No time? No problem! My cheat’s afternoon tea uses a combination of quality store-bought items and minimal assembly to create an elegant spread without extensive cooking. Includes lots of advice on sweet treats, cakes, plus an easy quick pavlova idea.
Connection Over Perfection
Some might think this idea a little controversial coming from an Afternoon Tea recipe blog — but I don’t. At Flower & Sugar, my mantra is connection over perfection. For me, the true beauty of Afternoon Tea has never been about making everything from scratch. It’s about the experience: being together, sharing kindness and laughter, listening to one another, and enjoying good food with a cup of tea or coffee in hand.
Why should you miss the chance to host a lovely afternoon simply because you didn’t have time to cook everything? Or because you’re a beginner? Or because your kitchen is the size of a postage stamp? None of those things should limit your opportunity to gather the people you love.
This Cheat’s Afternoon Tea is for you if:
- You love the idea of Afternoon Tea but feel overwhelmed by the thought of making everything from scratch
- You’re short on time, energy, or kitchen space — or all three
- You’re new to hosting and want something that feels special without being stressful
- You’d rather focus on your guests than spend days baking
- You believe good food and good company matter more than perfection
If you can boil a kettle, make a sandwich, and open a packet like you mean it — you can host a beautiful Afternoon Tea.
These posts can help too
Hosting an Afternoon Tea at Home
Afternoon Tea at Home Timeline
What Afternoon Tea Really Is (and Isn’t)
Traditionally, Afternoon Tea includes a balance of savoury and sweet treats, served with tea and enjoyed at a relaxed pace. But it’s important to remember that tradition is only a guide — not a rulebook.
Afternoon Tea is flexible and forgiving
- Your guests can drink coffee instead of tea
- Sandwiches can be cut into triangles or squares (or skipped altogether)
- Jam first or cream first — it truly doesn’t matter
- Store-bought quiche or savouries are perfectly acceptable
- No dining table? A coffee table or kitchen bench with cosy seating works beautifully
What matters most isn’t how closely you follow tradition, but how welcome your guests feel.
A bit of this, a bit of that
Of course, you might still choose to make a few sandwiches or add some homemade elements if you wish. The easy step-by-step recipes on this website are a great resource. But what I want to show you here is that a world of hosting opportunity opens up when you allow yourself to lean on the excellent store-bought options available today.
Below, I’ve shared the items I used to create this Cheat’s Afternoon Tea, along with links where helpful. I’d also love to hear from you — what are your favourite store-bought finds, or what’s available where you live?
Cheat’s Afternoon Tea Menu
Sweet Treats
Coles Finest Lemon Tartlets, Chocolate Eclairs, Raspberry Financiers & Opera Cakes frozen selection. This was excellent value and featured 4 pieces of each sweet treat. They’re made in France too, so super authentic patisserie!
Scones
Plain scones from my local bakery with store-bought double cream (so no need to whip) and raspberry jam
Sandwiches
I made some quick and easy to make finger sandwiches with simple ingredients.
Ham, cheese and mustard pickle
Salami, cheese and tomato relish
Savouries
Coles Finest savoury tartlets: Goat’s cheese and onion confit, Red capsicum, Goat’s cheese and mint, Cream cheese, zucchini & basil
Mini quiche Lorraine
Cake
I bought a Pavlova shell and simply added some double cream (leftover from the scones), fresh raspberries, strawberries and a few edible flowers from my local greengrocer.
Other suggestions and ideas
Check out your local supermarket and bakery for items that could work for an Afternoon Tea – you’d be surprised at what’s available these days. Below are some suggestions based on what I’ve seen at Coles, Woolworths and my local bakery. For fancier additions, seek out an upscale patisserie, independent supermarket or specialty store if you have one near you.
