Serving Guidelines for Afternoon Tea Platters

Your guide to the most enjoyable Afternoon Tea Platters

Afternoon tea is a lovely way to spend quality time with family and friends.

You can enjoy everything from smoked salmon sandwiches and sticky buns to jam scones and biscuits. After all, afternoon tea is the most fashionable and fun excuse to eat some delicious treats.

And choosing the right afternoon platter removes all the hassle.

Here are some quick serving guidelines to ensure your afternoon tea party goes off without a hitch.

What is afternoon tea?

Afternoon tea is simply any blend of teas, pastries and finger foods eaten in the afternoon.

It often includes delicate pastries, various sandwiches, scones and cakes.

The traditional English afternoon tea is traced back to the Victorian era when the Duchess of Bedford at the time decided that a mid-afternoon meal was the best way to satisfy her cravings and entertain guests.

These not-so-humble beginnings have inspired similar style afternoon gatherings for centuries. These traditional events feature some variation of our Finger Sandwich Platter, an enduring favourite at any afternoon tea party.

This is often paired with a sweet option like our Mini Boutique Cake Collection, a classy choice with plenty of variety.

There are also many more modern twists on what afternoon tea platters should look like.

For example, our Gourmet Pie and Sausage Roll Platter has noticed a surge in popularity as an afternoon tea favourite.

Afternoon tea means different things to different people but the most important thing is choosing a platter that’s perfect for you.

What makes a great afternoon platter?

A truly great food platter should have something to excite everyone.

Take our Charcuterie & Artisanal Cheese Grazing Platter. This ever-popular platter is practically bursting with new flavours and fresh tastes.

All three of the deliciously different cracker types pair well with any of the artisan cheeses or sliced cured meats. The rule of threes is a common theme when serving afternoon tea as it helps to balance out the spread.

The Muffin Platter is another delicious example, featuring spiced apple, chocolate and raspberry and blueberry muffins to choose from.

An assortment of exciting flavours is what elevates your afternoon platter to greatness.

After all afternoon tea is less about chowing down on a meal and more about trying, tasting and enjoying tasty foods.

Afternoon Platters for Dietary Requirements

It’s important that your afternoon tea platter is something that can be enjoyed by all your guests.

Luckily, it’s easier than ever to find equally as scrumptious alternatives for people with dietary requirements.

Our Gourmet Vegan & Gluten Free Bites Platter is a positively mouth-watering option for your vegan and gluten-free guests.

If a snack simply doesn’t sound like enough, then another crowd-pleaser is our Chickpea Falafel Slider Platter. This vegetarian option is a more filling choice and ideal for anyone looking to extend their afternoon event into the evening.

Those looking for something a little sweeter will love our Brownie Platter. It’s another unmissable gluten-free afternoon tea platter, this time boasting three delicious brownie flavours.

Sweet Treat Afternoon Tea Platters

Tastefully sweet treats for afternoon tea are an excellent choice.

Picture the classic three-tiered dessert tray, brimming with buttered scones, soft sponge cakes and meringue tarts.

When it comes to dessert options, nothing beats our Classic Pastry Platter. The timeless assortment includes mini muffins, danishes and features flavoursome combos like raspberry, dark chocolate and white chocolate drizzle.

This mouth-watering spread is often paired with our ever-popular Sweet Treat Platter.

This truly delicious collection of your favourite treats boasts brownies, muffins, doughnuts and tarts. It’s a popular platter for book clubs and any afternoon event where you can enjoy some sweet and classy treats.

If you’re putting together something a little less fancy then our Mixed Lollie Party Platter is another great afternoon platter.

This assortment of lollies, chocolates and Oreo biscuits will make you an instant hero at any kid’s party.

Kick your afternoon event off with sweet treats your guests are guaranteed to love.

Best Savoury Afternoon Tea Platters

A savoury flourish to your afternoon tea is an absolute must. Traditionally, this is in the form of sandwiches and scones but has grown to include a whole range of exceptional foods.

If you’re looking to impress on a budget, then our Savoury Parcel Platter is an absolutely mouth-watering platter at a great price.

Our Mediterranean Mezze Grazing Platter is ideal for nibbling and experiencing a variety of classic flavours. If you’re looking to stand or move a little more, then these appetizing grazing foods are perfect for you.

However, the ultimate platter for any afternoon tea celebration is our Mini Quiche Platter. The cheese lends a smooth and creamy richness to the buttery flaky pie crust that will melt in your mouth.

This incredibly popular finger food may have originated in France but it has since become an afternoon tea favourite right across the world.

Tasteful Twists on a Traditional Afternoon Tea

There’s much to love about a traditional afternoon tea. The classic jam scones, Victorian sponge cakes and finger sandwiches make a lovely picturesque spread.

