Egg salad sandwiches for a perfect Tea Picnic

Egg salad sandwiches for a perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic. A beautiful sunny day, good friends, and a location with a historic landmark. Table and chairs all dressed up for the occasion, the best china, fresh flowers, and a spread of classic finger foods to go with an Earl Grey tea. How perfect is this for an afternoon tea picnic?

Song of the day: Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles

Truly, planning and going on a picnic with our dear friends Margaret and Raymond Kitchenfrau must be the best thing that happened to us in the past year. If you've been following along, we have already shared a Fall picnic with a wonderful view of the river and Edmonton's downtown skyline, and a late Fall picnic by the lake. This time we decided on a Spring afternoon tea picnic, contributing factor the recent Coronation of Prince Charles.

A perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic

Every great picnic relies on some planning. For this reason, Margaret and I made sure we did plenty of that, with phone calls, dinner and brunch meetings, to ensure we put together the perfect event. Once we finalized on the food, the coordinated tea sets, color palette, and dress code, we went out to scout the perfect spot for our afternoon tea picnic. A beautiful green area with a view of Government House, downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

What to bring to an afternoon tea picnic

• Picnic basket- Must-have for all our picnics. Use it to carry some of your picnic wares.
• Table and chairs- Sure you could spread a blanket on the grass, and call it a day. We went all out with a dressed table and chairs.
• Tablecloth- If you have some of your grandma's embroidered tablecloth now is the time to use them.
• Tea Set- Teapot, teacups, small plates, and cream and sugar set. To get that eclectic tearoom look, shop your china cabinet or go to charity shops, antique malls, second hand stores.
• Three tier stand- The centrepiece of every afternoon tea. Furthermore, you could also have a cake stand for more sweets.
• Cutlery and napkins- You can either bring bamboo cutlery and paper napkins, or get fancy. As for us, we polished the silver cutlery and brought cloth napkins with a lace border.
• Tea - What tea party is complete without tea? Bring a couple of different teas, if you wish, but the main tea for an afternoon tea is Earl Grey. We also had a herbal tea.
• Hot Water- A couple of thermoses are perfect to safely transport your hot water.
• Lemon slices- Arrange them on a small platter. Not only are they pretty, they can add extra flavor to your tea and water.
• A jug with water and glasses- It's a Tea picnic, but it is good to have water on the table. Add some lemon slices for color and flavor.
• Candles- They add that certain "je ne sais quoi" to the table. We had long white candles on tall crystal candle holders to give dimension to the table.
• Fresh flowers- A must at all our picnics, fresh flowers make any setting look enchanting. We added baby’s breath to our fresh flower selection; they are so dainty and pretty.

Post picnic necessities

• Extra containers- Cardboard or plastic container/boxes, in case there are leftovers.
• Paper towel, and/or wipes- For clean up.
• Tote or boxes- To place the dirty dishes and cutlery, with extra towels to wrap them.
• Bags for litter- Don't forget a few garbage bags to clean up after the picnic.

Transporting goods and wares to the site

There is quite a bit of stuff to bring to the picnic site. Here are a few things that are practical to use other than the picnic basket. For the food: cooler bags and ice packs, Tupperwares, jars, thermoses, plastic containers, pastry boxes. For the wares: wood crates, tote boxes, dish towels to pack your china safely, cardboard boxes, and sturdy weave bags. In the event that it's a longer treck to your picnic site, a garden wagon works wonderfully.

Setting up the main table

Here we are, Margaret and I, with a big smile on our faces, setting the stage for a lovely picnic. If you are wondering where our husbands are, they are in the back organizing and taking photos and video.

How to set the table. Place your table preferrably in the shade on level ground and dress it with a nice tablecloth. We placed a white lace tablecloth draped to the ground, and topped it with a floral embroidered tablecloth. Dress the chairs, too, if you like it fancy, like us.

Then, start arranging the tea cups and saucers over small plates, napkins on the left side, cutlery, the cream and sugar set, a honey jug, the water glasses, a pitcher with water. Place the candles, if using, the teapots, and the three tier stand. Now it is also the time to arrange the flowers on the table. We put some in a teapot and some in little bud glass vases.

When the table is almost completed, you can put out the food. Start with the least perishable items and leave the sandwiches for last. We firstly arranged the little jam tarts and macarons on the top tier, and the scones on the middle tier. Also, glass ramekins with lids were filled with the jam and rhubarb curd and placed on the table.

Scones and jam tarts

Scones are best eaten the same day and don't take long to make. If possible, bake them just before leaving for the picnic site. In alternative, bake them before hand, and freeze them. When you need them, let thaw overnight. Use cardboard or plastic containers to bring them to the picnic.

