It’s fair to say that over my 30 something years I have eaten many an afternoon tea. I have enjoyed them around London, around the country and even overseas. There is something delightfully enjoyable about tiny sandwiches and cakes.

I remember being a teenager and afternoon tea was a treat, an indulgence. It was a rarity in my early life. Now, they are everywhere. Ranging in quality, price and theme. It seems like every hotel puts on their own variation of afternoon tea, throwing in novelty themes to fill the seats because apparently dainty sandwiches and scones just do not do it anymore. Saying that, gentlemen’s afternoon tea can be quite fun….

I do not want to get all snobby about afternoon tea, but on a recent trip to the Corinthia Hotel to enjoy their offering I was reminded of what a traditional afternoon tea was, the simplicity of it, the elegance. The Corinthia really does ooze elegance not only in its hotel but in its afternoon tea.

This visit was my first afternoon tea since going gluten-free 18 months ago so I was not quite sure what to expect on quality and choice, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was very little from the normal cake selection that we couldn’t have and they even brought us out substitutes.

The Corinthia Hotel afternoon tea, it was agreed by the party, was the most relaxed afternoon tea any of us have ever had. We were presented each section one at a time which I thought was a lovely touch, rather than being faced all at once with a great tower of goods. You could eat your way through each section at your own pace, and even go back for more sandwiches if you wanted ( at great glee to the men in attendance). The gluten-free sandwiches were all on lovely soft and firm white bread – no cotton wool concoction in sight – while the normal tea was on flavoured bread, but fillings all the same. The sandwiches were delicious. Lovely and fresh and flavoursome.

Next came the scones presented in a box  – very cute. The gluten-free versions were, well, ok. I am yet to find a decent gluten-free scone. They elude me. These were nice, but pretty dense. Fine once covered in jam and clotted cream.

The real delight came when a lovely waitress wheeled over the cake trolley! yes that’s right, a trolley of beautifully crafted patisserie. She carefully went through what was gluten-free and filled our stand with scrummy items. A short while later her colleague presented us with a couple more gluten free options from the kitchen.

Each little cake was full of flavour and beautifully made. It was almost a shame to eat them.

At no point did we ever feel rushed as we sat scoffing our faces while the piano was gracefully played behind us. Staff were friendly and welcoming.

This afternoon tea at the Corinthia hotel could quickly become my favourite.