How to host the perfect afternoon tea party outdoors

Today, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood return to our screens in The Great British Bake Off and we couldn’t be more excited to watch the trials and tribulations of this year’s contestants!

Over the next few weeks we’ll certainly be putting our oven gloves on to bake some treats and if you do too, then why not host your own afternoon tea party outdoors?

What could be better than enjoying the sunshine with some tea and cakes on the lawn with your family and friends?

Here’s our quick guide to hosting the perfect afternoon tea party in your garden:

1. Check the Met Office for upcoming weather forecasts and choose a date to host your party
2. Send your invites out; we love PartiCraft for invitation design inspirations
3. Spruce up your garden furniture by giving it a lick of paint in some summery colours – you’ll find a whole array of outdoor furniture paint at your local DIY store
4. Now for the best part…deciding what to eat and drink! We recommend a nice selection of fruit teas and iced teas to refresh guests on a summery day
5. When it comes to the cakes, we don’t think we need to give you any advice as all sweet treats are delicious, but if you’re stuck on what to bake, have a look at Mary Berry’s website for some nice recipes
6. If you don’t want to bake lots of cakes or need a more cost-effective solution, then why not hold a little competition at your afternoon tea party? You could ask your guests to each make a cake of their choice and then you could rate each other’s attempts on the day – points off for soggy bottoms though!
7. Decorate your garden with some bunting, flags, fairy lights, pom-poms or even pick some flowers from your garden and pop them in a pretty vase. Have a look at Hobby Craft’s blog for home-made decoration ideas
8. Set the table with some cake stands, serviettes, teapots and cups and saucers
9. Lay your selection of teas and cakes onto the table and then let your family and friends in and have a fabulously British afternoon tea party, outdoors on your lush green lawn

If your garden is looking a bit tired and is in need of some loving care before your afternoon tea party, please have a look at our treatments. At this time of year, we are applying our Late Summer Treatment to support the growth and colour of your lawn.

If you host an afternoon tea party this summer, don’t forget to share your photos with us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.