Savoury
Look out for these:
- Good quality sausage rolls or try a bake at home version (you can cut them into mini size)
- Mini spinach and ricotta triangles
- Mini cheese and spinach pastry rolls
- Brie Caramelised onion and ham triangles
- Truffle arancini
- Zucchini and feta fritters
- Gluten free and vegan options
Sandwiches and rolls
I’ve got plenty of finger sandwich ideas on this site that are easy to make if time permits. Just keep the fillings simple and you can whip up two or three flavours in about 20 minutes. Use fillings that don’t require mixing like Smoked Salmon, Ham, Turkey, and Cucumber.
Order or purchase
Many supermarkets also offer sandwich platters that you can pre-order. If you are a member of Costco then their sandwich triangles offer great variety at a reasonable price. It doesn’t matter that they’re triangles and not fingers and you can always cut the crust of each triangle if you want to make them ‘dainty’. Transfer them to a rectangular sandwich plate and your tiered stand and no-one will know that you didn’t make them!
Mini brioche or slider rolls are also a great alternative and readily available. Again try Costco or the Deli section of your local supermarket. You will have to pre-order these so make sure you give yourself enough time and have the space to store them once you’ve collected them.
I also recommend ‘bake at home’ mini dinner rolls that you can buy at Coles or Woolworths that you can fill with sandwich style fillings without the need for cutting and precision. Add a little cream cheese, some horseradish cream and a slice of smoked salmon then garnish with a sprig of dill.
Scones
I have a bit of a strange obsession with checking out scones ‘on the outside’ in case I need them in an emergency. The best ones I’ve seen come from bakeries however the supermarket versions are not bad either.
If you have time to make your own then use one of my easy to follow recipes. There are also some good mixes available if you need something quickly and can’t find any pre-made scones to purchase. The best one is Laucke Country Women’s Scone Mix, simply add water!
As mentioned above use double cream – it’s thick and easy to dollop and you don’t have to whip. Just fill small dishes of cream and good quality jam/preserves, add a small spoon so guest’s can serve themselves and you’re done.
Sweet Treats
There are so many options that you can source when it comes to sweet treats – my local bakery is overflowing with lemon tartlets, mini eclairs, fruit tartlets, raspberry tartlets, little apple pies and macarons. Supermarket bakery sections also have a good range to choose from.
Look out for these:
- Mini Danish in assorted flavours
- Mr Kipling chocolate, lemon or angel slices
- Lamington fingers
- Mini croissants with butter and jam
- Mini jam sponge rolls
- Caramel slices
- Portuguese tarts
- Mudcake slices
- Mini muffins
- Mini cupcakes
- Meringues and mini pavlovas
- Shortbread, cookies, or macarons
Cakes
Larger cakes are a wonderful stand by if you have trouble finding smaller sweet treats or run out of time. Take it out of the packaging, elevate it on a cake stand then place it down on the table in front of your guests with a little flourish – no one will know (or care) that it’s store bought.
Try the bakery and / or chilled section of your supermarket as well as your local bakery. If you’re unsure of what to buy then a simple sponge filled with jam and cream is a traditional afternoon tea favourite and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Look out for these:
- Cheesecake (various flavours)
- Swiss roll (chocolate and cream or sponge with jam)
- Pistachio cake
- Chocolate mud cake
- Lemon madeira
- Carrot and walnut loaf
- Lemon meringue tart
- Caramel cake
- Black forest
- Kit Kat cake
- Red Velvet
Presentation Extras (Optional but Lovely)
- Tiered stand or cake stand
- Fresh flowers or greenery from the garden
- Pretty napkins and tablecloth
- Cake server and small tongs
Drinks
- A good quality black tea plus a herbal option (you can use teabags if you need to)
- Coffee (if your guests prefer it — always allowed!)
- Sparkling water
- Cocktail (see my Afternoon Tea Mimosas)
- Champagne or Sparkling Wine or Rose
Connection over perfection
Your guests won’t remember whether the cake was homemade — but they will remember how they felt sitting at your table.
How perfect to have Cheat’s Afternoon Tea included as an option for those of us who are either time poor or not as confident with baking. It is great and doesn’t make you feel guilty.
Thank you so much. I think it’s great too!