I tried the afternoon tea at The Grand in Brighton

Designed by executive head chef Neil Gooding, the afternoon tea offers three tiers of sweet and savoury bites, a choice of tea from the hotel’s bespoke selection and a slice of its cakes served from a cake trolley.

A delicious glass of prosecco and excellent cup of coffee was brought to my seaside facing table in the Brighton hotel’s Victoria terrace and lounge.

Soon the tower of cakes and sandwiches was brought over, and I started off with the freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve.

The tower of treats at The Grand's afternoon tea (Image: The Argus)

The scones were as light as air and I enjoyed the addition of the cherry and coconut scone, which provided a slight elevation to the afternoon tea classic.

Three freshly made sandwiches were up next and I was slightly disappointed.

The bread was dry and the chicken sandwich with tarragon mayonnaise was reminiscent of a Tesco meal deal sandwich, although the salmon sandwich and the cheddar and spiced apple chutney sandwiches were good.

For the mini cakes and pastries, I had the meringue tart with lime and passionfruit curd, which was tangy, sweet and melted in the mouth.

The choux craquelin with chocolate cream, caramel and pecan had subtle nutty flavours and was a good palate cleanser.

The sweet selection (Image: The Argus)

And the macaron was perfect with subtle hints of coffee.

However, as someone who does not like custard tarts, The Grand’s raspberry offering was a no-go for me.

My favourite part of the tea, apart from the scones, was the rich and well-seasoned pork and leek sausage roll, closely followed by the caramelised red onion and goat’s cheese quiche, which were part of the savoury selection.

They were also joined by a prawn Marie rose vol-au-vent which was probably my least favourite after the tart as it just tasted like a Walkers prawn cocktail crisp.

Staff were attentive, but not too attentive, and the terrace provided a calming and elegant space to enjoy the experience.

Sandwiches and pastries (Image: The Argus)

Overall, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and a great option to mark a special occasion or treat a loved one.

The Grand’s afternoon tea is £38 per person and served daily at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.

Vegans and people who are gluten intolerant are also catered for with different menus.

And customers can upgrade their cream tea to include Moet, a glass of Ridgeview Cavendish, Chambord spritz or a Brighton G&T.