Berry Pomeroy Castle (English Heritage) – Near Totnes, Devon.

We visited Berry Pomeroy Castle on Monday afternoon and whilst there we had to try out their tea room! It looked promising, it was light and airy with a traditional feel to it. When we asked what cakes were available there was just carrot cake, a curranty thing (yes, that is how it was described to us) and a tea ring. As I don’t like any of those I had to go without which earns them big negative points. I do not like being hungry! It’s really not that difficult to have a nice sponge cake of some description.

My husband had a cappuccino and a slice of the carrot cake and I just had a hot chocolate. My hot chocolate was nice although there was no option to add marshmallows which I could really have done with since there was nothing for me to eat. My Husband enjoyed his carrot cake and cappuccino. 

If we visit the castle again I will give them a second chance as I think if they actually had cake it would be nice, they just need to sort out their stock levels and do some planning ahead.

The Fig Tree – Penarth, Wales

We visited Penarth on Saturday afternoon to look at the pier. Whilst there we were hungry so decided to get something to eat. We went into the main Fig Tree restaurant with the intention of buying a proper meal but they had stopped doing food for the afternoon so we had the option of the upstairs terrace for a BBQ or the downstairs café for coffee and cake so of course we had to go for coffee and cake!

The café was only a small place with a few tables outside but they had a good selection of cake. I choose a slice of the Chocolate cake and a hot chocolate and my husband had a slice of carrot cake and a cappuccino. The lady serving was friendly and happy.

The cakes were homemade and really nice, they were very nicely presented, at first glance I thought they were bought ones. I enjoyed my hot chocolate but there was no option to add marshmallows. My husband also enjoyed his cappuccino. It was nice to sit out in the sunshine on the seafront.

I only have one minor criticism and that is that the food was served on paper plates and the drinks in paper cups. This must be because they do a lot of takeaway sales and because all of the seating is outside but I just don’t like paper plates (paper cups I don’t really mind, although prefer proper ones).

We would definitely return to the Fig Tree if we visit Penarth in the future as the cake was lovely. Maybe next time we’ll be able to eat in the restaurant as well !

Barrington Court (National Trust) – Near Ilminster, Somerset

We went to Barrington Court on Sunday to make the most of the beautiful weather that we had at the weekend. We visited the small café in the entrance / reception building (not the restaurant that is inside the property) for coffee and cake.

I had a hot chocolate and my husband had a coffee. There was only a small selection of cakes and sadly no chocolate one so we both had a slice of lemon sponge. They were good sized portions, homemade with just the right amount of Lemon, not overpowering and we both enjoyed it. My hot chocolate was delicious but again, no marshmallows (it’s tempting to start bringing my own! I haven’t been anywhere that does marshmallows in their hot chocolate for ages). My husband enjoyed his coffee.

Croome (National Trust) – Worcestershire

We went to Croome on a Wednesday, it was a bit of a grey windy day so it was quite quiet there. The café (along with the shop, reception and toilets) is in an old WWII RAF building which I liked. The lady working in the café was cheerful and friendly.

I had a hot chocolate and my husband had a coffee and we both went for a slice of chocolate cake each. The cake was homemade and delicious and a good sized portion. We both enjoyed it. My hot chocolate was really nice, sadly no marshmallows were on offer to go in it though. My husband enjoyed his coffee.

We will defiantly visit here again, hopefully on a nicer day so that we can get the full benefit of the lovely grounds to walk in!

Zilli Cafe - Aqua Sana, Center Parcs Longleat Forest

We went for a Spa day at Center Parcs, Longleat on Tuesday. While there we had to have some coffee and cake! The Zilli Cafe is part of the Aqua Sana spa complex. It’s a light, airy restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere where customers all wear their swimwear covered with robes.

I had a slice of the chocolate cake and a hot chocolate and my husband had a slice of carrot cake and a coffee. When ordering I was offered a flake with my hot chocolate which I declined but when it was brought over they had put it on anyway!  There was no option to add marshmallows which was a little disappointing.

The hot chocolate was very nice and the chocolate cake was enjoyable. It was a bought in cake though so it does lose points for that as I much prefer homemade.  My husband enjoyed his carrot cake (again not homemade) and coffee.

We did find it a little pricey here with the bill coming to £14 (on average for similar orders of 2 cakes and 2 hot drinks we find that the bill usually comes to around £10).

Tyntsfield (National Trust) - Wraxall, North Somerset.

The restaurant at Tyntsfield is brand new, having opened only a month ago. It was much needed as facilities at Tyntsfield were somewhat limited before so it's nice to see it open. The restaurant and the shop are housed in what appears to be an old stable block with the seating in the stalls. It's quite a big open space and I think they intend to stay open all year so it will be interesting to see if it is difficult to heat in winter as it looks like it will be!

We visited on Monday afternoon when it was quite quiet although we still had a bit of a wait to be served. Once we had got our food finding a table was a bit difficult as none of them had been cleared and we ended up having to clear a table ourselves to make room to sit down and eat. Customers are supposed to clear their own tables as is the case in many of the National Trust restaurants but it seems that no-one had been doing this (probably because it was unclear where the trays were supposed to be taken, normally it's obvious but not here) and none of the staff were doing any clearing either, resulting in a mess.

I'll put this down to teething troubles, although having been open for a month you'd have thought they should have ironed out that kind of thing by now, especially as it was a quiet afternoon. They will need to sort themselves out soon as I would think that it's going to be really busy over the Easter break.

We both had a slice of the chocolate cake. I had a hot chocolate and my husband had a coffee. The cake was homemade and delicious although we both agreed that the portions were a little small. My hot chocolate was really nice but sadly there was no option to add marshmallows. My husband enjoyed his coffee.

We enjoyed the food and hopefully they will get the problems sorted out before much longer. We will be back as it's so close to home for us and I can't resist a nice bit of cake!