Don’t let primary school memories of being legitimately terrified by a showing of Alice in Wonderland fool you; tea parties can be a sophisticated and thoroughly enjoyable activity for adults to enjoy – and unless you’re very unlucky, you probably won’t encounter any caterpillars, either.

In 2022, tea parties and high tea are making a comeback. We can understand why, too! If you don’t want to organise a full, sit-down meal but are also not in the mood to sip on overpriced cocktails in a packed bar, they’re the perfect in-between. You get to enjoy delicious drinks, sample dainty snacks, and still be able to hear your company without having to drown out the bafflingly loud club music. What’s not to like? We’re here to take a closer look at the tea party trend and how Sandton Central has everything you need to make one happen for yourself.

The History of Tea Parties 

According to the great arbiter of all random fact searches, Wikipedia, “a tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon refreshment.”

So, they’re widespread and pretty widely enjoyed by people from a myriad of different cultures. While drinking tea as a fashionable event is credited to Catharine of Braganza, the queen of England in the early 17th century, tea parties as we know them – the fancy social ones – arose in Britain in the 1830s. Tea gardens started to become popular amongst the nobility, and it became the thing for the fanciest ladies and gentlemen to take their afternoon outdoors, surrounded by entertainers. Some of the most prestigious tea gardens boasted such performers as Mozart and Handel.

They were also an important place for men and women to meet and speak freely, which was rarer than you might imagine at the time, because everyone was relatively stuffy and old-fashioned. Thankfully, things have changed a little for tea parties in 2022.

Tea Parties in 2022

According to Pinterest’s “Pinterest Predicts 2022” report – the go-to for anything hip and happening – this year is the year of the updated tea party! “Drinking tea isn’t new. But I’m starting to see teatime as a whole mood this year,” said the food blogger, Between Spoonfuls.

You can update your tea party traditions with a few funky purchases that take your event from “polite, quiet garden soiree” to “the happy hour replacement you get to wear lace to” with a few simple purchases from Sandton Central shops!

1. A funky, modern crockery set from @Home
2. Statement cutlery from Carrol Boyes
3. A patterned tablecloth from Mr Price Home
4. Cakes, pastries and platters from The Bread Basket
5. And, of course, a selection of exciting teas from Food Loversat The Marc

How to behave at a tea party

Though rule #1 is definitely “have fun,” and nobody expects you to adhere to rigid Victorian table manners, there are some etiquette must-dos that will keep your get-together feeling that extra bit sophisticated:

• After sitting down, put your bag or satchel on your lap or behind you against the chair back.
• Unfold your serviette and place it on your lap. If you must leave the table temporarily, place the napkin on your chair.
• This may sound obvious, but don’t use your napkin to blot your makeup or blow your nose. Someone must wash that.
• Excuse yourself from the table when you need to use the restroom.
• Depending on the tea you’re drinking, it’s traditional only to add milk to your cup after it is poured into it.
• Hold the teacup’s handle using your thumb and your first one or two fingers. You don’t need to lift up your pinky like a dame from a pantomime, but if you think it might make your tea-drinking companions laugh, nobody will stop you!
• When stirring your tea, avoid clinking your spoon against the cup. A bump or two is fine, but you’re not a bellringer in an orchestra, and it detracts from the ambience when all you can hear is metal on china. Gently swish the spoon back and forth without touching the sides of the cup.
• Take small, quiet sips of your tea. Do not blow on the tea if it is too hot. Especially don’t put it into your saucer and fan it with your hat.
• If it’s that kind of tea party, a Long Island Iced Tea also counts as tea.

Where Do I Experience a Tea Party? 

Say you’re excited about the prospect of tea parties, but want to try them out before you buy a home set, or just want to give them a once-off go? At Sandton Central, we know precisely what will float your tea-party-boat!

We’re hosting High Tea in the City, an event held at the luxurious Da Vinci lounge until the end of this month. For just R355 per person, you’ll get a 5-star high tea experience, complete with refreshments, dainty snacks and curated live music. You don’t even have to wash any napkins afterwards!

Bookings are essential and time is running out, so experience high tea with a 2022 twist and book your seat at the tea table today: contact davinci-banqueting@legacyhotels.co.za or call 011 292 7169.