Treating mum to a scrumptious afternoon tea at Tom Brown's Brasserie

Ahead of the Mother's Day madness, I escaped with my mum to Tom Brown's Brasserie at Gunthorpe to treat her to afternoon tea and a good girly catch up. An easy drive or bus ride out of the city heading in the direction of Southwell, Gunthorpe is a small village by the River Trent which 'us locals' love to journey out to and enjoy at the weekends. It wasn't quiet warm enough to sit outside for our garden themed afternoon tea, which was fine as the converted Victorian school house by the river is as stunning inside as it is out. As we were greeted and seated by the smiley staff, it was good to see as many men tucking into the decadence of afternoon tea as ladies. Well, we couldn't blame them as it looked delicious. There were so many lovely touches and we particularly liked the 'keep off the grass' sign which was used to reserve our table. So afternoon tea at Tom Browns begins with . . . tea! Now Mum and I are both qualified tea bellies so we pick a different one each out of the selection of six. I go for my staple favourite of Earl Grey and mum picks a stronger brew of Irish breakfast. Both arrive in a big teapot with traditional strainer of course. Then, out of the blue, our own little picnic table arrives. Covered in sandwiches, scones and a selection of garden themed sweet treats, our green fingers can't wait to get stuck in. You can have your sandwiches topped up if you're feeling really hungry but my advice would be to resist temptation because you have to save room to try all the cake. First rule of afternoon tea club in Nottingham? We don't waste cake! The strawberry mousse, which looked like a tomato, had to be my favourite out of the selection - I honestly thought they were just for decoration when they arrived but they turned out to be a nice sweet surprise. Afternoon tea for me is all about steaming tea pots, scrummy scones and crustless finger sandwiches - and Tom Brown's had it all. Afternoon tea is available from Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 4.30pm priced at £20pp, with an option to top up with tipples including prosecco (£25), Hendricks (£26.50) or champagne (£28.50). For details or to book visit the website. For more afternoon tea in Nottinghamshire take a look at our Pinterest board.