Sunnyhills Farm Shop & Cafe in Belford and Alnwick in Northumberland is a lovely place to stop off with the kids when travelling to Scotland. It's just seconds from the A1 and definitely popular. We stopped by on a Thursday lunchtime in half term and the place was packed. There were no tables left in the cafe and just a couple left outside. Luckily the weather was kind to us so we opted for some al fresco dining.
The site is made up of a farm shop, licensed cafe, spacious play park and ice cream kiosk. During our visit there was also a pop-up plant sale but I'm not sure if this was seasonal.
Our three love it when we visit somewhere with an outdoor play park and off they ran as we ordered our food. The children's menu is good value at £4.99 for 2 courses for kids. Our total bill was £45 for 2 x adult hot meals, 3 x children's meals and a round of soft drinks.
Unfortunately, our food took 50 minutes to arrive (we weren't informed of any delays) so I wouldn't recommend this place if you're after a quick bite. If you are after something more leisurely and have a bit of time on your hands though, it's worth the wait. I'm pleased the kids had the play area to occupy them otherwise I know Jack would have been an absolute nightmare waiting that long for his lunch.
When our food did arrive we were impressed with the quality. Jack's fish goujons were particularly tasty.
I ordered scampi and chips with mushy peas & homemade slaw. This was around £10 I think. It was all delicious and the tartar sauce packed a real punch. I do think they were a bit mean with their chips though - for £10 I'd expect more and if you look at Heidi's plate I'm sure she received more than me! Lucky girl.
Steve went for a homemade pie of the day (mince) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Served with homemade chips, a jug of gravy and mushy peas, he was in pie heaven and would definitely recommend. There was lots of filling too.
Ice creams are included in the children's menu but as we'd had a lengthy wait for food, time was getting on and we had to be in Edinburgh for a meeting and were risking being late if we stayed for dessert. The kids played outside for a few more minutes though whilst Steve and I quickly popped into the farm shop for a few BBQ supplies for that evening's dinner.
The farm shop is home to lots of local non-perishables and treats. We picked up a stem ginger cake and bread buns plus 2 packs of Northumberland sausage from the butcher's counter. We were hoping to buy some chicken too but to be honest, the butcher's counter was a little bare and there was no chicken on offer which is a shame. Anyway, we settled for sausages and our farm shop bill was less than £10.
Overall, I will continue to visit Sunnyhills as I like supporting local businesses rather than service stations, our food was lovely and the kids love the play area. It's not a place to visit for a quick stop off though so if you are planning to stop by, remember to take this into account.
Looks great-another place i've never heard of in the area! I'd want to spend a fortune in the farm shop-products look lush!
ReplyDelete