Carpenter's farm shop and restaurant in Tendring

My friend booked a table for 3 over the phone. We have been before but not since Covid, recommended by a friend who was a ‘regular’ and lives in the village, none of us will be back. I noticed there was another reservation on our table and queried this with the guy behind the counter who confirmed yes our table was only reserved for us for 90 minutes. Nothing was said when the table was booked over the phone, this isnt stated on either your website or your menu, there is a reference to it on your Facebook page in March this year however I would not consider that to be all over your social media as the waitress told us, to be told all our regulars know and many places are the same is just rubbish, we meet for lunch regularly and we have never had any time constraints anywhere! Both my son and myself work in hospitality and would never dream of speaking to a customer with the tone and with the rudeness that the lady who ‘served’ us did…..it was defensive and unapologetic. We finished our coffee and left, we went 10 minutes down the road and the welcome and hospitality we received could not have been more different.

Had lunch with my friend. From the moment we walked through the door, till the moment we left, There was a welcoming environment. Excellent service Excellent quality food. Fresh, hot and delicious. Very reasonably priced. Will it be returning. I will highly recommend this place.

This is a great place to eat. Excellent food and friendly efficient service in a converted 18th/19th century barn full of character. You can also sit outside. Their breakfasts are particularly good, including an all day one. Parking on site. Thoroughly recommended

We booked table for this special Burns evening, as they normally close at 18.00 hrs on a Friday. Only one in the group was of Scottish descent, but at £30 each for this fantastic food, scotch broth, haggis neeps and tatties, fillet steak and chips, strawberries, shortbread and cream, and a Piper, what is not to like! This is a seriously good place to eat. I suspect the new owners (Taylor & Hall) are trying hard to provide good food, and service, at very attractive prices, and I will return!

Full English breakfast best in Essex I go every week never disappointed good quality produce and friendly staff very efficient 👍🏻

This is just a cafe at a farm shop..but the quality of food is very high standard..best breakfasts in this area..also do a good lunch selection.,my favourite is their ploughmans..ham and cheese.,great value for quality food.,friendly helpful service.

Appears to be run by amateurs. Cutlery arrived in wet serviettes. Order for 7 people arrived in stages over 15 minutes. As only 3 were hot and these arrived first it spoilt a group lunch. Pastry bases on quiches were raw and grey. Taken away when commented on and not returned until we pointed out that we were still waiting. The quiches had obviously been put on a hot plate to brown the outer surface of the pastry. Still not edible. No interaction from staff apart from clearing parts of table whilst some were still eating. Would not return.

One of the very best cafes in the area..great selection of breakfasts..lunches..all food excellent..friendly helpful staff..great value for money.

Love visiting here..always first class..really good quality produce..always cooked to perfection..we normally visit for breakfasts or an early lunch..great service..excellent value for money.

Nice to support local farm shops..and have fresh produce..also has fantastic tearooms where we stopped for lunch..nice warm welcome..friendly staff..good selection..quality ingredients..reasonably priced.

This is by far the best Breakfast anywhere in the area..also fantastic lunches..their ploughmans with ham and cheese is Great..RECOMMENDED.

Lovely clean cafe.,nice friendly service..have had breakfast here on several occasions..this time called in at lunchtime with friends..they were impressed..great home cooked food..this time I went for a ploughmans..ham and cheese..served with salad..pickles etc..it was all EXCELLENT.

lovely home cooked food really tasty good selection well presented and good size potions very reasonably priced. staff are friendly and helpful. The surroundings are clean and pleasant. Worth a visit.

The Barn serves great food, it is excellent quality and the team of ladies are extremely friendly. BEWARE - There is a display case full of cakes and other lovely things to eat located on the counter where you place your order, they are too delicious to just walk past and all too often i end up as fat as a fooll when i go there. We usually visit on a Sunday morning for the Full English which is served until 12:00pm. But the menu is extensive and the food is good. Highly recommended

Sorry for the late review. I don't normally do this type of thing,but felt I had to in this case. Angela & the girls at the barn cafe, were so very nice, and nothing was to much trouble for our group. They stayed behind after there closing time and made us feel so special. We had been at a service at Weeley Crematorium & our friends had come from Romford,so we were worried about recommending somewhere on such a special occasion. We had been there a week before & had a great time & excellent food & very very nice cakes,so we knew it should be good,but you always worry. The service food & cakes were great,and would like to thank them all and our friends were delighted with everything & would like to come again when they visit. Thanks ladies.

Out and about, we have been here before and it was good last time and it the same if not better, this is a fantastic little place friendly staff great food and a must visit.

All four of us agreed..this place does the best breakfast for miles..everything cooked lovely and fresh..RECOMMENDED

we have been here a couple of times now for breakfast and the service and food is excellent. The actual place is a very nice place to eat in highly recommend

Always freshly cooked . Very tasty and hot . Staff very pleasant , even when rushed off of there feet .

