There are many coffee shops and eateries that will claim they make the best tea and scones in town – but don’t believe them.

The hands-down best scones to be found in Durban (and, dare I say it, South Africa) are at the Durban Botanic Gardens Tea Garden. The place might not look like much – concrete tables topped with mosaic, thatched umbrellas for shade, a couple of monkeys lurking on the outskirts – but the scones are so wonderfully buttery, so deliciously soft, so slathered in strawberry jam and whipped cream, that you’ll feel as if you’re sitting down for high tea with the queen (if South Africa had a queen).

That’s not to say the surroundings aren’t charming – they are. Delightfully so. The gardens are full to overflowing with lush green vegetation and subtropi.jpgcal plants, there are kids playing and brides posing for photos at every turn, and the tea garden is manned by old ladies who pi.jpgle your goodies up on a plastic tray for you.

If by some strange chance you’re not a scone fan, try the crumpets with syrup and ice cream. They are just as heavenly, and just as worthy of as many adjectives as you can think of.

Photo: Dplanet