I introduced my mum to the restaurant at Scotland's best hotel and she's loved it ever since

Although she’s lived in Edinburgh for decades, her first visit to Prestonfield House was only about two years ago, when I took her for festive afternoon tea in their restaurant, Rhubarb.

She was bewitched and smitten.

Since then, she’s treated friends to tea at this plushly theatrical five-star destination, which was awarded Best Hotel in Scotland 2025 by the Good Hotel Guide, and has announced that she wants her funeral wake there.

I know, it’s a bit depressing, but she’s very pragmatic and you can’t help thinking of these things when you’re 89.

When I invited her to try their new Spring Afternoon Tea, which is available until June 19 and is £60pp - or £75pp with a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve - she switched off her beloved snooker and practically leapt out of her seat.

She also refused to use the hotel’s wheelchair that I’d procured for her.

If she was going to her favourite place, she was going to walk in the door, albeit slowly and clutching onto every high-backed heavily upholstered chair that was en route.

Thankfully, there are a lot of them.

We made it to our favourite table, with the view out to the lawn and their resident peacock, Colin, who was pecking about the grass.

The food comes thick and fast. There’s lots, so don’t schedule lunch or dinner that day. Maybe skip breakfast, too.

After we’d received our rhubarb rooibos and Scottish breakfast teas (you can try as many as you like, or choose coffee or hot chocolate), we started on the plate of savouries.

There seemed to be a verdant green theme, to suit the season. These pairs of bites included a bonnie asparagus quiche that was topped with wild garlic pesto, as well as the satisfyingly palate-coating mouthful of powdered clava brie and herb truffle, plus black sourdough crackers that were topped with tiny lapsang souchong cured sea trout cubes, and dots of limey avocado puree.

Once we’d dispatched those swish amuse bouche, we could move onto the finger sannie section on the lower ground floor of our three tier cake stand.

Apart from the Scandi open cucumber sandwich that was topped by minty pickled red onion, dill fronds and sour cream, they’ve gone classic loaf-with-the-crusts-cut-off here.

Well, it wouldn’t be an afternoon tea without sandwiches that adhere to the roof of one’s mouth.

My fave was the sturdy protein hit of spring chicken with lemon and spring onion. Its filling prompted a joke about mum’s age, but she didn’t laugh.

There was also a sturdy egg version, but with the twist of Caesar mayo, and a well stuffed brown bread Ayrshire ham number that was pimped up with rhubarb and honey relish.

After all that, we were starting to feel prematurely replete. If Colin was inside, he could’ve helped us with a few crumbs. I think that would’ve cheered him up, as we could see children trying to feed him handfuls of grass, and he looked well unimpressed.

At this point, mum moved onto the plain and buttermilk fruit scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam, while I focused on the colourful penthouse-level cakes.

There was a neat, purple-lidded blueberry, lemon and lavender gateau and a Jaffa Cake-ish Earl Grey and chocolate orange mousse. However, my heart was won by the marzipan-clad lemon verbena and lime battenburg, which was topped by a Mary Quant-esque white chocolate daisy and was probably my favourite afternoon tea cake of all time. So beautiful to look at, and to eat, with a fluffy sponge innard in pale buttery yellow and green pastels. I also loved the rhubarb and custard cardamon tart - another substantial and memorable treat, with the sunshine hitting its yolk-like pink dome of rhubarb gel.

We did our best at eating every item, but, without Colin’s help, we were done. I couldn’t finish the scones, she couldn’t do the cakes.

The remnants of everything had to be taken away, in a little branded box.

At least it’s going to feel pretty decadent, I’m sure, to eat such fantastical gems in front of the snooker.

It’ll also help to draw the experience out, because she still adores this place. Let’s hope we’ll have many more visits. No wheelchair required.

Prestonfield House, Priestfield Road, Edinburgh, (0131-225 7800, www.prestonfield.com)

Read more: “I tried the £99 dinner at this luxury five-star Scottish hotel and was utterly spoiled rotten”.