Review of afternoon tea at South Lodge: "hard to beat and oh-so very joyous to eat"

Afternoon tea at South Lodge in West Sussex - credit South Lodge

As a relatively light eater, I’m a big fan of afternoon tea, writes Nick Mosley.

What’s not to love about lots of tasty little finger sandwiches and rolls, fancy cakes and those all-important scones slathered in clotted cream and jam?

Anecdotally afternoon tea is generally attributed to Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who in the 1840s apparently became peckish between lunch and the increasingly late dinners fashionable at the time. Tea, bread, butter and cake were brought in to fill the gap and the idea soon caught on with the upper classes. Before long, a simple afternoon snack had become a social occasion involving increasingly elaborate displays of food. And we’ve been using it as an excuse to eat tiny sandwiches and perhaps rather too much cake ever since.

For me, the problem is that not all afternoon teas are created equal, and I should know because I’ve – ahem – sampled a lot.

The ones I’ve found of any real note in Brighton recently have been at my perennial dining favourite Terre à Terre in East Street and at master pâtissier Julien Plumart’s unfailingly wonderful café in Queens Road. My favourite afternoon tea in Sussex has always been at The Grand in Eastbourne, where the pastry team make everything themselves every day. The five star hotel’s historic lounges certainly add to the sense of occasion too.

The common denominator is that the good stuff has to be made properly from scratch. I’m pretty sure some of the afternoon teas served in most if not all of Brighton’s seafront hotels are, shall we say, a little more “bought in”. Perhaps more Makro than macaron?

So I was intrigued to find myself at South Lodge, near Horsham – one of, if not the, most luxurious of Sussex’s five-star hotels – for a midweek afternoon treat in September.

Quality dining is very much at the heart of South Lodge, with multiple options ranging from chef Ben Wilkinson’s Michelin-starred The Pass and its very accomplished tasting menus, to the unbelievably well-priced Botanica, where I increasingly find myself becoming a regular.

The Camellia lounge at South Lodge in West Sussex - credit South Lodge

Then there’s the three AA rosette Camellia. It could be considered the hotel’s main dining room, but is destination dining in its own right and has reached heady new heights of à la carte dining under head chef Josh Mann over the past few years.

We arrived early because it was yet another impossibly warm and sunny September day in this year's never-ending summer and I really wanted to soak in the Sussex countryside. I also enjoy wandering around South Lodge’s beautiful grounds, pretending for a few minutes that I am Lord of the Manor. We can all dream. Toodle-pip and all that.

With sufficient walking calories hopefully burned, we headed into Camellia and settled at a window table overlooking the terrace.

There are ten carefully considered, crafted and hand-blended teas to choose from. Jasmine for me –  as I’m a delicate soul – and for my partner, Ron, a twist on Earl Grey 'with a jug of milk'. I’ll say no more on the latter.

The South Lodge afternoon tea savoury selection very much sets the scene. Sandwiches of truffle egg mayonnaise with pickled cucumber, Sussex wine-cured salmon with elderflower-compressed grapes and dill crème fraîche, and – hoorah – coronation chicken with golden raisins. Ron loved the savoury pastries – a sausage roll with grape chutney, and a Sussex cheddar gougère paired with smoked bacon crumb and grape and onion chutney.

It’s a lovely mixture of familiar afternoon tea territory and ingredients that remind you that you’re somewhere with provenance and genuine culinary ambition.

Jam and cream or cream and jam? Afternoon tea scones at South Lodge in West Sussex

And so to the all-important scones. Plain and golden raisin, freshly baked in-house every day, and served with lashings of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Again, I was with my Dutch partner, who has a pretty good grasp of what they call “high tea” in the Netherlands, although I’m not sure he initially understood some of the finer points of British afternoon tea etiquette – and I’m not talking about sticking your pinky out when you sip from a fine bone china cup.

Things rapidly descended into an eyelid-twitching crisis when he split open his scone and – shudder – put the cream on before the jam. Now, I’m not saying the Devonian method is wrong, but the Cornish way – jam first, followed by cream – just seems right to me. Five years into our relationship, I’m now beginning to wonder what other secrets he’s hiding.

Moving swiftly on, it’s the patisserie selection where South Lodge really shines. There’s a dark chocolate and blackcurrant sablé with lavender whipped ganache, a raspberry and rose choux bun with lychee and raspberry jam and raspberry crème pâtissière, plus a cherry Bakewell tart with more lavender ganache. Finally, there’s a strawberry and elderflower gateau with basil whipped ganache – it was very much the icing on the proverbial cake.

The patisserie is undoubtably beautifully crafted, but thankfully the flavour also matches the appearance. This is properly made patisserie, with contrasting textures and flavours. So often the pastry section of a kitchen plays second fiddle, but this afternoon tea really demonstrates the undeniable talent behind the cakes and breads that can so easily be taken for granted.

The standard afternoon tea is £49.50 per person, with English sparkling wine available by the glass if you fancy adding a little fizz. Dietary requirements are happily catered but as always let them know in advance.

We don’t eat afternoon tea every day – as much as I’d like to – so I think it shouldn’t just feel special, but actually be special. From the food and tea selection through to the ambience and impeccably friendly yet professional service, afternoon tea at South Lodge is hard to beat and oh-so very joyous to eat.

South Lodge, Brighton Road, Lower Beading, near Horsham, West Sussex RH13 6PS

01403 891 711 • www.exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge/