Where British carrier doctrine was tested without a carrier duel

Was Royal Navy carrier doctrine ever tested in combat against another carrier force?

Not in a classic carrier battle, but convoy operations demonstrated its defensive strengths and some offensive capability.

Germany and Italy did not field operational carriers for the Royal Navy to meet in a symmetrical battle. The Japanese carrier force also withdrew from the Indian Ocean before such an encounter occurred. British convoy battles therefore offer the closest practical test of the doctrine. Those operations show the protective value of carrier air cover and armoured ships more clearly than they reveal how a British carrier force would conduct a major offensive strike against enemy carriers.