The Coach House Cafe - Corby

I visited this café today for lunch. Located within East Carlton Park, the café is currently undergoing renovations. While we were there, a man was painting up a ladder in the dining area. We ordered two cups of tea and two cheese and onion toasties, which were delicious and came with a generous portion of salad. The staff, including a few in the kitchen, were friendly. Overall, I would have rated this experience very good, but unfortunately, something happened that left a negative impression. Shortly after we began eating, a man entered the café without ordering or paying for food. He went to the kitchen area to chat with the staff, sneezing into his hands and mentioning he had 'man flu'. The decorator called out his behavior, but he continued to cough and sneeze near where we were eating. I was unsure if he was an employee, volunteer, or a regular visitor. It was surprising to see someone act this way in a café located in a Council-run park, especially during a time when hygiene is so important.

During a visit to the park with my two grandchildren, we stopped by the cafe for lunch. I noticed they offered Jungle Boxes for kids, which included a bag of chips, a piece of fruit, a plastic container of apple or forest fruit flavored drink, and a roll. The choices for fillings on the rolls surprised me, as they included Dairylea cheese spread, jam, Marmite, or chocolate spread. I was hoping for healthier options like ham, real cheese, or salad. It would have been nice to see bottled water or real fruit juices available as well. The queue was quite long, likely due to it being a warm Sunday afternoon. The staff did their best, but they could benefit from more help to keep up with the demand. The prices were reasonable, and the homemade coffee and walnut cake was delicious.

I believe they are doing their best with the resources they have, but there could be some improvement in the organization of the kitchen. Customers should be informed of any potential wait for hot food when placing their order. Scrambled eggs on toast should be served with the egg on the toast, not on the side with slices of toast. The scrambled eggs were also a bit dry, likely due to being cooked in a microwave without milk or seasoning. I considered ordering Rocky Road, but the portions seemed smaller than usual. In hindsight, I should have chosen that to save time. Overall, the restaurant is suitable for a cup of tea or coffee, but may not meet expectations for other menu items.

I am usually positive in reviews.Sorry this one isn't Not sure if tea was made with sterilised milk or milk was a bit old, but my partner and I both agreed there was a definite tang to it. Pulled pork bap was greasy and the roll insubstantial and crying out for some garnish. Cake was delicious. If you want plates and mugs, stay inside otherwise you get a disposable cup and food in a polystyrene or cardboard box. I know this isnt a posh restaurant but even as a cafe they could do a lot better. Chips were off the menu which was surprising as it was only half way through the week. The breakfast was just what we wanted, but they stopped serving it at neen and nothing particularly substantial and varied replaced it. . There is a curious amount of notices, some quite curt in tone, for example about leaving the sauce bottle on the single table and not taking it outside. The staff were certainly pleasant and working hard, hence just making two stars, but it did seem that a little more team work could have saved them time and cut serving time. The cafe was not particularly busy, but it was quite a while before the order was even started on. . Sorry, Coach House, we wont be coming back.

Ordered two cans of soft drink as very hot day they came warm so asked if they had any cold ones, which they did not, even though she got them out the fridge and from the back. Along with our order I placed 2 cheese toasted sandwiches, 20 mins later no sign of food, went in and asked how long are they going to be and no one bothered to look at the food order counter, so two members of staff disputing that one had told her , the other saying she did not!!!! So no sandwiches on the way. The place had 5 customers in. Disappointing as had a lovely walk, and with 3 members of staff on, and no customers being served they couldn't get it wrong.. hopefully they will improve on communication.