Since you will be indulging with the food, a good idea might be to opt for green tea since it’s healthy,” advises Batra. If that’s not...well, your cup of tea, you can opt for Earl Grey or Rose flavoured tea. “The idea is to complement the food,” says the tea specialist. So if you’re planning an Indian high tea party, you can try masala chai with samosas, pakodas and Indian savoury snacks.

And if all this sounds like too much trouble you can always walk across to the Tea Centre, Flute, Twist or Aromas for high tea.

PS: Don’t forget to wear something floral and pretty and if you’re going English, you can wear a hat too (provided you’re hosting your tea party outdoors).