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We caught the best of summer cherry and berry seasons by celebrating these delicious fruits with a Summer Tea Party for sixteen friends and family. Rose and I brought her June Cherry Tea menu from last month’s blog to life, with a few additions. Her original menu is in cherry red, with the additional items in black:

Savories:

European Cheese Assortment with Fresh Cherries, Almonds and Wheat Meal Biscuits
Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
Best Summer Tomato Sandwiches
Deviled Eggs
Herb and Green Onion Individual Frittatas
Cherry Salsa, Blackberry Salsa and Corn Chips

Scones:

Cream Scones with Cherries and Blackberries
Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream

Sweets:

Black Forest Brownies
Warm Cherry-Almond Tart
Summer Pudding with Whipped Cream
Brambleberry Miniature Cupcakes
(Find the recipes for Black Forest Brownies and Warm Cherry Almond Tart on Rose’s June 2019 blog: http://myteaplanner.com/tea-travels—roses-blog)

Beverages:

Yorkshire Gold Hot Tea
Sparkling Wine, Rosé, Martinelli’s Sparkling Blush, Strawberry Lemonade

Setting our tea party at lunchtime, we included additional savory items. Inviting more guests let us happily add more desserts. Several winemakers were in the group, so we added rosé wine and sparkling wine to the beverage menu along with non-alcoholic choices for all.

Gifted with two whole flats of amazing Driscoll berries by my wonderful sister, Tiffany, we were really able to load our menu with berry flavor at the height of their season. The sweet-tart flavor of blackberries is highlighted in a fresh salsa with the addition of jalapeno, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, lime zest and juice.
Rose found a recipe for an old British dessert, Summer Pudding, traditionally a mixture of fresh berries and white bread. This recipe substituted lady fingers for the usual white bread, a marked improvement.  Summer Pudding is made when fruit is at its best, and is simple to assemble and hugely delicious. We used a mixture of chopped cherries, raspberries, and blackberries. Freshly whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment. ​
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