La comida estaba bien pero por los asientos eran estanterías muy polvoriento. Hubo un error en el orden que el director de su personal le echó. Tortas y café eran muy buenos.

We visited Carpenters Barn Restaurant last Saturday for breakfast , with our grown-up Grand-children ! Apart from a lovely atmosphere we had excellent service and fantastic value for money ! There was a choice of large or small breakfast all including egg , bacon , tomato , hash brown , mushrooms , sausage . Also toast & tea or coffee ! There are other choices . One Grandson said it was the best breakfast he had ever had ! It was on the table in about 10 minutes . There are 2 highchairs of which we had one for our Great Grand-daughter but we did book as there were a few of us and it does get busy .

If you want good quality produced strawberries potatoes and many other items you have got to give it a visit .

Nice food the menu has developed over time they now have more on offer. Cakes coffee snacks, breakfast and brunch. Nice alternative once in a while

We called yesterday for shopping & coffee. The shop has a great selection of produce & other items at very reasonable prices. Great range of vegetables and cheese also bread flour.Called in café for coffee. Very pleasant great coffee good prices. Menu has a good selection of items. We recommend this place to all.

I had my first visit today and was absolutely stunned by not only the beauty of the barn but the level of service I was given! I took my very fussy 3 year old son and the staff went to great lengths to make a meal of all his favourite things which made my lunch time very peaceful! The food was amazing and well presented and the cakes were to die for! I will definately be returning and recommending to my friends and family. Thank you to you all for such a wonderful lunching experience!

Went to the barn with family for lunch, all homemade will be returning soon for sunday roast, also cakes to die for...keep up the good work

We attend this farm shop frequently for breakfast and it is really nice. Sadly, they have changed the menu recently and got rid of some of our favourite dishes. What they now offer is nice but not as good as it was.

I met some friends for lunch here. I know it has been reopened lately and the service was good. Staff were friendly and efficient. Food was good and plentiful. Prices were average compared to pub restaurants.Would visit again sometime.

My husband and I went to Carpenters Farm for lunch today and it was really lovely, the sandwiches where so fresh and came with salad, coleslaw and home made chips.extremely great value for money, real quality napkins (don't fall apart) and spotlessly clean and perfect friendly service and great atmosphere, we will certainly being again.

choice and standard of food is just great, and there is a café/restaurant too,pick your own is available when in season,strawberries/asparagus etc, then go for a nice cup of tea.........................

I have visited a few times both for coffee, breakfast and lunch. Very warm welcome and good service. The food has been nice although a little pricey I think but its a nice place to go once in a while and good opening times. Staff pleasant and everywhere clean.

We have visited two in the last week and enjoyed both visits. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was hot and very tasty, a good selection on the menu. I especially enjoyed the tea/egg timer to tell you when your tea had brewed.

fantastic breakfast, great tasting sausages, and bacon. lovely converted barn, and staff friendlyish. decent farm shop next door to the cafe.

My daughter and I stopped for a Saturday morning brunch...Pancakes, bacon and maple...fab! The staff were very friendly and helpful the coffee was delicious a must for the coffee buffs out there. A converted barn with beautiful surroundings and excellent facilities for disabled customers. The farm shop is well worth a visit for a touch of retail therapy after a wonderful meal. You can also 'pick your own', the strawberries are so bright and fresh. You could easily spend several hours of enjoyment here.

Arriving without a reservation at a farm shop's eatery would not normally be a problem...not so here. The 50+ seat restaurant was packed on a wet Tuesday after the late May bank holiday. Clearly there was no table to be had, but the host of a party of four, seated just as we arrived, offered us his table as he was the father of the Chef! The menu offers a selection of breakfasts, sandwiches, baked potatoes etc plus half a dozen main courses, a small selection of desserts and a wine list. The liver and bacon, cooked pink, was great. The burger missed a couple of the main ingredients and was not so good...but judging by the food coming out of the kitchen and the comments of other guests this must have been a "one-off". However a member of staff wrote down the problem and the issue was quickly and efficiently resolved.The farm shop next to the restaurant has expanded and is sure to appeal to the casual shopper after a good lunch. This type of restaurant, found in garden centres and farm shop outlets competes well with the pub-grub market offering good food and surroundings without the prices of a Gastro pub, and an opportunity for a bit of retail therapy followed by a cream tea, why not?.Well worth a visit, and in our case a return visit!

We stumbled on this little treasure by chance. There was wonderful fresh fish to buy, alongside farm produce, but best of all was the cafe, with wonderful coffee and the best bacon sandwiches either of us have ever had. Make a detour if you are heading past Colchester up into east Anglia!