County Cafe, Aston Pottery in South Norfolk - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I have been to the cafe twice in a few weeks and found that the cakes are delicious and loads of choice. However, I had a savoury pie similar to homily pie which I didn’t really like - too much jelly in it. The main reason I wouldn’t return though is it’s very noisy. The ceilings are high, hard floors and no soft furnishings means that noise carries. My friends and I could hardly hear ourselves.

I would say a mixed experience… We arrived around 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. The staff seemed tired and indifferent, clearly it had been a big lunch rush. It is not advertised anywhere that food stops at 3pm, I don’t know why they can’t offer a sausage roll or some made up sandwiches after the cutoff time. It seemed like the staff were mentally checked out for the day but it was about 2 hours from closing time. We settled for cake which was a bit dry but nice in flavour. The shop is quite large and there’s a mix of their own products and other London/elsewhere based stuff. Nobody was buying from the shop whilst we were there so I would say it’s a bit bloated. The gardens are beautiful in the summer. I would pop by to see the flowers and a cup of tea but I wouldn’t stay for anything else.

Lovely lunch, quiche and salad, and the cakes looked good too. Great gift shop and walk around the garden.

The pottery in the shop is fabulous. An excellent cafe with homemade cake. The gardens might not seem that large but they are worth the visit on their own

The range of decorated pottery has been expanded into a large range of gift items. There is also a good cafe, very busy at lunch time. Upstairs children's toys and men's gifts. Lots of good 1000 piece puzzles and birthday cards. There are several very large beautiful long borders and a tree lined avenue.

Nice Scones and Hot Chocolate at an affordable price. You have to queue at the counter which when busy will be a pain, so one gets the table whilst the other orders. Nice place though

Delicious coffee and cakes and the garden is stunning so full of colour

Absolutely worth a visit - the food is amazing and the staff in the cafe are delightful. The gift shop is beautifully presented, with a high end choice of items.

A great thing to do with visitors. Good food, very pleasant staff, wonderful shop to look in even if not falling for the wonderful things to buy. We had coffee on arrival, wandered in the garden, the hot bed fantastic at this time of year & then lunched. Portions are very large. One brioche bun would have filled us both. All very fresh.

A really lovely shop and a great range of cakes but really let down by the unwelcoming atmosphere! I visited as part of a small group of mums with prams on a fairly quiet Thursday morning. We were very rudely told where we could and couldn’t put our prams (bearing sleeping babes) despite there being plenty of free tables and causing no inconvenience to other customers. One staff member in particular was very rude and seemed obsessed with keeping a table behind us unobstructed even though there were two more like it empty (and remained that way for the whole of our visit!). I’m sad to say I won’t be rushing back for a repeat visit!

Friendly staff and lovely food.

The gift shop at Aston Pottery is gorgeous, and the staff delightful, as were the gardeners who I chatted to. However, even though the food in the cafe was delicious and a great price, not one member of staff managed to look at me in the eye, or crack a smile when I ordered lunch for my family of 6 adults and a child. They won’t even take your order before the clock strikes 12, and as for asking if they have anything that you can give to a baby (eg scrambled egg)….. they don’t want to know. A real shame because it spoilt a really lovely place. Not for families with young children

Really nice cafe and good gift shop. Need to go back in summer when gardens are at their best. Plenty of parking

Some lovely pottery and other bits, but dont expect any garden items. The garden is tiny and can be viewed in around 10 mins. We ate in the cafe. I had a ploughman's and my partner had the fish cake. My partner was vomiting and other bodily functions at 3am the next morning. To sum it up, pop down the road to Bampton garden centre. Much better ploughman's and much bigger selection of food and cakes. Also a very lovely garden centre and shop.

As always a great place to stop for coffee and food. Always lovely items in the shop too.

As enjoyable as it always is!! And a few lovely gifts purchased.........

Very disappointed to arrive at a pottery shop based in old farm buildings to find they aren't dog friendly!

Visited while waiting for my car at the garage . Had latte and cake ! Lemon drizzle cake was beautiful definitely recommend. Service slightly lacking , the very young girl seemed too have an attitude and didn't want too be there , while huffing and puffing her way through service, it was very busy but customer service skills lacking . More savoury gf options would be lovely too!

Enjoyable experience looking round the gift shop. Excellent cafe, and good value too.

Disappointed again. Complete chaos behind counter. Why isn't one person responsible for making drinks? Made my coffee and the other four drinks took another 6 minutes. Needless to say the first coffee was cold when it got to the table. Middle aged staff member with pony tail and mauve apron just couldn't be bothered to be polite. Think she got out wrong side of bed. If you can't be polite don't work with customers! We queued yet a couple just jumped in front because they only wanted a drink. Not acceptable and staff should have told them to join the back of the queue. In fact the people behind me noticed all of this especially rude staff member and also commented. Won't be going back. Too expensive anyway gor a slice of quiche!!!

First visit with another couple who been here before and recommended the quiches. I had a bacon and mushroom quiche and it was a large portion and absolutely delicious. The other three had a variety of other types of quiche and were well satisfied. The salads with the main dishes were fresh and crisp in content. We followed with coffees and a variety of very good cakes, the range and choice of cakes were amazing. The Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I have read some negative reviews but I can only say that we had a very pleasant lunch with a great range of home produced food.

Had a lovely time in this shop with beautiful items for sale. Ideal for finding a special birthday gift (or treating yourself!). Had delicious quiche and salad, generous portion size. Friendly staff.

