Throw a Mad Hatter Tea Party With Entertaining Ideas Any Alice Will Love

Beautiful Tea Sets from Wedgwood China Offer Elegant, Whimsical Fun for Your Table

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Mar 04, 2010, 12:20 ET

WALL, N.J., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- This month we are surrounded with imagery of the fanciful world of Alice in Wonderland, and for those who love to entertain at home, that's a wonderful excuse to host a whimsical Mad Hatter tea party.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100304/CG65164)

Hosting tea, a long-standing English tradition, does not need to be a formal, serious affair. According to Wedgwood China home entertaining expert, Jorge Perez, the beloved English brand has been hosting tea time for more than 250 years. Perez says there are no rules when it comes to taking tea and offers these tips for hosting a Mad Hatter tea party any Alice would love:

Think Fun, Not Fussy. Create a chic, relaxed atmosphere with comfortable chairs, a central table, brightly colored fresh flowers and an invitation that sets the tone. Traditional tea time is 4 p.m., but schedule your party for whatever works best for you and your guests anytime between 3-6 p.m.
Make Your Table Talk-Worthy. Choose tight, floral arrangements in low vases to make conversation across the table easy. You might even consider a teapot as a floral vase. Bring the theme to life with colorful linens and accents. What does Mad Hatter and whimsical mean to you? Gather the basics – teapot, teacups and saucers, luncheon size plates (your salad plates are perfect), a small milk jug, a sugar bowl (preferably with sugar cubes), and a plate for lemon slices. Your flatware should be set with forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right with knife blade pointed toward the plate.
Mix and Match Like Mad. Your place settings need not match. Consider the possibilities of some of these Wedgwood patterns:
- The Harlequin Polka Dot Collection is a fanciful pattern in a fun mixture of pink and blue hues that speak of Springtime. Perfect for bridal or wedding showers, a gathering of friends or to add fashionable expression to any occasion.
- The Black Basalt Tea Collection is a classic. Josiah Wedgwood named the black earthenware body that he created Black Basalt, as it resembled Egyptian basalt: a very hard, black natural stone used for sculpture.
- Find other Wedgwood collections online at www.wedgwood.com.

Let Loose with the Tea. Good selections of loose teas (preferable to teabags) are essential. If you are not steeping your tea in the teapot, provide individual infusers (hollow, silver balls with holes on a thin chain) to pack loose tea into. Begin the brewing process with cold, filtered or bottled (not tap) water. Did you know that teabags were created more than 100 years ago as a way to send customers tea samples? Loose tea has been around for more than 5,000 years!
Assemble Savory & Sweet. Savories are tiny sandwiches that can take on a multitude of ingredients – fill interesting breads with smoked salmon, egg salad or cucumbers and cream cheese. On the sweet side, scones and biscuits with plenty of jams and clotted cream and shortbread or simple cakes add a nice touch. Fanciful cupcakes with Alice in Wonderland designs can be a great signature take-home gift. Display sweets on a beautiful footed cake plate, an elegant tiered plate or any beautiful small tray.
Pinkies Up! Lastly, although your pinkie does not have to be literally up, consider the following ideas when it comes to proper decorum: always serve from the right, take small sips of your tea and avoid slurping, and never overfill your plate. This is tea, not a meal.

Find more ideas and view the complete Wedgwood product collection at www.wedgwood.com

About WWRD Holdings

WWRD Holdings Limited, the leading provider of luxury home and lifestyle products worldwide, manufactures, distributes and sells well-recognized brands including Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Minton, Johnson Brothers and Franciscan. WWRD maintains unique licensing arrangements with some of the most high-profile innovators in the home and lifestyle market, including Vera Wang, Jasper Conan, Monique Lhuillier, John Rocha, Barbara Barry, Gordon Ramsay, Martha Stewart and Michael Aram. WWRD products are distributed through premium department stores and independent retailers and wholesalers around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Ireland. The company employs more than 3,000 people worldwide.