I had afternoon tea at Merseyside's five star hotel and was treated like royalty

One of only two five star hotels in Merseyside, the Hillbark Hotel & Spa is a beautiful venue nestled in 250 acres of gorgeous Wirral parkland.

The stunning venue hosted my best friend’s wedding back in September and, as one of her bridesmaids, I was lucky enough to experience the hotel’s beautiful rooms and delicious food.

Determined to drag the wedding celebrations out as long as possible, the bridal party (plus some family friends) headed back to the venue on Wednesday to try out their afternoon tea and reminisce about Olivia’s big day. Priced at £60 a head, the afternoon tea certainly isn’t cheap but, you know you’re in for a treat at the Hillbark.

We booked in for 1.00pm, and we were greeted by the wonderful staff who immediately offered us a drink in the stunning bar before we headed to the dining rooms. We had informed the team in advance that I needed a vegan-friendly afternoon tea and I was reassured that the chef had sorted something special for me.

After being seated in the grand dining room, we were asked what kind of tea we would like. I opted for English breakfast and was told I had two plant-based milk options. I chose hazelnut and within minutes, we were brought stunning Alice in Wonderland themed teapots.

The Hillbark’s afternoon tea changes with the seasons, with spring’s theme being Alice in Wonderland, Willy Wonka for summer, Elphaba for autumn and The Nutcracker for winter. The theming is subtle but effective.

After pouring ourselves a cup of tea - and me pouring half of it all over the table - we were brought out a little palette cleanser. The rest of the group received a little cheese custard pastry, while the chef had made me a beetroot and bean option which was absolutely divine.

We were then brought out our main afternoon tea stands, filled with delicious sandwiches, pastries and cakes. I was incredibly pleased to see mine looked colourful and exciting - not like the raw white onion sandwiches I was served at one Merseyside venue.

My sandwich options included cucumber and creme fraiche, vegan cheese, tomato and picallili, and our lovely server talked me through each and every item reassuring me that they had been specially made and were all vegan friendly.

My other savoury item was a delicious cheese and tomato pastry and I also had a dark chocolate pastry, a mint chocolate, blood orange tart, apple pastry and rhubarb dessert. Of course, I was also given two freshly baked scones, as well as vegan butter and jam.

I’m usually disappointed with vegan afternoon tea but the Hillbark’s offering was absolutely incredible and I wolfed everything down - except the rhubarb dessert which a little too tart for me. Each treat was beautifully presented too and you could truly tell that the Hillbark cared about the whole afternoon tea experience being luxurious.

The rest of the party had sandwiches such as crab, cream cheese, and ham and picallili, and treats like a pistachio macaron, a beautiful bright red cheesecake and Bakewell tart.

We were lucky enough to have the entire dining room to ourselves and the whole experience was accompanied my a stunning performance from the Hillbark’s pianist.

While I understand that £60 (plus the cost of a glass of wine) is pretty expensive, I would truly recommend the Hillbark’s afternoon tea for any special occasions as it is hands down the best I’ve had and we were all treated like royalty. I’m pretty sure we’ll be coming every season for the foreseeable - a past wedding is a fair excuse, right?