How To Host An Office Retirement Afternoon Tea On A Budget

An afternoon tea beats a warm-wine send-off in a meeting room, and it costs less. Schools and offices already have the kettle, the mugs and a room with a table.

The only things you actually need to buy are the food, one decoration and the card.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations. Glitter banners are a recommendation from elsewhere.

The food, and what travels

• Sandwiches cut small: egg and cress, cheese and pickle, ham and mustard. Made that morning, kept covered.
• Scones, jam and clotted cream - buy the scones, warm them for six minutes, nobody will ask.
• One proper cake as the centrepiece, sliced before people arrive so there's no queue.
• Mini sausage rolls for the people who don't want sandwiches.
• Grapes and strawberries to make the table look full for about GBP 4.

Doing it for under GBP 40

• Ask five people to bring one plate each and the cost disappears entirely.
• Supermarket party platters cost less than a bakery order and look the same once plated up.
• Use real mugs and plates from the staff room rather than buying paper ones.
• One decoration, hung well, beats a table full of cheap tat - a pre-strung gold banner behind the table does the whole job.
• Skip disposable teapots and stands; a tiered stand borrowed from someone's kitchen is free.

Making a staff room look like somewhere

• Clear everything off the surfaces first. That single step does more than any decoration.
• Push two tables together and cover them with a plain cloth or a roll of kraft paper.
• Hang one banner on the wall behind the food - it gives every photo a backdrop.
• A jug of flowers from the supermarket for GBP 5 and a few tealights if allowed.
• Face the seating towards the table, not the whiteboard.

The running order for a lunch hour

• 12.30 - food out, kettle on, music quietly in the background.
• 12.45 - everyone in, eat and chat. No speeches yet.
• 1.05 - one short speech, three minutes maximum, then the card and gift.
• 1.10 - their reply, if they want one, and the group photo while everyone's still there.
• 1.20 - cake boxed for anyone who missed it, room tidied.
• Speech help - Read the guide

Shop party decorations

How to write it so it lands

• Clear the surfaces before you decorate anything.
• One banner behind the food table.
• Speeches at the end, three minutes maximum.

Where to shop next

• Retirement cards
• Leaving cards
• Party supplies
• Bunting and banners
• Funny pin badges
• Retirement desk decorations
• Pub retirement party guide
• Funny retirement party ideas
• Village hall party decorations
• Leaving do ideas
• Retirement card messages
• Leaving card message for a colleague
• Retirement speech ideas
• Leaving do and retirement party games
• Retirement quotes
• Work colleague leaving gift
• Retirement party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What food do you serve at a retirement afternoon tea?

Small sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, one centrepiece cake sliced in advance, mini sausage rolls and fruit. All of it can be prepared that morning and kept covered.

How much does an office afternoon tea cost?

Around GBP 30 to 40 for 15 people using supermarket platters, or close to nothing if five colleagues each bring a plate.

How long should a retirement afternoon tea last?

A lunch hour. Food at 12.30, a three-minute speech around 1.05, photo, and tidied by 1.20.

How do you make a staff room look nice for a party?

Clear every surface, push two tables together with a plain cloth, hang one banner behind the food for the photos and add a GBP 5 jug of flowers.

Who pays for a retirement do at work?

Usually a whipround among the team, sometimes with a contribution from a department budget. Set a suggested amount so nobody feels awkward.

Do you sell retirement banners?

We make greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. We don't make the pre-strung glitter banners mentioned here - those are recommendations from elsewhere. The only things linked to our own shop are ours.