Recipes for a Ladies tea

[Miss Credit]

Does anyone know of some recipes, period or not that would be great for a ladies tea? I am responsible for putting on the ladies activities for the Grand Tactical this year and we are planning on having a ladies tea during the afternoon. I am relying solely on Canadian volunteers to help with the food since it is a 10 hour trip for us so keeping food would be a bit difficult. I am needing a recipe for 2 different types of cake and then 2 or 3 different finger sandwiches.

I would also like your opinion on whether or not having a picnic as opposed to a tea would be a better idea, since a tea was done last year.

[Mrs. Goblin]

If you want to go hardcore, check out this cookbook from 1811:
chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/The-London-Art-Of-Cookery/index.html

If I had to pick two cakes to represent the regency, I'd do a sponge cake (with beaten egg whites providing the lift) and a yeast raised cake, probably a variation of the seedy cake recipe in the Lobscouse and Spotted Dog cookbook.

I'm not really sure how period sandwiches were, but that doesn't stop me from making suggestions:

egg salad / egg mayonnaise
cheese and branston pickle
roast beef and horseradish
ham and mustard
tomato
egg and watercress
cucumber
potted meat (devilled ham type meat spreads)
potted cheese
or, perhaps, just good old fashioned bread and butter sandwiches, maybe?

Hope this helps.

[Miss Credit]

Ok we have decided to go with a picnic and games on Satruday and on Sunday we shall have a formal tea. So I am planning on trying two different menus. When drafting things I decided to come up with several options for the menus all with different tastes but equally easy to make since I figured we would be relying a lot on our Canadian friends to make the food. I figured keeping the menu relatively small would be easier to accomplish and giving several options would allow the food preparers to pick and choose based on personal tastes, cooking experience and availability and costs of products. This is what I have drawn up so far and I would love everyones opinion on things.
Picnic Menu Ideas

Meats- 2 kinds
Beef and mushroom (or other vegetable) Pie
Curried chicken sandwich
Ham, sautéed apples and cheddar sandwich
Chicken Salad

Salad
Salmagundi

Assorted Fruits- no set number
Raspberries
Blackberries
Strawberries
Pears
Mandarin Oranges
Grapes

Cheese and Bread- 1 potted cheese and perhaps 3 or 4 sliced cheeses
Potted Cheese
Sliced cheeses
Crusty bread
Home baked white bread

Desserts
Georgian Ices (Italian Ices) - Raspberry, Lemon flavored yum!
Seed Cake
Trifle
Syllabub- could be a float or punch

Tea Menu

Sandwiches- 3 kinds
Deviled ham
Curried chicken- maybe for picnic?
Cucumber and tomato with dill butter
Roast beef with apple chutney- for picnic?

Cake- 1 kind
Lemon with raspberry filling and lemon frosting and sugar coated rose petals
Vanilla and lavender with lavender frosting

Scones- 2 kinds
Pumpkin and Cinnamon
Ginger
Starbucks Vanilla

Tea Breads- 2 kinds
Orange and cranberry
Spice and almond?
Lemon poppy seed

Fruits- Left over fruits from Saturdays picnic
Strawberries
Raspberries
Grapes
Mandarin Oranges
Melon balls?

Pumpkin cream cheese truffles
Almonds and sugared nuts and dates
Jam for scones

Tea and Punch- 2 kinds of tea and 1 punch or lemonade

[The Major]

Mmmmm! Is the picnic for ladies only?

[Miss Credit]

Anyone is welcome to attend but it is definitely an event catered more towards the whims of the ladies and their children. Since it will probably be held when the men are in the field I had not anticipated their company but certainly they are welcome to join, I know we would love to have a male companion or two.

[1800cook]

In the 18th. C tea was drunk for breakfast and after dinner- 3 hours after dinner , in fashionable circles, so the timing of tea drinking was determined by the hour at which dinner was served. In 1750's dinner was still around noon, but as the century progressed it moved later. In 1796 Jane Austen "We dine now at half three _ we drink tea at half after six. "by 1808 she writes " We never dine now till five." In more upper clas s houses dinner was later. Tea was often served with small cakes. The tea served would have been China tea. Afternoon tea started in the 1850's, but was not fashionable until the 1870's. So there is no such thing as a Regency Afternoon Tea, however it doesn't need to stop you from giving one. Hannah Glasse has recipes for Portugal Cakes and Almond Macaroons, John Farley has a good recipe for Shrewsbury Cakes, The Jane Auten Cook Book has a lovely recipe for Rout Cakes, syllabub and jam tarts would also be appropriate

[Miss Credit]

Well I actually ended up changing my mind and I am planning for a Saturday afternoon picnic and a formal tea on Sunday morning. But yes thank you for the tidbit of info, I had taken that in consideration but seeing as how we are at a battle with a dinner generally being served past 4 or 5 and evening activities already planned I didnt think squeezing a tea in there would be sensible.