How to Host a Downton Abbey DVD Tea Party

Share with your friends?

I absolutely loved Downton Abbey as the series, so I was thrilled when I heard there was going to be a movie. I finally got my hands on the new movie, and my college age daughter and I put together a Downton Abbey DVD Tea Party for it.

We had so much fun with our tea party, and the best part is that the movie is as wonderful as you hoped. The Downton Abbey DVD is an expansion to the series, and all the characters that you love are back together!  The Crawleys and the staff are all preparing for a royal visit from the King and Queen!

How do you host a Downton Abbey DVD Tea Party?

First you’ve got to get a copy of the new Downton Abbey DVD, and you can find it at both Walmart and Walmart.com.

I did a little bit of research and found that a three-tiered tea stand should have sandwiches, cookies, and pastries from bottom to top, so that’s what I planned.  I found it easiest to make the tea sandwiches and then go to a bakery to get pastries and the grocery store to get typical British style cookies.  

Setting up the Tea Party Table

We used heirlooms we had on hand such as my grandmother’s tatted tablecloth, my mother’s vintage teapot, and the fine china that’s been passed down in our family.  It was so wonderful to pull them out and enjoy them and share them with my daughter. 

We put a small table in front of the couch so everything was within reach.  We could easily snack and watch the movie.  If you have a coffee table this will work.  I have a folding camping table that is the perfect coffee table height.  It’s just like a card table but smaller.  Then, I covered it in a regular solid tablecloth and topped it in my grandmother’s hand-tatted tablecloth.

My mother had given me a beautiful three-tiered glass stand that was perfect for our tea party.  We also used the tea cups and saucers and small plates from my china set.  

We didn’t use fancy cloth napkins.  Instead we used fancy paper napkins and wrapped each one in a beaded headband.  These make the perfect little party favor take home gift and/or placeholder.  Get the DIY to make these beautiful headbands HERE.

Tea for a Movie Watching Party

We used English Breakfast tea because I like the taste and had it on hand.  We also set out sugar cubes and milk.  Did you know that milk is preferred over cream as cream can mask the flavor of the tea? I had no idea.

Food for a Movie Watching Tea Party

I decided on a menu of three kinds of tea sandwiches, a variety of tarts and scones, and two types of cookies (or rather biscuits, if you’re British).  I am not a pastry chef, so we went to the bakery and picked the prettiest things that we thought belonged at a tea party that looked wonderful to eat.  We also bought British style cookies.

Here is what we had: 

Cookies:

• Butter Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate-dipped Madeleines 

Pastries:

• Lemon Bites
• Plain Scones
• Fruit Tartlets

Tea Sandwiches

• Cucumber Watercress
• Strawberry Cream
• Ham and Cheese

In addition to these, we also set out European butter, creme fraiche, and a few jams. 

How do you make Tea Sandwiches?

From my research, tea sandwiches tend to be made from very thin bread with the crusts removed and often cut into small shapes.  I found most often that they were made with meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, and butter.  

Continue to Content

Yield: 24 sandwiches

Three Types of Tea Sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 loaves thin white bread

Cucumber Watercress

• 6 oz cream cheese
• bundle of watercress
• 1 cucumber, peeled
• salt
• pepper

Strawberry Cream

• 1 pint strawberries
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Ham & Cheese

• 8 Thin slices of Black Forest Ham
• 8 Thin slices of Cheese
• Mayonnaise

Instructions

Cucumber Watercress Sandwiches

1. Peel a cucumber and cut it into half. Set one half to the side.
2. Wash the Watercress and cut the stems.
3. Add the cream cheese to food processor.
4. Cut half the cucumber into chunks and place in food processor (or chop very fine).
5. Add a dash of salt and a dash of pepper.
6. Set the food processor to chop and pulse it until the cucumbers and cream cheese are all mixed together and there are no large chunks of cucumber.
7. Spread thinly on both pieces of bread.
8. Put a small pile of watercress on top of one piece of bread.
9. Put second piece of bread on top and slice off crusts.
10. Cut sandwiches into triangles.
11. Store covered in plastic wrap if necessary.

Strawberry Cream Sandwiches

1. Wash and hull 10-12 medium strawberries. Set 6-7 strawberries aside. Cut the rest of the strawberries in half.
2. Place cut strawberries in food processor with 6 oz of cream cheese.
3. Add a tablespoon of sugar.
4. Pulse until combined and there are no big chunks of strawberries.
5. Thinly cut the other 6-7 strawberries.
6. Take 8 slices of bread and spread the strawberry cream cheese mixture over 4 slices.
7. Layer about 6 thin slices of strawberries over the mixture on all 4 slices of bread.
8. Top with the other 4 slices of bread.
9. Cut the crusts off and cut each sandwich into 2 rectangles.
10. Store covered in plastic wrap if necessary.

Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

1. Get 8 slices of bread.
2. Layer 4 slices of bread with a slice of cheese and slice of ham on each.
3. Top additional 4 slices of bread with mayonnaise and layer over ham.
4. Cut each sandwich into a circle.
5. Store covered in plastic wrap if necessary.
   

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment , but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #DowntonAbbeyAtWalmart  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Share with your friends?