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Down Hall hotel in Hertfordshire​ offers an altogether more traditional, three-tiered affair, with classic sandwiches and creative cakes in its Allotment Afternoon Tea​. Using seasonal ingredients from the property's 110 acres of gardens and woodland, it includes buttermilk scones, carrot cake, and chocolate soil cheesecake. It starts at just £21.50 or £28.50 with Champagne. 

Head chef Matt Hill explained that afternoon tea can be a great extra revenue stream for businesses, at the same time as giving chefs an outlet for creativity. He said: "The flair comes out. You can really play around with the cakes and the setting, and that’s really well received by our customers, and is a social talking point. You can't reinvent the wheel, but I try to play around with the classics and keep things interesting. I ask myself, if I sat down and ate this, would I be happy? And for our afternoon tea, the answer for me is yes." 

On the subject of afternoon tea becoming ever more in demand, he added: "It’s has always been popular, but without a doubt, the Great British Bake Off has made everyone far more interested in baking, cakes, and cooking. It does inspire people and make them more interested, and I think that has an impact on people going to different places and eating that. I think it does strike a chord. It gives our customers a different option, as they might not want something as formal as lunch or dinner, and it bridges the gap."