Weekend Breakfast High Tea

Recently I hosted a breakfast high tea birthday party.  Oh, it was so much fun! I have never before thought about a breakfast high tea before, but as I mulled it over, the options seemed endless.  It was such a delightful morning as precious friends gathered together. Conversation and laughter lifted and rang out over the backyard as we enjoyed delicious breakfast and brunch treats. We shared a wonderful, joyous time of being together and celebrating friendships.

Everyone brought a plate of food to share.  There was at least one person who was dairy and gluten-free and I wanted to experiment with some new recipes.

So now I would like to share some little snippets of my foray into gluten and dairy-free options and the teas we enjoyed on the day.  

Gluten and Dairy-free options on the day:

I created these simple yet beautiful gluten-free cereal bowls for each person – I used my stemless wine glasses and placed in the base of the glasses a few dollops of dairy-free yoghurt for those who were dairy-free and normal vanilla flavour yoghurt for everyone else.   Next, I added a few spoonfuls of delicious gluten/dairy-free cereal and topped it off with raspberries and blueberries – so simple and lovely! 

I made one cake that was completely dairy and gluten-free and another which was pretty close to being dairy-free. I stuck to plain flour this time although next time I  will try it with gluten-free flour. 

The first time I try a recipe I always like to make it without adapting it too much, so I get a feel for what it is supposed to be like. I was happy with both of these cakes and they were just delicious!

 I follow the incredible food blogs of Nagi and absolutely love it. I have made this delicious lemon cake previously and it was beautiful and simple. So I thought I would give it a whirl using dairy-free yoghurt and gluten-free flour and it worked an absolute treat. I just substituted the yoghurt for a dairy-free coconut option and the flour for a good quality gluten-free flour. Check out the recipe here and follow Nagi’s amazing blog, you will love her and the incredible food she creates.

Recently I also spied a lovely dark chocolate cake recipe on another food blog I follow: Nigella Lawson

As soon as I saw the cake, I was desperate to try it. I knew it would be a beautiful way to use POSY OF ROSE TEA and would complement Posy of Roses tea perfectly. It was also a fabulous vegan dairy-free option. So check it out, it is easy and scrumptious, thanks Nigella!

Tea options on the day:

As I was preparing for our birthday celebration, I thought oooh what better way to celebrate than with some Celebration Hibiscus tea. Hibiscus tea is a tea that has been used for centuries to celebrate any special occasions, such as weddings or welcoming others into your home. What better way to start a birthday celebration than with some of this beautiful welcoming tea. So after I steeped some Hibiscus celebration tea I added a little sugar (as I had run out of honey) and a stick of cinnamon. I let it steep and cool and then placed it in a jug and refrigerated it until ready to serve.

The other teas I had available were  

Lemongrass Sunshine – Delightfully fresh and luscious- which matched the beautiful sunny day perfectly. It brought some sunny brightness and lemony zestiness to the palate.  Reminding each of us to make the most of time together, cherish friendships each and every day. 

Elegant Encounter  –  A rich golden, black tea which is a joy to drink.  I love this full-bodied, well-rounded, malty deliciousness with chocolate and molasses layers!

Mint Delight  – A blend of luscious peppermint and spearmint tea; well-rounded, vibrant, cooling, yet beautifully sweet. Every sip brings waves of soothing refreshment.

Ginger Lemongrass Oolong –  Such a  golden tea which enhances the senses and invigorates the soul. 

We had a delightful morning together sharing the wonderful food everyone so thoughtfully made. The teas complimented the food and added a very special touch. Everyone so enjoyed trying them, talking and discussing the amazing food and tea flavours adding to a wonderful morning of celebration.

 I would totally recommend a breakfast party in the future, if you are ever thinking about it! Have a great day my fellow steepers! 

Julie x