The Montagu Arms - a wonderful New Forest afternoon tea

I’ve often driven past The Montagu Arms in Beaulieu and wondered what it looked like on the inside. The entrance is charming with its red brick and pretty hanging baskets. It’s deceiving in size as it goes back a long way, leading out into an attractive garden, cottage accommodation and a large car park.

You step into a hallway and you notice the dark woodwork, imposing grandfather clock and traditional telephone room. There’s a warm and friendly reception where someone was waiting to escort us to afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea is taken in the lounge area, and as it was a sunny day we were also given the option of the conservatory or garden area. The large sofas by the fireplace looked too inviting to turn down though so we made ourselves comfortable and took a look at the menu.

The tea menu is extensive and I was intrigued by some of the types such as gunpowder, and Russian caravan. I’m more of a coffee person so chose a cafetiere, whilst my companion Girl About Dorset went for a classic English breakfast tea.

As part of our review we were treated to an icy cold glass of Taittinger champagne and it’s worth the upgrade in my opinion for the crisp deliciousness.

The food is served in a traditional 3 tier display, with perfectly rectangular sandwiches at the bottom and classic fillings. It was suggested that we start with an amuse bouche of a panna cotta topped with strawberries, though I found it quite sweet and saved it for after the sandwiches instead.

The scones were warm, and most importantly fluffy and well-risen – couldn’t fault them. There was a generous bowl of clotted cream too which I particularly liked as sometimes I have to request extra cream (it’s the best bit, don’t judge me!)

The selection of patisserie was good; carrot cake, lemon tart and chocolate financier meant there should be something for everyone’s taste. The highlight was the lemon tart. Mary Berry would be proud of the thin pastry case, filled generously with sharp lemon curd and topped with fluffy meringue. Writing about it makes me want to eat it all over again!