I tried one of Sussex's most unique afternoon teas – it was almost too pretty to eat

After my experience trying iconic vegetarian restaurant Terre à Terre’s take on this most classic of British food offerings, I’m really not sure there is.

I’ve rarely met an afternoon tea I didn’t like. In my humble opinion you can’t go wrong with sandwiches and then copious amounts of cakes and scones washed down with endless cups of tea. It’s a winner on every level.

So what about when afternoon tea is given a creative twist, as is the case at award-winning Brighton eatery Terre à Terre?

The team at the restaurant, which has been serving customers from Sussex and beyond for over 30 years, invited me along during Afternoon Tea Week last week to find out.

Somehow, despite the fact I adore vegetarian food, I have never eaten at Terre à Terre. So I was pleasantly surprised when we walked inside from its central East Street location to see how spacious, bright and airy it is as it’s so much bigger than it looks from outside. It was renovated earlier this year, and I found the green and natural tones used in the décor to create a really relaxing vibe.

We were given a table right at the back of the restaurant, which opens right up onto a courtyard thanks to full-length bifold doors, giving us a really nice inside/outside vibe and a warm breeze on a beautiful summer’s day.

You can either order a vegetarian or a vegan afternoon tea (both £33 per person) both of which can be upgraded to include a glass of prosecco or pudding cocktail for £42 each.

My husband, daughter and I all plumped for the vegetarian option, which instead of the usual sandwiches comes with a savoury plate including a steamed rice bun stuffed with Szechuan marinated halloumi, kimchi Chinese cabbage, lapsang souchong pickled watermelon and cucumber and a miso chilli sauce.

Alongside this is Jaipur Jonny Brinjal, a hot and crispy coconut maize chaat-spiced fritter served on Bengal butter-baked aubergine and hot mango-lime chutney. It’s topped with coconut yoghurt and crunchy chilli-flaked coconut almond clusters.

It’s served with seaweed rice crackers and pickled vegetables.

Unlike traditional afternoon tea, the savoury plate is served first. And it has every right to be, as it’s pretty as a picture and very much deserves to have all of the limelight. Thankfully, it also tastes every bit as good as it looks. If I thought I was going to miss carb-heavy sandwiches, I was absolutely wrong, as this was the prefect start to my afternoon of eating. Fresh, vibrant, zesty and combining such a host of interesting flavours it was a complete delight. I could have eaten it five times over.

My son, who is seven, wasn’t sure if he would like or be able to manage the full afternoon tea, so the team kindly let him order a battered halloumi and chips dish from the children’s menu. He adored it, but also tried our savoury plates and was impressed!

Next up, the sweet tiers, which came on a traditional afternoon tea cake stand. But that’s where the similarity ended, as this was desserts, but elevated.

We had the stunningly presented orange and almond polenta cake served with a clementine sorbet (devine!) and pomegranate molasses, pink peppered meringue, orange gel, candied orange and caramel almond; then there was the rich and indulgent chocolate hazelnut truffle cake and praline served with a whipped dark chocolate mousse. This came with a cute mini brandy alexander milkshake (minus the alcohol for my daughter) and a razza jazza truffle. There was also a freshly baked sultana scone each served with vanilla strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Everything was elegant and everything tasted wonderful. I even had enough left over to take home and eat as a sneaky late-night snack, which was a real treat!

My son had churros and salted caramel sauce from the children’s menu, which he really enjoyed.

We all opted for Assam black tea to wash down our food, billed as one of the finest black teas on the market, and it was just the ticket. There is a good range of teas to choose from, so there’s something for every palate.

With stunning food and a warm and inviting atmosphere, it was hard to have anything but a really lovely afternoon.

And now I’ve experienced just a little of what Terre à Terre offers, I don’t think it’ll be long before I’m back to try more.

See https://terreaterre.co.uk/