Springtime afternoon tea

The menu

• Starters & nibbles

  Parmesan shortbreads

• Light meals & snacks

  Tea sandwiches

• Cakes and baking

  Madeleines

• Cakes and baking

  Jam-filled butter biscuits (sables)

• Desserts

  Chocolate profiteroles

• Drinks and cocktails

  Homemade lemonade

Menu ingredients

Serves 8-10

• Fruit and vegetables

  • ½ lemon, juice only

  • 1 apple, core removed, chopped into small pieces

  • ¼ cucumber, finely sliced

  • ½ bunch mint, chopped

  • ¼ bunch flatleaf parsley, chopped

  • ½ red onion, finely chopped

  • small punnet cress

  • 1 lemon, juice and zest

  • 1 orange, zest only

  • 100g/3½ oz fruit sugar

  • 4 lemons, preferably Sicilian, juice only

• Tins, packets and jars

  • 150g/5½oz plain flour

  • 1 tbsp capers, drained, finely chopped

  • 3-4 tbsp mayonnaise

  • 1 tbsp capers, drained, finely chopped

  • 100g/3½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

  • 250g/9oz plain flour

  • 4 tbsp apricot jam

  • 115g/4oz plain flour

• Cooking ingredients

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 100g/3½oz caster sugar

  • ¾ tsp baking powder

  • 100g/3½oz icing sugar

  • pinch of salt

  • 4 tsp caster sugar

  • pinch salt

  • 80g/3oz caster sugar

• Biscuits, snacks and sweets

  • 200g/7oz good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

• Dairy, eggs and chilled

  • 75g/2¾oz parmesan (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated

  • 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 free-range egg yolk

  • 200g/7oz cream cheese

  • 150g/5½oz cream cheese

  • 4 free-range eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, chopped

  • 8 slices bread, lightly buttered

  • 2 free-range eggs

  • 100g/3½oz butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing

  • 200g/7oz butter, cut into small cubes

  • 2 free-range egg yolks

  • 85g/3oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

  • 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten

  • 600ml/1 pint double cream

• Meat, fish and poultry

  • 8 slices smoked salmon

• Other

  • 1 thin baguette, halved horizontally and lightly buttered

  • 8 slices wholemeal bread, lightly buttered

  • 4 tbsp raspberry jam

  • 200ml/7fl oz cold water

  • 100ml/3½fl oz water

  • ice

  • about 1 litre/15¼fl oz sparkling mineral water