We are 9 weeks into life with a newborn, and spring is bursting into life all around us. As we settle in to being a family of 5, the weather has been hinting at warmer days ahead, and I have been dreaming of a simple little garden tea party.
Between the fullness of daily life and the constant rhythm of homemaking and caregiving, there is something so grounding about pausing, just for a moment, to breathe, sip tea, and take in the beauty of the natural world around us.
I wanted to arrange a moment for our little family to simply be together. We drank our tea, admired the blossoms on the blueberry bushes, wandered down by the water, and tossed in a few pinecones. And for a moment, the noise of the world softened, and nature spoke a little louder.
For this tea, I kept the menu simpler, focusing instead on an approachable assortment of foods that felt homey, comforting, and, most importantly, easy. We are in a season that calls for simpler things, and I’m learning that it doesn’t take away from the beauty. It deepens it.
More and more, I’ve come to believe that “cozy living” isn’t something we create apart from the mess, the noise, or the interruptions… it’s something we find right within it. In many ways, that’s what makes it most beautiful.
Below, I’ve shared all the little details from this cozy gathering, in hopes that it might inspire you to create something simple and sweet of your own.
Enjoy, my friends 🤍
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🌸 Details from Our Garden Tea
Decor
- Teapot: [link to product]
- Tiered tray: [link to product]
- Glass Mini Vases (for flowers): [link to product]
Recipes
- Hummingbird cake: recipe link
- Fairy bread: recipe link
- Strawberries & cream jello stacks: recipe below
- Scones: recipe link
- Chewy Dubai cookies: recipe link
- Egg salad sandwiches: recipe below
- Tuna sandwiches (we skip the relish, and use Korean tuna): recipe link
- Pimento cheese sandwiches: I don’t have a link for this one – we grate sharp cheddar cheese, dice up roasted jarred pimentos, add a bit of cream cheese, mayonnaise, and black pepper to taste. I will share a recipe in future. 🤍
Tea :
First, steep butterfly pea flowers and rose petals for 5 minutes, then add Winter White Earl Grey and steep another 3 minutes.
Strawberries & Cream Jello Stacks
Ingredients
- 2 3oz Boxes Strawberry Jello
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 4 packets knox unflavored gelatin powder
- water
Instructions
Strawberry Bottom Layer
- Grease a 9×9 glass pan, and line the bottom with parchment, forming a sling so you can pull your jello out later.
- In a small container, add 1/4 cup water, and sprinkle 1 packet of unflavored gelatin. Leave to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Add in 1 box of strawberry jello powder to the bloomed gelatin.
- Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water, and stir well until everything is dissolved.
- Pour 3/4 cup of cool water over the mixture. Pour into your prepared pan, cover with saran wrap, and let set in the fridge for 4 hours. Ensure your pan is on a level surface so it sets evenly – this is important so your layers do not slide on your stacks later.
Cream Middle Layer
- In a small container, add 1/4 cup water, and sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin. Leave to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water, and stir well until everything is dissolved. Then add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and stir in fully.
- Pour 3/4 cup of cool water over the mixture. Pour into your prepared pan over the fully set strawberry layer, cover with saran wrap, and let set in the fridge for 4 hours.
Strawberry Top Layer
- In a small container, add 1/4 cup water, and sprinkle 1 packet of unflavored gelatin. Leave to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Add in 1 box of strawberry jello powder to the bloomed gelatin.
Create your stacks
- Using the parchment sling, gently tug your jello out of your pan.
- Using a metal (at least 1.5inch tall) cutter of your choice – dip it in a neutral oil. Push the cutter straight down into the layers, do not twist. Pull out your stack – it may help to run a bench scraper under your stack if it sticks a bit. The layers are not stuck together, so be gentle while handling them.
- Enjoy! The scraps are great for cutting into cubes and serving in bowls.
Fortnum & Masons Egg Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 slices poppy seed bread Note: I used Eliza Acton's milk bread instead of poppy seed bread in the video
- butter for spreading
- 3 large eggs
- 75 g good quality mayonnaise Note: We typically use less than this — start with 40g, and taste your way from there.
- 1 punnet mustard cress (or salad cress)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Boil your eggs. Note: I start my eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, and as soon as it starts boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, immediately pour off your hot water and replace with cold water several times (or transfer to a container with ice water). Peel your eggs.
- Grate your eggs with the coarse side of a grater. Mix in the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to taste. Note: Fortnum & Mason's recipe calls for you to mix in your cress, but I prefer to add it to my buttered bread.
- Lightly butter your slices of bread.
- Spread your cress (to taste) over 4 of your bread slices.
- Spread your egg mayonnaise over the sandwiches.
- Cut the crusts off, cleaning your knife between each cut. Cut each sandwich to desired amount of finger sandwiches (Fortnum & Mason's original recipe says to cut each sandwich into two fingers).
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