Puddings

• Pudding holds a special place in Britain’s culinary heritage, far removed from the custard-like preparations commonly found in the U.S. Although several classic English puddings, such as black, Yorkshire and spotted dog, fall under the savory category, many widely known sweetened puddings – namely crème Anglais, summer, Devonshire and Chiboust – fit seamlessly into high tea. Crème Anglais is simply sweetened custard and scalded milk, Chiboust consists of pastry cream and meringue, and summer pudding, with its mélange of fresh, in-season berries, crusty bread and touch of sweetened cream, complete dinner and high tea equally well.
  
  

Tarts

• Tarts have a place in nearly all world cuisines, with the distinctly British versions Bakewell, custard and butter setting Old World standards for the medium-bodied confection. Bakewell tarts, perhaps the best-known British tart, uses a standard shell of flour and butter to hold a filling that usually contains almonds, jam, fine sugar and a touch of cream. Tarts are a fitting accompaniment to high tea for their taste, versatility and serving options. You can pour and bake a tart in a cup as small as 2-inches wide, making them and ideal midday dessert.
  
  

Pastries

• Pastries encompass numerous rich-dough-based preparations, but when pairing them with high tea, the lighter-the-better guideline applies – that is, an airy, light consistency works better than a stodgy, heavy one. High-tea pastries can be as simple as a golden puff pastry topped with a rich slathering of whole butter or jam, or a more complex strudel. Basic shortbread, however, has a soft texture and mildly sweet flavor perfect for high tea. Although shortbread only has a few ingredients – butter, sugar and flour – its taste plays well off most types of tea.
  
  

Biscuits

• English-style biscuits go well with high tea for several reasons, namely their crisp texture and size, which usually complements the tea without shadowing it. Like most types of confections, biscuits can be simple or complex in preparation. But, like pastries, biscuits with lighter consistencies work best with high tea. They also provide latitude in terms of flavor. Simply use a basic shortbread recipe as a base and add your ingredients of choice to taste.