We tried Afternoon Tea on the Marina at Boat House in Chichester – and loved the waterside setting

There is a relaxed vibe at Boat House, which has a separate café and restaurant at Chichester Marina, and beautiful views across the water.

We were welcomed into the restaurant and shown to a booth table in the dog-free area. A choice of Birchall tea or Mozzo coffee was immediately offered and I plumped for Earl Grey, which is available unlimited with the afternoon tea. We also accepted the offer of a glass of prosecco, which is £5 with afternoon tea.

We enjoyed looking out over the water from our quiet corner of the restaurant but we did not have long to wait before a three-tiered stand of goodies arrived.

Afternoon Tea on the Marina is priced at £22.50 per person, with a mix of sweet and savoury treats to tuck into.

There were three sandwiches, Old Winchester cheese with Caramelised Onion Chutney, Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese and Dill, and Harissa Chicken Mayonnaise. All were fat and well filled. My favourite was the cheese - the chutney was delicious.

Also on the savoury plate was a slice of Pork & Sage Sausage Roll with a drop of Mustard Mayonnaise on top. This was really meaty with a rich flavour and it was a generous slice, too.

What next? Scones or cakes? We were given both plain and fruit scones, so I decided to have one scone, then the cakes, then the other scone.

There were three sweet treats, Orange & Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Bar, Red Velvet & Marscapone Bundt Cake, and Lemon & Lime Choux Bun. The bun had a lovely crispy shell and it was filled with cream, the cake was topped with a raspberry, which added to the flavour, and the bar was extremely rich.

The scones were small, crispy outside and soft inside, served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I like them both ways, Devon and Cornwall, and always have half for each. We also asked for butter, because we prefer it that way.

The Boat House is a lovely setting, one of the six Ideal Collection Venues in the south east. Its brasserie-style menu is inspired by the wealth of produce from our region, both from the land and sea.

Parking at the marina is free for two hours, or you can get the bus from Chichester city centre and walk down the drive – it takes about 20 minutes.