1.  Teas
Earl Grey, Darjeeling, and English Breakfast are seen as the traditional choices for Afternoon Tea. Herbal teas with digestive properties such as peppermint and turmeric are the perfect end to Afternoon Tea, and as with other varieties, it’s important to check their correct temperature point – some teas are better served at 85 degrees than 100.

2.  Sandwiches
Smoked salmon with cream cheese, cucumber, and egg mayonnaise with cress are the holy trinity when it comes to the sandwiches of Afternoon Tea. Want meat options? Ham and mustard, coronation chicken and prawn and mayonnaise are classic options with flavor. When not using, keep a damp paper towel over your exposed bread length to keep it from drying out. And remember to cut the crusts off at the last possible moment to keep your sandwiches – which should be no more or less than 2 fingers thick – as moist as possible.

3.  Scones
Tea-infused scones are gaining popularity and cheese scones have always had their champions, but a plain scone can be enjoyed with both sweet and savory spreads and compliments all other parts of the Afternoon Tea, making it simply essential. For beautifully flaky scones make sure you use very cold ingredients– cold butter, cold cream, cold eggs. If you can’t use buttermilk, simply add a squeeze of lemon juice to your regular milk and you’ll enjoy the same boost it gives to the raising agents. And never overwork your dough.
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4.  Cakes and Pastries
This is the area that can really make or break your Afternoon Tea. So, play it safe with Victoria sponge, Bakewell tart, carrot cake and Battenberg or go for all out decadence with chocolate eclairs, raspberry Millefeuilles, and Creme Brulée tarts. For the lightest, fluffiest sponge, make sure you use cake flour and sift into the bowl from a height – ensuring all those air bubbles are incorporated into your mixture. With eclairs, chop the butter into even sized pieces before you start so that it melts quickly without too much water evaporating. 5-10 minutes before your cooking time you’ll want to remove your eclairs from the oven and pierce the pastry with a knife before returning them to the oven. This is to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom (and top and sides for that matter).
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5.  Jams & Spreads
Go with the fab 5 when it comes to spreads and you can’t fail – clotted cream, lemon curd, strawberry jam, marmalade and honey. Something for everyone. Butter goes without saying. Marmalade is essential if you’re serving fruit scones because the tang both balances and compliments their sweetness. While there’s been huge debate over whether cream or jam should be spread onto a scone first, we suggest recommending jam first and then cream. Cream works best in a dollop on top – the finishing touch.

https://erudus.com/editorial/the-food-agenda/the-perfect-afternoon-tea-menu