I tackled the Unscalable Tower of Treats at divine and stunning restaurant

The first thing you'll notice about Emma's Bar and Restaurant at the Hilton is its views. Overlooking the River Avon in Bath, you can spend hours happily gazing out the window. It's just as well too, because it might take you hours to get through Emma's new festive afternoon teas.

Presentation is key with afternoon tea and the restaurant certainly didn't fail with that. The centre of the table was decorated with their take on a mini Christmas tree: bare-branched, bone-white and covered in glistening red presents. White teacups with blue flowers gave the spread a classic touch.

The afternoon tea was presented on a three-tier cake tray. Some call it a curate. I call it the Unscalable Tower of Treats.

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On the bottom rung were sandwiches- salmon, cranberry and turkey, pickle and egg, ham and mustard. On the middle rung, four lightly dusted scones. And on top, the sweet treats. Clearly The Tower is to be climbed, not abseiled: I started with the sandwiches.

The salmon sandwiches were divine- quite possibly the best I've ever had. The cranberry and turkey was the most explicitly Christmassy, but probably my least favourite. Perhaps I'm so married to the classic cranberry and brie combo that no other filling can live up to it, but the sandwich tasted a bit limp to me.

The ham and mustard were another standout, using whole mustard seeds instead of just the paste to spice things up a little (literally). I'm not sure this rung went as far as it could have with the Christmas theme: the cranberry and turkey were the only sandwiches which seem inspired by it.

Onto the scones! An iconic piece of British cuisine. They were warm, doughy and filling- just like scones should be. Most importantly, generous dollops of cream and jam were provided so you could slather on as much as you like.

At the top of the tower were the cakes. In the spirit of Christmas we of course had the mince pies, but what particularly impressed me were the chocolate tarts with a light snowfall of ginger sprinkled on top. The ginger added definition to the treat and made the sweetness of the chocolate stand out even more.

This may seem obvious, but the Tower is not a solo expedition. Bring a friend. I ate alone and ended up bringing lots of food home.

All in all, afternoon tea at Emma's is an eminently Instagrammable experience. Take your time, take a friend, and take home some leftovers if you need to, but give the Tower a shot!

Emma's Bar and Restaurant is open seven days a week from 6.30am. Afternoon tea can be booked in advance online.