High Tea with Common Threads

At the Accelerated School on South Main Street in Los Angeles, there is a branch of a fantastic cooking program called Common Threads. The LA program coordinator, Alicia Catelli is a friend of mine and she asked if I would teach the final class of this year's program. The classes educate kids about different world cuisines and culture. I chose Great Britain, surprised?! We chatted about the Union Jack, the rich soil and High Tea. Afternoon Tea is for the non working class taking place at 4 pm, where as High Tea is for those working a full day, taking place at 6 pm. I think we hit the middle mark and had a combination of Afternoon and High Tea. I was so impressed by the children's ability to follow direction and their ability to get in there and cook. We made a jazzed up version of a cucumber tea sandwich, with lemon poppy cream cheese spread, cucumbers, cheddar cheese and whole wheat bread. For our cream tea we made incredible blueberry scones with a hint of orange zest. The fragrance of the orange oils really woke up the kids to the possibilities of their usually discarded fruit peels! Whipped cream, macerated strawberries and chai tea topped of our Tea Time. I had such an incredible time with everyone and knowing that they walked away with a bit of a sugar kick and a smile on their face made it all worthwhile.

Tea Sandwiches

Simple and versatile, dress up cream cheese for a new sandwich spread.


1/4 pound unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 Tablespoons blue poppy seeds
One lemon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
One loaf of whole wheat bread
1/2 pound of thick cheddar cheese slices
2 English cucumbers

1. Cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add poppy seeds zest of one lemon.
4. Juice the lemon and add one Tablespoon of lemon juice to the spread.
5. Lay out the bread slices on a tray.
6. Spread an even layer of cream cheese mixture on each slice.
7. Slice the cucumber into 1/8th inch slices. Distribute in an even layer over half of the bread slices.
8. Lay cheddar cheese over the other half of the bread slices.
9. Sandwich together the cheese bread and the cucumber bread.
10. Cut each sandwich in half at an angle and then in half again at an angle.
Enjoy!