IT is not every day you get to enjoy high tea in the former home of Nancy Astor, Britain's first female MP. So a Tuesday afternoon at Cliveden House hotel felt very special.

Afternoon tea is perhaps my perfect meal having a life long love for the fine art of the English sandwich and the beauty of a perfectly cooked scone. I also cannot resist a piece of cake and I would sup cups of tea all day.

Mixed with the beauty of Cliveden in Taplow it resulted in a blissful afternoon. I had been to the National Trust estate surrounding the hotel but never stepped inside the house built in 1666.

In 1906 the house was given to Waldorf and Nancy Astor and it became a regular haunt for many famous faces, including Winston Churchill.

It is at Cliveden where the married Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, met Christine Keeler and an affair started.

It became a public scandal known at The Profumo Affair.

The house became a hotel in 1985 and last year was taken over by new owners when the previous holding company went into administration.

The new management has been working hard to bring Cliveden back to what it was and wants to gain the trust of the public again.

As I drove up the long drive to the beautiful, grand house in what I like to call my "vintage" car I felt a bit apprehensive, especially as a member of staff then parks your car.

But I needn't have worried- we were warmly welcomed by the friendly and professional staff.

For afternoon tea you can either sit in the grand Terrace Dining Room overlooking the Parterre or in the Great Hall, which the entrance of the hotel opens into.

We were perched on a sofa near the front door. At first it felt a little uncomfortable but once it became busier there was a good buzz in the room.

There were some unusual tennis ball decorations to celebrate Wimbledon, which didn't quite fit in with the beautiful oak panelled room.

The afternoon tea is £29.50 per person and a National Trust entrance fee of £5.80 is added on.

There is a great selection of tea- I went for the White Pai Mu Tan tea, which was refreshing with floral undertones, and my friend Lara had the fresh Moroccan Mint.

The finger sandwiches were a selection of ham and wholegrain mustard; cucumber, cream cheese and radish; turkey and curry mayonnaise; smoked salmon and dill crème fraîche and roast beef with horseradish mayonnaise. The beef was beautifully cooked and melted in the mouth with the warming horseradish.

The salmon was well smoked and I liked the mix of cucumber and radish. The only slight disappointment was the thinness of the turkey and ham- but this was compensated by the curried mayo and mustard.

We also had a well seasoned, tasty sausage roll and a spinach tart, which was a shot of salty goodness.

The selection of cakes was impressive from a light and creamy orange and chocolate éclair to a banana flavoured Cliveden cup cake.

The raspberry macaroon had a lovely chewy meringue texture with three fresh raspberries. The opera cake was delicious with layers of pastry, chocolate and orange cream and there was also a delicate strawberry tart.

My favourite was the white chocolate mousse encased in a white chocolate shell with a cherry on top.

But the most important part of any cream tea is the scones- of which we had two fruit and two plain.

They were perfectly cooked- soft, fluffy and buttery. To top this the clotted cream was so thick it was hard to get off the spoon onto the fruity raspberry jam.

I didn't have any room left to try the Eccles and fruit cake.

The Cliveden Champagne Afternoon tea, adds a glass of Tattinger Brut for another £14.

But for the true indulgent treat the hotel also offers a Platinum tea, which is £550 per couple.

However, the emphasis from the management at the house is this hotel is for every one and for £29.50 this is a reasonably priced, excellent afternoon tea. With scones like that it is not one to missed.

For more information go to www.clivedenhouse.co.uk