We’d had a tip-off a while back (thanks Mr G) about a coffee shop off the beaten track but worth sampling. Then we happened on it by accident, one day, and called in for a cuppa.
We enjoyed the setting (in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds countryside); the welcome and the look of the food and decided to make a return visit, which is how we came to join a host of walkers, a couple of cyclists, numerous dogs and the leader of a group of Duke of Edinburgh’s Award students, tracking their progress via a laptop on an outdoor pursuit day, at Field House Camping and Coffee Barn.
We were met by the sight of horses peacefully grazing and lazily swishing their tails in the sunshine – not long after the heavens had opened, so everywhere looked sparkling and fresh – as we drove up to the coffee barn of Field House Farm, at Tibthorpe, near Driffield. The barn boasts beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and offers endless walking and cycling opportunities – the site is geared up for just such visitors, and offers indoor cycle parking (and helmet shelving) to keep bikes safe and dry; a cycle repair station and provides cycle hire too, for those without their own two wheels.
The barn is big and lofty, with oodles of space inside, plenty of tables and chairs and comfy sofas to one side. There is a bar/counter where you can spy the luscious bakes and cakes; discover from the sign on the wall where the (very) local produce comes from and chalkboards announcing the specials and soups of the day, for example.
Another bonus of the barn is the various displays of local arts and crafts, with information on their creators, and the “botanic” bay where you can browse houseplants and related items, so there is plenty to interest the visitor. The loos (immaculate) are suitably agricultural in design and as quirky as the rest of the place – you’ll have no trouble spotting which is his or hers!
I fancied some homemade soup and out of the choice of leek and potato and “farmhouse greens”, I plumped for the latter, served with a warm cheese scone and onion chutney on the side. My other half chose eggs Benedict, to be washed down with a pot of tea – you will need instruction on how to use the teapot (our previous visit had educated us in that) and it’s another unusual and fun element of the Field House Farm experience.
My soup was delicious, furnace-hot and tasting of which “greens” I couldn’t decipher, though I thought I detected pea and possibly cabbage in there (it turns out the farm had quite a surfeit of spinach which was being put to good use). The accompanying scone was also lovely and I scoffed every crumb.
My partner’s plate was beautifully prepped with perfectly poached eggs and crisp bacon on a breakfast muffin, topped with homemade hollandaise sauce and accompanied by a dressed side salad. The tea and a cappuccino were going down well and we decided a pudding was definitely in order.
The last remaining slice of warm cherry pie, with custard, found a good home with my partner, while I discovered the sweet delight of a trillionaire’s tart, gluten-free and vegan (not that I required either of those attributes) and truly lush. Can I have the recipe, please?