The best afternoon cream tea recipes to spoil your mum with
The perfect excuse to drink tea and eat lots of cake.
Mother’s Day is the perfect excuse to slow down, gather around the table and indulge in one of Britain’s most beloved traditions: a proper cream tea. There’s something undeniably special about warm, freshly baked scones served with clotted cream and jam, alongside a pot of tea and a few sweet treats on the side. It feels celebratory without being over the top, making it ideal for a relaxed afternoon at home.
A cream tea can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. At its heart are the essentials — soft, fluffy scones, good jam and thick clotted cream — but you can easily elevate the spread with a few extra bakes or savoury bites. Think delicate finger sandwiches, mini cakes or a traybake cut into neat squares for easy sharing.
In this collection, you’ll find our best cream tea recipes, from classic scones to creative twists that are perfect for treating mum this Mother’s Day. Whether you’re baking from scratch or planning a full afternoon tea spread, these recipes will help you create a truly memorable treat. And if you're still searching for the perfect gift, our shopping team have found the best gifts for her, or why not try a foodie gift instead?
3-Ingredient Apple Tarts
So delicious and impressive, your guests will never know you took shortcuts! These taste great with a ball of vanilla ice cream or some pouring cream.
Recipe: Three-ingredient apple tarts
Coconut Macaroons
These naturally gluten-free, chewy treats are wonderful with a cup of tea. Make sure your chocolate is gluten-free, if needed.
Recipe: Coconut Macaroons
Rhubarb and Custard Éclairs
A twist on the classic rhubarb and custard boiled sweets but perfect for afternoon tea.
Recipe: Rhubarb and Custard Éclairs
No-Roll Sausage Rolls
Our easiest sausage roll recipe ever! And it requires no rolling. Plus, they look awesome.
Recipe: No-Roll Sausage Rolls
Hazelnut Babka
You'll never believe that this babka only uses 3-ingredients - but it does! And it tastes bloomin' delicious with a cuppa.
Recipe: Hazelnut Babka
Herby Devilled Eggs
If you’ve never tried a devilled egg before, now’s the time to embrace this retro classic. We’ve given 2 garnish options - a bacon shard and cheese crisp. Use either, both, or simply finish the eggs with a sprinkle of herbs and paprika instead.
Recipe: Herby Devilled Eggs
Lox Brioche Rolls
A speedy pickled cucumber adds freshness to this classic combination. Use sliced white bread, if you prefer.
Recipe: Lox Brioche Rolls
3-Ingredient Chocolate Cheesecake
Crushed Oreos, cream cheese and tinned cherries are all you need for this easy recipe.
Sultana Scones
For the softest scones, handle the dough as lightly as you can.
Recipe: Sultana scones
Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
These yummy chocolate cupcakes are simple to make and only take 35 minutes
Recipe: Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Coffee and Walnut Cake
We gave this classic combination a flavourful twist with ground cafetière coffee and icing in the cake mixture
Recipe: Coffee and Walnut Cake
Honey and Orange Madeleines
Delicate sponges with a real orange kick. What could be better?
Recipe: Honey and orange madeleines
Lemon Poppyseed Cake
Made with yogurt, this failsafe Lemon and poppyseed bake is easy to master and a true classic.
Recipe: Lemon poppyseed cake
Classic Custard Creams
These biscuits frequently top polls of the nation’s favourites.
Recipe: Classic custard cream
Strawberry and Cream Jelly
Reminiscent of childhood, a tower of wobbling jelly is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
The classic cucumber sandwich is a must for afternoon tea
Recipe: Cucumber finger sandwiches
Victoria Sponge
Fluffy, light and befitting a Royal buffet – the Victoria sponge is one of Britain’s best-loved cakes.
Recipe: The perfect The perfect Victoria sponge
Strawberry Tart
No tea party would be complete without a scrumptious strawberry tart as the centrepiece.
Recipe: Strawberry tart
Marmalade Bundt Cake
This is a great way of using marmalade - much tastier than spreading it on toast!
Recipe: Marmalade bundt cake
Lemon and Thyme Loaves
These little loaves are reminiscent of lemon drizzle cake, and the addition of courgette and thyme gives them even more character.
Recipe: Little lemon and thyme loaves
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
M&S turns its viral malt balls into new drinks
M&S drops its best-ever Family Feast Dine In Deal today for 'Roast Dinner Day' and it generously feeds four for £20
Bombay potato hash recipe
Lasagne gets an East African makeover with warming spices and creamy coconut
This supermarket Christmas cake came second in our taste test – and costs 73% less than our winner
M&S launch Black Forest-inspired mince pies
Every recipe is a banger: 10 Bonfire Night ready recipes that will start 5 November off with a bang
Don’t waste that leftover pumpkin – make this practically no-stir autumn risotto recipe instead