However, there are so many other flavours to explore with a more modern take on afternoon tea - like our incredibly impressive Deluxe Seafood Platter.

Enjoy the very best the ocean has to offer, topped off with three tasty sauces.

Fresh lobster, oysters, prawns and Balmain bugs aren’t exactly a traditional afternoon meal but they sure are delicious and set the fun vibe.

Our Salmon Sushi Platter is an amazing option for all the sushi lovers out there. But tell your guests to get in quick because this popular platter rarely leaves leftovers.

And perhaps the most daring and delicious option of them all - our Signature Bao Bun Platter. It features outrageously tasteful combos like chill beef banh mi with lemongrass, cucumbers, pickles and sriracha mayo.

Any of these renowned afternoon tea platters is guaranteed to excite and impress your guests.

Start Serving Up a Delightful Afternoon Tea

The best way to dazzle your guests is with Sydney and Melbourne’s most delicious afternoon tea platters.

Impress for less with the dozens of classy afternoon platters available from Catering Project.

Order today and receive next-day delivery on any of our exciting afternoon platters!

 

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Cassidy H 30/03/2026

Amazing experience! Second time using the catering project for a work function- such gorgeous food and the service is TOP TIER Thankyou!

Elsis Morejon 27/03/2026

The plated sit down package was so delicious! CP looked after dietary needs of my guests, Chef finalised the plating in our kitchen, waiter was excellent and they cleaned up afterwards! It made our experience quite memorable. We host for our stakeholders every year. Always exceptional food. Thank you CP Team!

Andrew Lim 26/03/2026

For corporate or event catering in Sydney, CP offer reliable delivery, excellent presentation, and good dietary flexibility. Pricing sits on the higher end but the quality justifies it. Worth a call.

Gavin Jones 26/03/2026

In a world of generic party platters, this catering is a total game-changer. I recently used them for a gathering and was blown away by the balance of whimsy and high-end culinary execution. The hot cross buns were pillowy and perfectly spiced, but the real showstopper was the presentation—it felt less like a 'delivery' and more like a curated Easter garden on my table. If you want to actually enjoy your own party instead of sweating in the kitchen, this is the gold standard.

Wendy Smith 26/03/2026

Highly recommended - catering ALWAYS on time, even to Sydney CBD, hot insulated packs supplied for hot food. And always high quality. Treats are so special.

Christine Marsden 25/03/2026

Reliable, predictable and on time. You couldn't want more from a caterer. Especially as they also cater for dietary requirements perfectly.

Candice K CandiceK 25/03/2026

I’ve been to my fair share of office events where the highlight is… leaving early. Not this time. Catering Project Sydney completely raised the bar. The food was next-level—fresh, beautifully presented, and dangerously easy to keep going back for “just one more” (I lost count around five). And the service? Seamless. The team made everything feel effortless, like they’d quietly mastered the art of being everywhere at once without ever being intrusive. If this is office catering now, I suddenly have a lot more enthusiasm for work events.

Sandy Bruns 25/03/2026

We had a school reunion event and the catering Project boxes were perfect! We were able to put them out straight on the table without having to transfer them onto to our own platters, which made it so easy and they looked and tasted beautiful

Eva N 25/03/2026

Paulina Wade 25/03/2026

Delicious and well-presented food, and they have many options to choose from. The only issue is that they brought our order a little over an hour early. Since we work on a university campus, we were on the opposite side of campus and had to stop working early to get to the location of our meeting. Better early than late, though. Would recommend to anyone.

Pickle Patricia 14/03/2026

Food was absolutely delicious, service and delivery was great. Only thing important to note is the cost is huge for the amount of food you get. $600 for two sandwich platters, one kids ham and cheese platter, sushi and fruit platter. The quantity in each platter is quite small for what you pay. Just something to note if you wish to order!

Julian Lonsdale 17/08/2025

Catering Project is outstanding! Their service is super reliable, friendly, and professional. The team goes above and beyond to make every event seamless and help with getting things right and done at times with a vety short turn around time! Their catering options are excellent - delicious, beautifully presented, and perfectly tailored. I couldn’t recommend them more highly. Thanks Bianca!

Leigh Smith 08/07/2025

Used your company for our NAIDOC morning tea, ordering and delivery was easy and efficient and on time! Plus the food was a hit with all of the staff - so delicious!!

Elise Argent 08/07/2025

We often work with Catering Project Sydney for our corporate catering requirements, and they are fantastic! The food is consistently delicious, fresh, and beautifully presented. The team are friendly, professional, and made the ordering process so easy. Their extra support for our Biggest Morning Tea event helped make our event a huge success and boosted our fundraising efforts. Highly recommend for any event!

erinxeats 15/06/2025

Beautiful set of assorted mini Donuts!

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