This pretty tearoom, a pebble’s throw from North Devon’s Croyde beach, serves sumptuous, monster-sized Devon cream teas and ice-cream to die for.
After scampering around the rock pools searching for sea life, the whole family can refuel in the lush, walled gardens of the cafe where there’s a huge veggie plot – a community allotment project – which supplies fresh produce to the tea rooms.
With two hungry, windswept toddlers in tow we opted for clotted cream ice-cream followed by… a serving of clotted cream ice-cream… but there’s far more on offer to feed hungry tummies.
Homemade cakes, real-fruit milkshakes, vintage-style rose lemonade and frothy coffee are all on the menu at this gorgeous little spot
If you’re after something a little more substantial, especially after a bracing walk around the nearby Baggy Point headland, there’s a good range of light lunches with many dishes featuring salad and veg from the garden – try the crab sarnies or a pasty platter.
Inside the cafe, housed in an old stone building leased from the National Trust, the decor is really rather English – think bunting, chalk boards and polka dots. There’s also a shop next door, The Oystercatcher, selling all manner of lovely things – including beach gear, if you’ve been caught short of a bucket and spade!
Back outside, kids will love the tree house and the space to run around unhindered, whilst grown ups will dream of, “living somewhere like this one day”. And if you opt for the cream tea (which comes with a side of fresh strawberries) just remember that the clotted cream goes before the jam – it’s the Devon way.
TOP TIP Get there before the end of the day when the beach empties out and the tables fill up quickly.