How To Throw The Perfect High Tea For Mum This Mother’s Day

Want to host the mother of all Mother’s Days? Then it’s time to turn the tables, chase her out of the kitchen and create a homemade Mother’s Day gift that’s fit for a queen – a fancy high tea at home! To get this soiree sorted, you’ll need the savviest small appliances – think speedy air fryers, big-bowl stand mixers and the latest kettles and coffee machines – to deliver a mouth-watering menu.

A high tea is easy to stage and simple to cater, and is a sweet idea for a happy Mother’s Day event the whole family can enjoy.

Want more Mother’s Day gift ideas? Check out our bumper Mother’s Day Gift Guide

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When Is Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day 2024 in Australia is Sunday, May 12. Save the date and allow time to get those high tea invitations out to family, friends and Mum (aka the guest of honour).

Set The Scene… And The Table!

A traditional high tea features sweet and savoury nibbles, plus a beverage or two – anything from champagne to camomile tea. Lay the table with matching plates or dust off Grandma’s favourite old china. Raid the garden for a floral centrepiece and queue up a playlist of Mum's favourite tracks on a portable speaker.

How To Plan Your High Tea Menu

No need to divvy up the dishes to spread the load. With the latest labour-saving small appliances, you can easily fly solo and get all the kudos for serving up delicious Mother’s Day recipe ideas.

Air-fryer devotees will know that the cult appliance is all about speed, which means you can whip up sweet or savoury bites in no time at all. A pie maker is another must-have for high tea prep. Not just for savoury fillings, pie makers also work wonders with sweet apple, custard or berry centres for a divine high tea offering.

Shop Small Appliances

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Dried RoseSunbeam Pie Maker 4 CupDeLonghi La Specialista Arte Manual Coffee MachineNinja Ninja Foodi Max XXXL Dual Zone 9.5L Air Fryer

Upgrade Your Oven For Bigger Bake-Offs!

Building or renovating? Incorporating a larger-capacity oven or double oven in your kitchen design can be a genius move if you’re a keen entertainer. These supersized appliances can really pay off when catering big family gatherings like Mother’s Day. Want to bake sausage rolls and madeleines at the same time? It’s easy with a double oven that lets you set separate cooking temperatures.

“Next-gen ovens take the guesswork out of baking with features like temperature probes to help you keep cakes from overcooking or drying out, and auto-start timers that deliver desserts hot from the oven just as you need them,” says Tania Grillinzoni, The Good Guys Buyer – Cooking and Dishwashers.

“Next-gen ovens take the guesswork out of baking with features like temperature probes to help you keep cakes from overcooking or drying out, and auto-start timers that deliver hot desserts just as you need them.”

Shop Large And Double Ovens

Smeg Portofino 90cm Dual Fuel Upright Cooker YellowHaier 90cm Multifunction Oven BlackWestinghouse 60cm Pyrolytic Double Oven

Tea Is Key At A High Tea!

Pick up a kettle or urn that can keep the heat for bottomless cups. If a caffeinated heart-starter is more Mum’s style, making a quality coffee with a velvety crema isn't hard with the right coffee machine. Your mum might prefer a tipple with her high tea – if so, blend a cocktail or 10, or forget the booze and make it mocktail hour.

Shop Kettles

Smeg Pastel Blue Variable Temperature KettleRussell Hobbs Addison Digital KettleDe'Longhi Distina Perla Kettle - Rose

Recipe: Air-Fried Churros With Cinnamon Sugar

Doughnut-style churros made in Breville’s The Smart Oven Air Fryer is a classic, and the elegant sugared sticks pair perfectly with other high tea treats. Recipe by Breville.

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Makes: 15

Ingredients

• 240ml water

• 15g unsalted butter

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 130g plain flour

• 1 egg

• Non-stick spray oil

For the coating:

• 55g unsalted butter, melted

• 100g caster sugar

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Combine the water, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined, with no streaks of flour remaining.

2. Transfer the dough mix to the bowl of a Breville stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until cooled slightly, for about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg. Once the egg is incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat, 10–12 minutes or until the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch.

3. Pre-heat the Breville The Smart Oven Air Fryer. Select AIRFRY/SUPER CONVECTION / 175°C/25 mins and press start.

4. Spray the air fry basket with non-stick spray oil. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 5mm closed star pastry tip. Pipe 5cm lengths of dough onto the air fry basket, using scissors to snip dough at the tip. Bake for 25 minutes or until the churros are brown and crisp on the outside.

