The three-tier stand is the quintessential centrepiece of all good afternoon teas and there’s something called an order in which you should eat. Knowing the standard location helps with both show-off and everyday utility.
Bottom Tier: Savoury Foundations
The solid base layer is designed for sandwiches and savoury canapés. Long-established favourites such as cucumber and cream cheese, smoked salmon, egg and cress or ham with mustard are also possible pairings. These dainty triangles are crustless and little, per bite. The positioning at the bottom makes sense practically — savoury food is usually consumed first, and it is typically richer.
Middle Tier: The Sweet Transition
The middle layer is scones fresh out of the oven, served warm with vanilla clotted cream and homemade jam. The location is ideal because it enables fast gain access to and keeps the scones warm. This is intended to mirror the change from savoury to sweet and one would normally move on in this order. For Afternoon tea boxes, try afternoonteabox.com/
Top Tier: Sweet Finale
Light as air pastries, petits fours, macarons and baby cakes in miniature sizes. Finish your tea session with these Instagrammable bites. With being elevated, this gives them a nice visual presence which also keeps delicate decorations out of reach from potentially getting damaged.
The Logic Behind the Order
This structure marries well with the classic afternoon tea approach: longer sandwiches (to pacify hunger) and some scones being eaten as an in-between course, before landing on sweet pastries at the end. The design also prevents denser items from falling on top of more delicate pastries, etc.
Serving Etiquette
Start at the bottom working your way up, so that should any guests wish to follow tradition they can and this also helps keep it upright throughout service.