Coffee in the Stable ...

During our visit to the grounds of Calke Abbey, a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, UK, we decided to take a break and stop by their onsite café. The place is run by the National Trust, a conservation charity that looks after our historic places.

Just outside was a Halloween Trail quiz for visiting children. They have to find all the Halloween characters hidden around the place.

The café was very dog-friendly, which was a nice surprise. I've heard of tethering your horse up, but never dogs. How big are the dogs in this neighbourhood??

As we entered the café, it was quite full. It was a nice sunny day and the school holidays had just started, so there were a lot of parents and children about.

We ordered a cappuccino made with oat milk, and a decaffeinated latte. It looked as though they also had some buns for the dogs. It wasn’t an iced muffin but an iced woofin! It was a pity that we didn’t have a dog with us.

We decided to sit outside in what used to be an old stable block, which was quite different. The oat milk added a nice creaminess to my drink so I didn’t have to add any sugar, which was good. It was a nice treat after a walk exploring the grounds of the abbey.

Overall, our stop at the café at Calke Abbey was a good experience. It was great to see so many dogs being welcomed and catered for (as well as the children 😊). The coffee was top-notch, even though it was in a paper cup!