5. To coat, place the melted butter in a medium bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a second medium bowl. Toss the warm churros in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately with chocolate sauce or dulce de leche for dipping.

Recipe: Lavender Scones

Culinary lavender adds a delicate perfume to a high tea classic created in the Smeg 50s Retro Style Mixer, while the buttermilk bakes to a tender crumb. Recipe thanks to Smeg chef Elke Travers.

Prep time: 15 minCook time: 15 minsMakes: 24 scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups (450g) flour

• 1/3 cup (80g) sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp culinary lavender

• 150g butter, grated

• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Method

1. Set oven to fan forced and preheat to 200⁰C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and lavender in the bowl of a Smeg 50s Retro Style Mixer with the flex-edge beater attached. Add grated butter and mix at low speed until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pour over buttermilk and continue to mix at low speed until the dough comes together.

3. Turn dough out on a work surface, shape into a ball and roll out to 1.5cm thickness. Cut circles using a round, floured cutter, place on prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, filled with jam and whipped cream or mascarpone.

Recipe: Asparagus Thyme Quiche  

A savoury recipe from our friends at KitchenAid, this quiche is packed with flavour and perfect to slice into finger-sized nibbles. Make ahead using your KitchenAid stand mixer and serve warm or cold.

Prep and cook time: 3 hours

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 360g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 225g unsalted butter, cold and cubed

• 100 ml ice water (more if needed)

• 1 bunch whole asparagus spears, ends trimmed

• 350 ml cream

• 125 ml whole milk

• 6 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 4 tbsp sliced green chives, plus 5 whole sprigs to garnish

• 2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 65g finely shredded cheddar cheese

• 30g finely grated parmesan

• Cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C and make sure there is a rack at the bottom of your oven.

2. To prepare the dough, add flour and salt to the bowl of your KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer with pastry beater attached. Mix for just a few seconds to distribute the salt. Add the butter to the flour and turn on stand mixer to speed 7. When mixture resembles coarse meal, gradually add ice water while continuing to mix. The mixture should hold together easily when pressed. If not, you can add 1 extra tablespoon of water at a time until it holds better.

3. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface or a large sheet of plastic wrap and gather into a rough 12cm x 18cm rectangle. Press to flatten. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 5 days.

4. Spray a steel or aluminium quarter sheet pan with cooking spray, line with parchment and spray that too. Set aside.

5. Roll out the chilled dough into a 25cm x 35cm rectangle on top of a lightly floured piece of baking paper. Use a long knife to slide under the dough if it sticks to the paper too much. Using the paper to lift, slide the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the dough with your fingertips to fill up the sides of the pan and above the lip by at least 6mm. If any cracking occurs, just use your fingertips to press back together. This dough is forgiving. You can trim dough off sections where it's too generous and push it into spots that need more. Flute and push edges out so they rest on the lip of the pan. This ensures the crust is deep enough for filling and won’t slide down when baked. The finished crust should look crumbly and rustic. Prick all over with the tines of a fork and set in freezer for 20 minutes.

6. Line frozen crust snugly with foil and add pie weights to the lip of the pan (beans or rice work well). Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust edge is lightly golden brown. Remove pie weights and foil and cook 5 minutes more. Set aside to cool.

7. To prepare filling, boil water in a large stock pot. Add asparagus and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and transfer to an ice bath. When asparagus has cooled, remove from the water and lay on paper towels to dry completely.

8. Add cream and milk into the bowl of your stand mixer with whip attachment. Add eggs one at a time while whisking on speed 1. Add sliced chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix just to blend.

9. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Take half the asparagus spears and lay lengthwise onto the crust and cheese. Pour filling into crust. Take the other half of the asparagus and create another layer widthwise on top of the filling. Add whole chives to the surface.

10. Lower the oven temperature to 200°C and bake quiche on the bottom rack for approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until a small knife plunged into the centre of the egg custard comes out clean.

If you’re looking for the best Mother’s Day gift to make your mum happy, then a high tea at home ticks all the boxes. You’ll need smart small appliances, a big oven and a range of beverage makers for tea or tipples. Visit The Good Guys in-store or online and spoil Mum this Mother’s Day.