On New Year’s Day, Tawn’s university friends gathered for what I hope will be an annual tradition: New Year’s Tea. Our host, Bim, prepared scones and a variety of snacks. I prepared the tea sandwiches. Everyone had a good time.
Bim’s scones. This was her first time making them and she experimented with a few different sizes. The larger ones were more delicate although the small ones were tasty, too.
My two types of tea sandwiches. Finding bread that was soft but would hold up to the cutting was a challenge. The bread on the left is also made with black glutinous rice, which explains the small specks.
Making the spreads. On the left, a watercress compound butter. On the right, a green olive and parsley tapenade.
Partially made sandwiches. On the left, the watercress butter is covered with cucumber slices. On the right, the olive and parsley tapenade is covered with provolone cheese. Round cheese does not work so well on square bread.
Friends and baby pose with a lovely spread of afternoon snacks.
christao408 
That’d be a nice tradition to have. I wouldn’t mind doing that, myself. Although I have to admit I’m more of a PB&J than a watercress kind of girl. I’m terribly uncultured.
Instructive, as always.
Oh, those roses are pretty! Cucumber sandwiches look delicious! 😛
I’d like to hold the baby. This is a lot better than getting drunk on New Years Eve. I like this tradition.
Nothing better than good friends and lovely food.
I like tea, and enjoy tea parties. Very nice. It all looks wonderful.
Great idea! I love tea and scones. Try to use them for a snack after work with my British Afternoon Revival Tea. Love cucumber sandwiches!
I need to make new friends who throw parties like this. 🙂 The food looks wonderful. I’d like to make tea sandwiches and bake scones and start my own tradition now.
Gosh it all looks so good! We wear hats and gloves to our tea parties, it’s lots of fun!
Looks like a great beginning of a wonderful tradition!
Scones! I remember I eat scones when I was in England. But many English people I know does not really admire scones where else the tourist or foreigners finding scones really good. I love scones! Those looks so good! Yummy!The baby pose is really cute there! hehe … But for afternoon snacks, that is really MUCH for some snack, right? LOL
Oh, now that DOES sound like a very lovely New Years tradition! At some point I’ll stick around a place long enough to build my own 🙂
How fun! Your snacks look delicious.
Tea sandwiches are awesome. They make great, quick snacks. There’s a watercress sandwich with flavored butter that I like. I can’t remember where I got the recipe for it (it might have been Bittman’s How To Cook Everything), but I’ve been meaning to try to adapt the potted shrimp in the book of tea recipes published by HP along its lines. I’ll probably get to it around 2020.
lovely gathering….Scones, sandwiches and cup cakes…..drooling
Looks amazing – and what a lovely tradition for the start of the new year.
I don’t believe I have ever had tea sandwiches… is there meat in there I like the ending picture… so many smiles and good food
What lovely sandwiches you make.
i see SCONES!! omg. i immediately think of HK afternoon-tea.
@Devilzgaysianboi – These particular sandwiches have no meat, but you could certainly include meat if you wanted.@n_e_i_l – Thanks for the links. I have Bittman’s book so will have to hunt for the recipe.@rudyhou – Next time you are in Bangkok, we will do tea at the Erawan Hotel.@icepearlz – Thank you!@venice – It would make a lovely tradition, wouldn’t it?@agmhkg – Don’t drool on the scones! =D@aSeriesofFortunateEvents – Thanks, it was a fun and family friendly way to start the year.@secade – Of course, it remains to be seen if we actually repeat the “tradition” next year…@SherryAngeLMysteriez – I make these fantastic buttermilk biscuits that a British roommate of mine loved – she said they reminded her of her gran’s scones. Most scones I try are very dry and powdery, whereas I like a nice flaky biscuit.@slmret – Let’s see if the tradition continues in 2014!@mlbncsga – I can imagine that only Tawn would be wearing the hat and gloves! Ha ha!@awoolham – Well, if you were in Bangkok… =P@Fatcat723 – Noting like a proper afternoon tea, right?@Crystalinne – This experience reminds me that we should do tea parties more often. They are fun.@Grannys_Place – Amen, sister. I hope you are both doing well.@ElusiveWords – I agree, Matt. New Year’s Eve has never been a big thing for me. I would much prefer to wake up at a reasonable hour and start the new year refreshed.@CurryPuffy – Not sure where Bim bought them, but they were gorgeous roses.@Inciteful – Then I have been successful. Thanks.@chronic_masticator – I ate PB&J ever day for lunch for the three years of my junior high school. Would have been fun to do that for this tea. Maybe next time!
@christao408 – Erawan hotel? never heard of it. but thanks. guess my list of to do things with you in bangkok has just grown 😉