Southern-themed Afternoon Tea: Biscuits, Grit Cakes and Pimento Cheese savories

Southern heritage of Rosemary and Pam inspired this afternoon tea.

An afternoon tea that went south - in the best way possible!

With a nod to Southern heritage, this tea replaced scones with biscuits and grits, added pimento cheese sandwiches to the savories and sweets included buttermilk pie and Jimmy Carter custard. It was down-home deliciousness accompanied by gracious hospitality. 

Afternoon tea table with sweets and savories from the South/

This themed tea started with friend and BTS team member, Pam B., who, taking inspiration from her Southern roots (growing up in New Orleans and Atlanta), reimagined a menu that would swap common afternoon tea staples with traditional foods from her home states.  When Pam combined forces with fellow culinary comrade and party hostess extraordinaire, Rosemary C., who spent summers in Arkansas where her maternal grandparents resided, it wasn't long before the Southern-themed afternoon tea went from concept-to-table.  

And, what a table!

Our hostess provided guests with two napkins.

Befitting such rich tea fare, Rosemary, decked out her dining room table in family heirlooms including delicate floral-patterned china and monogrammed silverware along with some lovingly donated teacups and pretty linens of unknown origin (a funny drycleaner mix-up that left our hostess with an extra-long tablecloth, now cut to fit with a bonus set of matching napkins).

Barb with Rosemary, afternoon tea hostess extraordinaire.

Each guest received two napkins:  a customary one for the lap and an optional cloth to be tucked in at the collar. A welcomed choice, especially when wearing lighter colors.

Rosemary and Pam, along with Rosemary's sister Charlene, created all the Southern dishes. In addition to the items noted above, other savories included peach bruschetta and asparagus and cucumber sandwiches. The other sweet, with the misleading name, "sad cake", rounded out the dessert course. (Per Rosemary, the name of the cake comes from the manner in which it bakes, rising than "falling", appearing deflated. Despite its name, it will make your guests happy.)

Grit cakes and biscuits replaced scones

Jimmy Carter custard, one of the sweets

My contribution was tea and a tea etiquette talk (sparing guests from any of my literally "sad" baking skills). And, although, my proper tea time instructions came towards the end of the meal, I observed no tea faux pas. However, a few guests confessed to committing an etiquette infraction. (But we saw nothing egregious, and no citations were issued. 😉) 

A cup of tea shared with friends, so special.

Along with cooking and tablescaping, Rosemary assembled a most wonderful group of ladies, contributing to a most fun and festive afternoon - perhaps best summed up by the words scrolled on a flower vase in Rosemary's kitchen:  "A cup of tea, a prayer or two, special moments, shared with you."

Tea menu alongside family china and monogramed silverware.

The Southern-themed Afternoon Tea was incredible and inspirational. I see more twists on traditional tea times trending. As we are fond of saying at Barb's Tea Service, stay tuned!