An Easy Scottish Afternoon Tea to Remember
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Treat yourself and your friends to an easy Scottish Afternoon Tea with rustically simple foods and hearty abundance. Perfect for splendid autumn days or cold winter afternoons.
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These Scottish afternoon tea recipes will delight all who sit at your tea table.
“Savored in the waning sunlight of an idyllic autumn day,” Victoria Magazine inspires, “a hearty banquet of classic fare transports guests to the rolling hills of Scotland, where culinary tradition honors the satisfying simplicity of regional abundance.”
Satisfying simplicity, hearty fare, and rich abundance characterize the Scottish Afternoon Tea or High Tea. And yes, afternoon tea and high tea are different. You can read more here…
Warmth and the gathering of friends are what make a Scottish Afternoon tea so memorably delightful.
We’ve gathered some simple ideas and recipes of Scottish fare to easily host your own tea. Bring out the plaids, light the fire, or serve outdoors. This is one Afternoon Tea that won’t easily be forgotten.
Scottish Afternoon Tea
Treat your friends to an easy Scottish Afternoon Tea with rustically simple foods with hearty abundance. Perfect for splendid autumn days.
A comforting and hearty soup perfect for a Scottish afternoon tea. It's a soup that hails from Moray Firth, an inlet of the North Sea. "Cullen Skink is a full-bodied chowder of potatoes and smoked haddock."
A delicious smoked haddock bake will please any afternoon tea crowd.
A traditional yet easy savory accompaniment for a Scottish Afternoon Tea.
A simple, beautiful and delicious bite-size cup formed from Prosciutto and topped with a dollop of goat's cheese and minced chives.
"Scotland has a plethora of amazing fresh and seasonal produce to share," and haddock is one of the most popular ingredients."
A cheese course is always appropriate whether that be for a Scottish Afternoon Tea or Burns Night.
"There's something really comforting about teacakes and this recipe for Earl grey teacakes takes them to the next level. Smother them in butter and add a little lemon curd to bring out the flavour. You can shape the teacakes on a baking sheet, but using a traditional Yorkshire pudding tin gives the teacakes a classic flat-bottomed look."
"Smoked Trout Tea Sandwiches to complete your savory tea sandwich selection."
A hearty tea sandiwhch for Scottish Afternoon Tea.
"These tender, flaky scones have delicate buttery layers, moistened with buttermilk, and sweetened with raisins. Truly, it’s a hearty scone you won’t soon forget." And perfect for a Scottish Afternoon Tea.
"Dundee Biscuits, also known as Scottish oat cakes, dress up nicely when garnished with almonds."
"These delightful teatime treats, Black Currant Oat Scones, are healthy, easy to make, and absolutely tender, flaky, and delicious. Perfect with your favorite jam."
"Crumbly and amazingly delicious with that quintessentially favorite maple flavor. Perfect with a dab of Irish butter. Warm from the oven… yes!"
"Cream buns, or Cream Cookies are such a heavenly, lightly sweetened dessert filled with luscious fresh cream, it’s hard to stop at one."
"They're sometimes called potato scones, and you may also hear them called fadge or potato bread in Ireland. No matter the name, tattie scones are quick and easy to make and a clever way to use up leftover mashed potatoes."
"Crumbly and delicious, these delicately flavoured oatcakes from Marcus Wareing are crying out to be served with a slab of cheese - goat's cheese or Camembert would work particularly well. They could also be wrapped up and given to loved ones as gifts, or as part of a homemade hamper with chutney and pickles."
"A delicious Scottish variation of fudge. Tablet has a wonderfully crumbly texture and makes a perfect after-dinner petit four or an afternoon treat with a cup of tea."
A simple shortbread to end a lovely afternoon.
"Concluding the gathering on a sweetly refreshing note, delectable Cranachan Trifle showcases crumbles of fresh-baked shortbread, ruby-hued ribbons of plump raspberries, clouds of decadent whisky cream, sprinklings of crunchy homemade granola, and a garnish of honey."
How graciously you accept criticism…The recipes do look delish.
Rona I totally agree! Afternoon tea is afternoon tea! Where are the cucumber sandwiches? (But not with cream cheese, because what self respecting Brit would put that on anything!) I will say the cream cookies might be one of the things I miss the most from home, those and Gregg’s sausage rolls!!
Whoever wrote at the top that afternoon tea and high tea are two different things was spot on. So why then go on to list a slew of recipes that would be appropriate for high tea as afternoon tea dishes? Scottish oat maple scones with Irish butter? We don’t have maple syrup in Scotland and we use Scottish butter. Tattie scones? They’re for breakfast, not afternoon tea. Skink of any type for afternoon tea? Havers. Smoked haddock bake? Steak sandwiches. Prosciutto is a stretch but that might work for afternoon tea but so much of this is just wrong for afternoon tea.
They may all be excellent dishes, and they look nice, but lumping a pile of assorted dishes together under the heading “afternoon tea” is just silly.
Thank you, Rona, for your criticism. You may be right. While I have spent a good deal of time in Europe and England, I’ve not been to Scotland. I leaned heavily on Victoria Magazine and others and linked to those sources, believing them to be more informed than me.
This is a delightful idea and collection of recipes. I’m going to remember this for a friend who is in a very hard season of life. Thank you!
Thank you, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it might encourage your friend. That is why we do what we do and hope, in the end, someone is encouraged!