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On Tuesday, the sun shone, making it the perfect afternoon to host a Caroline Walker Trust World’s Healthiest Afternoon Tea for older adults. Although numbers were reduced due to Covid restrictions, the conversation and enjoyment were not affected.
My seven guests chatted and laughed in the garden while enjoying sandwiches, scones, tartlets, berry yoghurt parfaits and cake. The afternoon feast was accompanied by cups of tea and a refreshing iced drink flavoured with mint, lemon and cucumber to cool us down and keep us hydrated.
Hosting the afternoon tea became a family affair. My children helped prepare and serve the food, and my mum helping make sandwiches as well as providing the all-important extra teapot! All the recipes for the foods served are available on the World’s Healthiest Afternoon Tea website.
To highlight a few, the beetroot houmous and cucumber sandwiches proved to be a talking point, as did the cheese and butternut squash scones. The bite-size apricot tartlets and berry yoghurt parfaits were extremely popular and disappeared quickly.
Just when everyone thought they were done, a small square of the apple, date and walnut cake was a tasty final bite to be washed down with the last of the tea.
The foods on offer were designed to provide optimal nutrition whilst being small in size and easy to eat to encourage older adults to eat a variety of different foods in manageable quantities. This is an important consideration when planning an afternoon tea for the older generation.
The recipes are all straightforward and use fruits, vegetables, nuts, yoghurt, wholemeal flour, and bread to increase their nutritional profiles.
The garden was decorated with bunting and paper lanterns, and pretty plates, teacups, and napkins made the afternoon tea feel like a special occasion. All the guests were very interested in hearing about the Trust and its work in improving the quality of food for children living in poverty. All were extremely supportive of their aims and realised the importance of the work they do.
The chatter continued as the guests shared fascinating stories of their youth, local history and memories of life during the war. However, as with all good things, the afternoon had to come to an end, but all guests left smiling and complimentary of the food and company.
The Worlds Healthiest Afternoon Tea for older adults was a resounding success and provided us all with healthy nourishment for both body and soul whilst supporting the work of the Caroline Walker Trust.
Written by Emily Cleland.
© 2021 The Caroline Walker Trust
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