Healthy Weeks & Weekend Treats : The Gardener's Cottage -Tatton Park

In the Gardens

A timely escape to the countryside! I love living in central Manchester, but sometimes and escape to some rural fresh air is a blessing! I ventured out to Tatton Park, a national trust property - and somewhere I've been meaning to visit for a long time! As the parents were visiting, I seized the opportunity as they had the car. We took a risk with the weather (October can be unpredictable at best) - but we were very fortunate in the end. We experienced some beautiful late afternoon autumnal light on our walk - a great way to spend a Saturday! Among all the walking and garden wandering, coffee was of course compulsory. We retreated to 'The Gardener's Cottage'.

Inside the house itself (not the cafe) - this was part of the servant's quarters,

The menu includes traditional lunch and afternoon tea favourites. Fresh cakes are baked daily and looked awesome, and come in consdirably sized slices! I couldn't manage cake as I had had a massive breakfast at Home Sweet Home. The place is a cottage, as the title implies, and so there are three cute floors of quintessentially British rooms filled tastefully with wooden tables and delicate china for tea. There is a current trend to go for afternoon tea - this place seems like the proper job, although of course I can only comment on the coffee.

They offer filter, espresso: latte and americano and an interesting selection of caffitiers of variying strenght and origin. We each had a different one, they were all pleasant. The main attraction however, was of course the surroundings. A historic buidling set among the most beautiful countryside. A highly recommendable place for a weekend walk to escape the city and a charming cottage for coffee. There is also a market on at the moment with various Christmas gifts and local food, including Manchester honey and some delicious chocolate!