Few things feel quite as quintessentially British as afternoon tea.

A tiered stand of delicate sandwiches, warm scones, dainty cakes and a perfectly poured pot of tea has long been associated with a sense of occasion, whether enjoyed in a grand hotel, a country house or a cosy tearoom after a stroll.

It is elegant, indulgent and wonderfully nostalgic, but it also comes with one of Britain’s most hotly contested food debates: should the jam or the cream go on the scone first?