SITTING in the grounds of Rhinefield House, on a warm sunny day, enjoying afternoon tea is a pleasure indeed.

The setting is perfect and is both tranquil and beautiful. To one side of our table was a large rectangular pond with fountains playing and golden carp swimming lazily, and on the other a view of manicured hedges and statuary.

Adjacent to us was the magestic former hunting lodge itself, a striking stone building with Tudor-style chimneys, turrets and a magnificent sundial set above the main window.

My friend Heather and I had gone to Rhinefield to belatedly celebrate our two July birthdays, and afternoon tea seemed an ideal treat for such an occasion. We had taken the precaution of skipping lunch, which was lucky, because when the tea arrived it was pretty large and looked delicious.

From a selection of teas Heather chose traditional English and I selected Earl Grey. A charming waiter brought out two tea pots, a jug of hot water and good quality white crockery, including a jug of milk.

He then arrived with a selection of finger sandwiches on a rectangular plate, a tiered stand with scones and a selection of pastries and cakes, and two dishes with sizeable helpings of strawberry jam and clotted cream.

The sandwiches were nicely presented with a salad garnish. There were two of each filling which included ham with an aromatic grainy mustard, smoked salmon, tuna with cucumber, and Chedder cheese with tomato. They were fresh and tasty, and a good start to our tea.

We moved on to the scones. Now these were special. Really light, and with a buttery flavour. The jam proved to be excellent. I make my own, so I am always a bit wary of jams provided on such occasions, and this was good. There was ample cream and jam, and we both felt this was a real highlight.

Having got this far, we had finished our pots of tea, and asked for more to be brought. Two fresh pots were quickly supplied. We wondered if we would be charged extra for them, but when the bill came, there was just the basic £12.50 charge for each of us.

We dived into the cakes. There were a number of small slices of a variety of cakes and pastries. The best, we both agreed was the dark, spiced fruit cake which was moist and wonderfully flavoured with hints of molasses and ginger. I also particularly liked the almond cake which had thin layers of light sponge, almond paste and a smidgen of lemon curd, all rolled together with a white chocolate icing. The lemon sponge was good, but the carrot cake was just a little dry. This was perhaps due to the fact that we had been sitting enjoying our tea for more than an hour and a half.

The whole occasion was really relaxing and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to feel we could take our time, and although virtually every table was taken, there was no sense of anyone chivvying us to finish.

Before going home, we walked round the attractive grounds, and looked into the hotel itself and admired the wonderful interiors.

We left feeling we had had a really good time and, just in case you're wondering, I for one, didn't eat another thing until breakfast the following day!