Jam tarts are light and crumbly, present well, and are a great bite-size dessert. I made some with a sour cherry jam filling, and some with chocolate spread. For the top, instead of the lattice, cut out flower shapes. To spread the workload, I made the dough the day before and kept it wrapped in plastic in the fridge. The day after I assembled the jam tarts and baked them.

Side table

If you have room to pack an extra small table, that would be great. Position it close to the main table and use it to store your picnic basket with the thermoses, and other stuff. Do not leave it "naked", but dress it with a nice matching tablecloth, maybe some of your grandma's doilies, and a vase with fresh flowers.

The Perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic Menu

In the end, we had so much fun planning the menu for the Perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic.

A standard afternoon tea menu comprises of sandwiches to be placed on the bottom tier of the three tier stand, scones on the middle tier, and sweets (small cakes, pastries, petits-fours, biscuits) on the top tier. Finger foods are key for the afternoon tea aesthetic, so opt for light and tasty bites.

Our menu:

Sandwiches

Egg salad sandwiches (recipe at the bottom of the post)

Tuna salad sandwiches

Cucumber and herbed cream cheese sandwiches

Coronation chicken salad sandwiches

Scones

English scones with clotted cream, rhubarb curd, and homemade sour cherry jam

Sweets

Strawberry and Lemon Macarons

Little jam tarts

Golden berries dipped in melted white chocolate

Organic strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries

Store-bought lemon drizzle cakes and mini cream puffs

Really, not everything has to be homemade. You can save some time buying your favorite items and making only what makes you happy. Arrange additional sweets on single tier stands. Having different tier stands add to the look of the table.

Tea etiquette

The correct order to enjoy the food that accompanies the afternoon tea is savory to sweet: sandwiches first, then scones, and sweets last. You can use your fingers to eat all three courses. And pour tea throughout the picnic. When the tea is getting low, top it with more hot water withot adding any new tea leaves. If, like us, you are using loose teas, a strainer is handy. The proper manner to drink tea is to raise the tea cup, leaving the saucer on the table. Never stir the tea in a circular motion, but back and forth 2-3 times. Don't leave your spoon in the cup, but place it on your saucer.

To eat a scone, simply break it in half horizontally with your fingers, then use a knife to slather on clotted cream and jam or curd, in the order that you prefer.

The sandwiches

Sandwiches are an essential part of an afternoon tea. They are best made a few hours before transport so that they don’t get soggy or dry out. Choose a variety of sandwich fillings, the classics being egg salad sandwich and cucumber and cream cheese. Try to use two different types of bread: white and whole grain. Cut into small portions so they’re easy to eat. You can cut them in finger sandwiches (which are like small rectangles), triangles, or square.

How to make Egg salad sandwiches

• First, wash your eggs and place in a pot submerged with water. Turn heat to medium high and wait for the water to boil, then cook the eggs for 10 minutes.
• Once the eggs are finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water and peel.
• After, take the eggs and cut into slices then chop into small morsels. Place those into a medium-size bowl.

• Add the mayo, mustard, dill, salt, pepper, and paprika, along with the chopped green onion and celery. Give it a good mix with a fork.
• Divide the mixture into two equal parts, and take a slice of bread, spread the egg mixture going right to the edges. Top with another slice of bread. Repeat and make another the same way. Cover the egg salad sandwiches with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

• Take the egg salad sandwiches out of the fridge, unwrap, and cut the crust off. Cut the square diagonally into two triangular shapes, then cut that triangle in half, creating four small triangular sandwiches.
• Do the same with the other sandwich. Keep the trimmings for quality control. You need to taste them, after all ;). Place your egg salad sandwiches in an airtight container for transport.

Occasions for an afternoon tea picnic

• Birthday
• Anniversary
• Mother's Day
• Romantic date
• Ladies luncheon
• Valentine's Day (if you live in a warm climate, or arrange it indoors)
• Or just because you feel like having one, like us

Dress code for an afternoon tea picnic

Indeed, you would want to get a little casual dressy for this one. Choose light, pastel colors, floral patterns, summer dresses. Break out the hats, headbands, and fascinators. You want to feel pretty or handsome, fashionable, yet comfortable. Remember you're walking on grass, so high thin heels are not suitable. By all means, do not be afraid to show your style.

Last but not least, enjoy each other's company and the beautiful food that you've prepared.

Thank you, Margaret! Another picnic successfully completed. Now off to the next one! Check out Margaret's recollection of the day and her incredible recipes here.

If we have inspired you to do a tea picnic, please take pictures and do not forget to tag us #sugarlovespices. We would love to see your layout!

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