Afternoon Tea is a delightful treat. I try to enjoy at least one whenever I’m in England, but it’s also fun to experiment with different recipes to serve at home. One lovely spring day, I pulled out Wedgwood Prunus plates for an afternoon tea with Coronation Chicken Sandwiches, Petit Fours and Sugar Transfer Cookies decorated with Lily of the Valley edible transfer wafers.
I came across the Primrose yellow Wedgwood Prunus plates a few years ago. I don’t have much Wedgwood Jasperware. It’s not glazed, and while it works well for trinket boxes and vases, it’s finicky for plates. But the lovely, soft yellow colour captured my heart, along with the dainty white prunus flowers for which the pattern is named. It took a couple of months, but I managed to track down four 8″ plates on eBay.
Soft, pale yellow is one of the colours I associate most with spring. You rarely find it in nature, though. Think about it—most yellow daffodils and tulips are boldly coloured. The first table I set with Prunus was inspired by some yellow magnolia flowers — just the right shade to highlight the plates.
The neoclassical Wedgwood design is timeless—the first table featured in Entertablement’s 2022 Spring Quarterly (available as a complementary flipping book). Here, I used Ralph Lauren Sophia dinner plates as a frame for the Prunus plates.
I decided to give them another outing for this Afternoon Tea. This time, I had actual Prunus blossoms!
As to the menu, petit fours were a must, as I adore them. On rare occasions, my mother used to bring them home from a local French Patisserie as a special treat. Some madness must have descended on me because I decided to make some myself, with fondant coloured in the same soft yellow. Let’s not dwell on the trials and tribulations involved. Suffice it to say, poured fondant is not for the faint of heart or short of patience. Oy! For anyone who would like to attempt the creatures, I recommend Heather Baird of Sprinklebakes’ blog on the subject. I will be satisfied with purchased versions of any future petit four cravings. But I was delighted to have a (hard-won) batch to coordinate with the elusively yellow plates.
The Coronation Chicken Sandwiches were much more straightforward. Originally known as “Poulet Reine Elizabeth”, the recipe was created by Le Cordon Bleu London to be served at the Coronation Luncheon for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It’s been adapted over the years as a salad topping and a sandwich filling.
In setting the table, the tea stand took pride of place. I added Tiffin Franciscan Amber Depression water glasses for a touch more of the yellow. I used the glasses previously on the Adams Currier & Ives Winter Scenes and Copeland Spode Uplands Game tables.
The rest of the table is a motley collection of white.
The little bird dish holding the Sugar Transfer Cookies is from eBay.
Gracie Teaware supplied the teapot (HomeGoods). The jam jar is in the Bristol pattern by Fitz and Floyd and used in the Bristol Holiday Santa and Spode Romney tables.
Wedgwood shell-edged cream-on-cream dinner plates hold the Prunus salad plates.
Which combination do you prefer? The one with the yellow Magnolias?
Or the Afternoon Tea setting?
After a week of very warm temperatures and perfect weather for gardening, the heavens have opened this morning. Fortunately, the thunder seems to have subsided; Spencer has been upholstered to me, shaking like a leaf. Poor guy is terrified of thunder and fireworks. His sister Marigold is impervious, as is the stately Churchill. It’s so odd how it affects some dogs and not others.
Speaking of Marigold, here is her latest trick. She’s a dainty little thing, weighing in at a mere 55 lbs, which is small for a Golden. She has decided that one of the chairs in our bedroom is a perfectly sized throne. Strictly forbidden, she nonetheless hops in at every opportunity as if to say, “See? It’s mine. All mine.” She never stays long—she just needs to prove her point.
Happy Memorial Day to all my American readers. We celebrated Victoria Day last weekend in Canada. Summer has begun in earnest!
Love the plates! Never seen the plates until your post! So pretty! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Maureen! I hadn’t realized Wedgwood produced a yellow Jasperware, either. It’s one of the nicer colours in the series, don’t you think? I’m really not a fan of the pale purple (I’d call it lavender, but for some weird reason that’s what the call the pale blue?).
I lived in the UK for 23 years and never saw yellow Wedgwood even in my hunting at antique fairs, flea markets, etc. I love the yellow and I think it’s perfect for a spring table setting. I’ve had your petit fours and so delicious they were! See you soon .
And you were very kind not to comment on the less than photogenic state of said petit fours. I really wish I could figure the process out. How the heck to bakeries produce them looking so perfect?
Hope you’re having a good Memorial Day Weekend! We will be there in no time now.
What a lovely spring table! I love Afternoon Tea, petit fours, and lily of the valley, so this one is my favorite. The yellow magnolias and pretty too.
Love it! Food wins! I prefer the flowers and the tablecloth on the Magnolia table, but the calm tone of the quilt for the tea table was a good backdrop for the tea stand.
I ADORE yellow magnolia, so I prefer that setting overall, partially because of the bright tablecloth (you have such gorgeous cloths!).
BUT…I also love the teapot and jam jar on the prunus setting, and I LOVE afternoon tea, so I would rather eat at the tea table, and look at the magnolia table.
However, my favorite part of this post is Marigold – what a sweetheart!
The tea table seems to be winning by virtue of the food. . But I’m with you Barb, I like the aesthetics of thr magnolia table better.
You’ve described Marigold perfectly. She has such a sweet nature. So calm and affectionate. Spencer, on the other hand is a BOY through and through. Exuberant, bouncing, loyal and energetic. Rugs fly and books topple as he hurtles down the stairs and through the house.
Dear Helen, Well I’ll be a contrarian here…I love the magnolias, but in the white vase; the green cloth and white serviettes; and the clear wheel-cut goblets. Yellow is a difficult colour in any application, from wall paint to clothing, but you pulled it off here. I seem to remember Mother’s buying petit fours at a French bakery in SF. They were a takeoff on Princess cake, with raspberry and custard, and a blob of whipped cream on top, under the perfectly smooth green icing. I’m sure you could find volunteers to eat the results as you continue to perfect your technique!
Hi Beatrice,
I like your mix and match approach!
Yellow is a challenge, and I dislike most shades of it. Wedgwood picked a winner with the primrose Jasperware.
I’d forgotten all about Princess cake! Yes, they’re a little bigger than petit four, and often round. But the same principle.
I found a source for petit fours in the US. But if that fails, I may give them another shot. Grand girls are visiting this summer and will no doubt want an afternoon tea.
Best,
HK