Learn with Play at Home: How to make a High Tea for Kids

On the weekend, Mum and I were fortunate to attend the 'High Tea Brewed by Lipton' event at the Masterchef Dining and Bar in Melbourne. From the outset we were very excited about having the opportunity to experience some of the Masterchef goodies and enjoy a good chat together over a cup (or many!) of the new Lipton Pyramids tea range.

Our expectations certainly weren't let down on any front as we sipped and nibbled and chatted to our hearts content.

I've almost got the tea pinky up!

Normally, when it comes to drinking tea I generally stick to either English Breakfast with milk or Green Tea without. I discovered at the event that I am missing out on a whole world of tea!

Out of the teas I tried, my favourite was the Orange Jaipur with large black tea leaves and orange peel. It had a really bold and vibrant citrus taste but was really well rounded so left no bitter after-taste. This is one I'll enjoy sipping on at home without the need for any milk or sugar. (And I must buy some tea glasses now too! haha)

You can't have a High Tea without a range of treats and these Masterchef delights really took it to a new level. I can't believe how good the Vegemite (yes, Vegemite!) Caramel Chocolate Cups were (pictured in the front there).

It was great to have the opportunity to try a whole different range of teas that I'd never tried before. The Green Gunpowder was really nice as well.

The "Lollybag Cake" was a real treat! I was delighted to get to try it. I'll definitely be making some of my own iced tea this summer as well. Yum.

I was so glad that I brought my Mum along for the experience. We had a really great time together.

How to host a High Tea for Kids

My kids (aged 4 and almost 2), were very excited to hear all about Mum and Nana's High Tea adventure, but after seeing all the glorious pictures they decided that they should get to have a high tea as well!

So, we decided that's exactly what we would do.

My kids enjoy having a fruit or herbal tea on occasions and so this time we tried one of the new Lipton Pyramid Range. I chose the Temptation Summer Fruit Berry Medley (Caffeine free) for our Kids High Tea.

Hint: Once it had infused in the boiled water, I removed the tea bags and then added ice cubes until the temperature was down enough for the kids to safely enjoy

For our Kids High Tea I prepared 4 different treats.

Food for a Kids High Tea

Mini Layered Jelly Cups. Using clear shot-glasses, I set three layers (one at a time) of jelly. As the amount of jelly being set each time was very small (about 1 tablespoon), it takes about an hour to set the three layers.
Triple Decker Finger Sandwiches. Simple cheese, cucumber and mayonnaise sandwiches made with 3 slices of bread with the crusts cut off then cut into fingers.
Choc Rice Bubble Treat. Ok, I cheated here. I purchased these bars as a treat and cut them into little squares to serve.
Mixed Berry Fruit Cup. To complement our tea I made a little mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries and served them in pretty cupcake liners.

I bought some little espresso cups with saucers that make the perfect kid-sized mugs. Having real breakable crockery made it that much more special than a normal lunch or afternoon tea where we'd usually be using non-breakables. I enjoy being able to allow that trust in my children and take great pleasure in their delight and how they are learning to be careful and respectful.

Maddie's favourite part was of course getting to pour everyone's tea herself. She was delighted and so proud.

"Cheers!" The children just loved the tea and the whole novelty of the tea pot and little porcelain mugs. There was a lot of role play as we pretended to be "Mummy" and "Nana" at the high tea with a "new friend" to join us.

Not only was it a great bonding experience as we chatted, laughed, ate and drunk, but just talking about what we were doing and experiencing as we did it, was wonderful for Noah's oral language development and understanding.

We also enjoyed our yummy kid-friendly high tea treats as well. I think we'll definitely be having a lot more special days like this. Next time Daddy can join us too. :)

Lipton Tea Sample Giveaway*.

*edit: this giveaway has ended. Tea sample packs are going to Kcmsfamily, Danya, Penny, Elise and Chelsea.

Lipton’s range of 16 high quality Pyramid Teas have been brewed for a new generation of tea drinkers. The new pyramid shape gives the tea more space to release a great full taste and aroma and the larger leaves and real fruit pieces make for a faster brewing time. If you would like to receive a sample pack containing 8 of the exotic flavours to try, simply answer the following question.

Which Lipton Tea flavour would YOU serve for a High Tea?

Giveaway details:
- End date: 5pm Friday 25th Oct.
- Open to Australian residents age 14+
- The five most creative comments will be selected.

- If you don't have a profile created that links to an email address, please post your comment as "anonomous" and leave a name and email address that we can contact you on.
- See all participating blogs and the full terms and conditions here.

The Lipton Pyramid range is available at leading retailers including Coles, IGA and Woolworths, with an RRP of $3.79 for a pack of 20 teabags.

Happy high tea-ing,

Debs :)

{Disclosure: this is a paid post for Lipton sponsored by Nuffnang. After attending the high tea we received some tea samples to take home. As always, opinions expressed in this post are my own and my children's.}

Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)