A Perfect Bridal Shower, Baby Shower or Birthday Party

During the late 1800’s, the concept travelled  to fine hotels; offering a tea service, or a tea party, in Tea Rooms and Tea Courts. Eminent Victorian ladies and their gentlemen would meet late afternoon for tea and socialising. Many of these gatherings became so reputable that certain members of the royal family and the famous would bless the parties with their presence in order to maintain social recognition.

By the early 1900’s, the majority of prestigious hotels in England, particularly London, began to host tea parties and dances, as dancing in the UK was fast becoming the new fad. The marriage of tea and socialising was now a happy and successful one – if you enjoyed your tea, savouring it in front of yours peers and acquaintances was now a necessity.

Fast forward a hundred years and the tradition and heritage of the tea party have been preserved. It could be for these very reasons then, why the tea party is a popular alternative when entertaining. A high-profile tea party was hosted by super model - super-party animal - Kate Moss to celebrate her 34th birthday. The 1920’s  ladies’ tea party provided afternoon tea to her celebrity friends in the Dorchester Hotel.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes also held a conspicuous tea party for their daughter, Suri, inside the Carlyle Hotel in New York, early this year. The interior was decorated with artwork from the Madeline series of children’s books as guests danced, nibbled on cakes and drank tea.

It isn’t just celebrities who are enjoying their tea. Even  domestic animals are getting involved. In May this year, The Blue Cross launched the Great Britains’s biggest tea party for pets! The event was supported by actor Martin Freeman and was joined by an assortment of tea-loving canines and cats at the prestigious Claridge’s in London. Backed by the  Tea Council, the fundraising event was the first of its kind to combine the country’s passion for tea, animal welfare and tea sets – providing a large range of classic and contemporary tea pots and china.

With the revival of the tea party well under way and many clambering through their lofts and attics to discover the family’s treasured, but neglected tea set, there’s never a better time to put the kettle on.