How to put together your own fika, a Swedish version of afternoon tea

I’m having a little bit of a Royal Wedding hangover. I couldn’t get enough of Meghan and Harry and all of the pomp and circumstance, and was sad when it ended and I had to go back to my normal life of being a commoner. Which is why I love the idea of hosting a tea party of some kind right now. To change things up, consider a fika, a Swedish version of afternoon tea. In IKEA's UK stores back in May, when you were done picking up your Poäng chair and your Kallax shelves, you could pop into their cafe and soothe yourself with some lovely finger sandwiches, prawn and egg canapés, a slice of Daim cake, and a cup of hot coffee or oolong. But we don't need to wait for IKEA to bring this lovely ritual to the US; put on a tiara, don your fancy clothes, invite over your besties, and surprise them with something that veers just a bit from the traditional British cucumber-and-watercress on white. Top: Swedish Afternoon Tea | IKEA

Related: How to throw the perfect tea party. Because brunch is so 2016

Of course you might want to start with the tea. KOBBS is a favorite in Sweden, and you can find all sorts of flavors from the Made In Scandinavia shop. They're also available through a highly-rated ebay seller named scandinavian2013, which might be save you on shipping. So you have more money to spend on the good cinnamon for your cinnamon buns.   These Prawn and Egg Canapés from John Duxbury of SwedishFood.com look amazing and seem so simple to prepare. I love the idea of using quail eggs because how they fit perfectly on a cracker. Don't worry, he gives great tips on how to prepare them. (PS, quail eggs are the perfect size for kids’ lunches and bentos too!) I happen to love IKEA’s cinnamon buns, but I have to admit these Better Than IKEA Cinnamon Buns from The Sugar Hit grabbed me with the clever name -- and look pretty darn good. I think they’d make the perfect centerpiece for your at-home fika, or any other occasion. Like, Wednesday.   Sure, you can buy one from IKEA, but why not make this homemade Daim cake recipe from C&Z and have that heavenly smell of freshly-baked cake wafting through your house? Buy the Daim candies (caramel-almond-chocolate bits of heaven) from IKEA and pop this in the oven while you relax on your new Söderhamn couch. Really want to go full out fika? For more recipes and tips, check out: -Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall -Fika: 30 Classic Swedish Baking Recipes from Bite-size Cookies to Festive Cakes from IKEA -IKEA's Real Swedish Food Book all available from our affiliate Amazon or your local bookstore that has a decent international cookbook section.