Afternoon Tea with Fresh Figs and Sandwiches

With further assistance from Chris and Carolyn Caldicott, we've come up with two more delicious afternoon tea recipes to enjoy alongside our teas.

Fresh Filled Figs Fresh figs filled with soft goats cheese, honey and nuts make a lovely savoury and sweet combination.

First select the ripest figs you can find, trim the bottoms so they sit upright, then cut each one into quarters starting at the top and stopping a centimetre from the base. Prise the figs open and fill with a teaspoon of soft goats cheese, then trickle over a small spoon of clear honey, a shake of cracked black pepper and a few chopped walnuts.

Tea Pairing: Wuyi Oolong

A couple of quick canape-style open sandwiches...

Halloumi and Quince

For the first, cut thin slices of walnut bread into quarters, drizzle with olive oil then layer with rocket leaves, squares of griddled haloumi and quince paste (membrillo).

Aubergine and Tahini
Then spread slices of sourdough baguette with a little tahina, made by mixing light tahini with a squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and enough water to make a creamy consistency. Top with griddled aubergine slices, a little extra tahini, a few pomegranate seeds and finely chopped parsley.

Tea Paring: Oriental Beauty