The Granary At Willowbrook Farm

We don't get to see our family often due to their busy schedules, but when they do visit, we like to treat them. This past Sunday, we took our oldest grandchild out for lunch before he headed back to London. Despite having many local options, he chose to eat at 'The Granary' at Scotsman Lodge between Ufford and Marholm. We had always enjoyed the service and food there in the past, but this time we were disappointed. The restaurant was not busy, with only one other couple dining. When I asked the waitress about ordering, she initially said we should order at the till, but eventually agreed to take our order at the table. Unfortunately, the food did not meet our expectations. The pork was too fatty, the salads were lackluster, and the chips seemed old. The portion of halloumi salad was minimal for the price, and the cream for the scone was too hard. The staff, with the exception of one, seemed unfriendly. When I mentioned this at the till, I was told the particular staff member was new and shy. The total bill came to £64.15, which would be reasonable in normal circumstances, but the quality of the food was not satisfactory. We will not be returning to 'The Granary' anytime soon based on this experience.

Unfortunately a very disappointing experience, my friend I ordered a cappuccino, an americano a piece of carrot cake. Both coffees were bitter we were unable to drink them and the carrot cake wasn’t much better, stodgy not light my friend who loves carrot cake left most of it. The waiting staff gave us our money back on the coffee but it was a wasted visit.

One star for the tea served. No stars for the tasteless decaffeinated oat latte, or the GF brownies, or the mismatched crockery, or the untrained waitress, or the 1980s pine furniture, or the dirty tables, or the cane furniture nabbed from my granny 's conservatory all served in the squeaking, creaking gazebo/extension. Usually I 'd let the cafe know if there were issues with my visit but there were so many and telling the waitress or the chef on duty would really have been pointless. My advice is to do yourself a favour and keep your £9.90 in your pocket for a couple of drinks and a couple of cakes. I hope the owner reads this and buys some new furniture and some new crockery, gives their staff some training (in taking orders, serving and clearing/cleaning tables) and reduces the prices to something more realistic.

This cafe/ restaurant is in a lovely setting overlooking rural countryside, with a choice of local walks as well and a farm shop selling locally produced meat, eggs, cheeses etc. There is also a small area selling good range of plants, trees, pots and compost. Staff there really helpful. In the cafe I tried to order two cream teas, asking for one with coffee, initially told this would be extra. Having sorted that out asked for Earl Grey tea, warm scones and blackcurrant jam. Initially wrong tea arrived which was changed, but no lemons ... and scones were cold!! They were tasty however and enjoyed the cream and jam with them. Paid the bill and thankfully asked for a receipt. Then went to see farm shop. Few minutes later one of the waitress came out and said I had not paid. Thankfully had my receipt so was able to show I had paid. Felt this was all a bit disappointing...it could of been a great experience.

We popped in for a drink and snack after a long local walk. The café tent awning is large and secure but very drafty, which is good for Covid security as there's plenty of ventilation, but it is cold as there's no heating. The menu is limited, but we opted for turkey rolls and a drink. Service is rather slow, but when the rolls did arrive they we tasty and hot.