I’ve visited Aston Pottery frequently over the years and always found the food very good, however when I ordered a ploughmans lunch today, I was very disappointed as there were just two thin slices of cheddar cheese with no other cheese choices. My friend found the Quiche Lorraine disappointing (it was her first visit) and had to keep ‘picking hard piece's’ (we were not sure what it was) and so she left them on the plate. We should have spoken to a staff member but they were very busy, incidentally service with a smile is alway nice but sadly that was not the case.

Excellent food generous portions Salads brilliant . Staff offen appear very busy and stressed. Clean and comfortable

Having been a regular here for over a decade, the menu is exactly the same as 10 yrs ago - Quiche and (dull) salads, with great cakes. Sadly the word 'great' cannot be applied to the coffee. The only reason I keep returning is good access for my disabled friend. For a change I had the Ham Salad Bowl. What arrived looked more like someone had been preparing a stir fry, chopped yellow and red peppers, chopped red onions and NO dressing, with 4 slices of cucumber and 4 slices of tomato with 4 slices of ham. If you do not want a bowl of raw veg - do not order the Salad Bowl.

Great for gifts, some lovely pottery, and a very good cafe 😋

Not impressed!! We are regular customers and tried to book a table for 3 for a family catch-up before Christmas. We were told they would not take a booking for less than 4 people unless we were disabled (!?). This ruling makes no sense. We will not be visiting the pottery again Luckily we were able to book at a local pub - a wider menu, lower prices and they were delighted to take our call

Great food & service as always xx

As always Aston Pottery was great. The hot drinks are good and the food, whether cakes, snacks or lunch menu are awesome. It is all homemade and delicious for a very reasonable price & there's always something gluten free for the coeliacs and the staff seem to be trained in preventing cross-contamination. The shop is full of really lovely ideas for gifts & there are so many greeting cards to chose from and it gets dressed beautifully for each season, so for Christmas it feels festive in a really elegant way. My friends and I meet up here for a coffee and chat by preference. It's a lovely building with a really nice feel to it, the cafe feels very open even when busy, is clean and kept tidy, the shop is full of interesting things and is really welcoming. There's load of parking too.

Lovely place to shop for Christmas gifts and decorations.good cafe to

A very pleasant experience....and nice cake!

Wonderful food, friendly service and a big choice of unusual presents

Very tasty quiche, yummy sausage rolls and great coffee! Seved quickly and politely.

Beautiful gardens , lovely cakes and lunch options. Took one star off as it is very expensive

A lovely place to visit. The gardens are absolutely beautiful. Great shop, lots of pottery choices/ gift ideas. The restaurant is fab, enjoyed our coffee & cakes. Planning to do lunch next time 😋

Visited here for afternoon tea for two , it was extremely busy which is expected at lunch time but alot of dirty tables around us .. I booked it for 1pm but was written down for 12.30pm . I informed them we had arrived and was told by the young girl that i need too tell someone else as she works in the kitchen and not that department!!! Surly you all work together as a team and can pass messages on.....We waited 15 mins too be offered a tea or coffee . The afternoon tea was lovely all home made which was lovely touch. This is personal preference but it was very heavy on sweet items and lacking in savoury, we only got two tiny rolls and a tiny piece of sausage roll, would of preferred more savoury and less sweet. £22.95 per person seems quite expensive too me. Would return but try a lunch next time ☺️

Brilliant. Lots of interesting pottery, aswell as wide range of other good products. Very pleasant flower gardens. Cafe is very good.

Our gardening group had a tour of the gardens which were wonderful. So colourful! The gardener who conducted the tour, a young man called Kian, was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. A very enjoyable and worthwhile visit.

The food is always excellent here but the wasp situation seems to get worse each summer. I feel very sorry for the staff who have to carry trays in and out, battling the wasps as they go. It’s too hot indoors with the sliding doors shut but as they’re open, in come all the wasps. It made for a thoroughly unpleasant dining experience. They need to install some air conditioning units in the cafe area.

Small but spectacular garden crammed with colour. Fab cafe and shop. We loved it!

We came here here with family this past weekend, and what a surprise. The main business is the pottery, but they have a very bright, modern 'eatery' producing freshly made sandwiches, salads and quiches, all nicely displayed. You advise them of your choice and pay at the counter, then it is all served to you. All top quality including the coffee etc. A very well presented plate of food, served by smiley waitresses and at a very reasonable price. I am not a big fan of pots and other items which we can all live without, all of which are in abundance if that floats your boat.' The big surprise was the gardens, all very colourfully and skilfully planted which surround this establishment, and free of charge to view! If you have never been, give it a go soon, before the plants go over. You will not be disappointed.

Food and service was very nice but sadly ruined by far too many wasps in the restaurant - constantly pestered by them. One landed in my juice so that was ruined. I know it’s partly the time of year, but I gave up and left the wasps to enjoy my lunch. Waste of money for me.

Very little lunch options available due to being a very busy day, and slow service too

So disappointed, we were there a couple of weeks ago for Sunday lunch and choice was very limited compared to other times. Today we went again (Saturday 1pm) and there was just 2 options of quiche, some salad options had not been replenished so some customers missed out. We were given dirty cups, skimmed milk was rancid and they did not remove it for further serving. I ordered gluten free cake and they served on same plate as normal cake after I asked to keep separate (portions were smaller than normal too).The server asked 'what can we do for you?' when we complained. How about offering what you can do to make amends? Thus is not a cheap cafe! We were regular customers, not anymore.

Well worth s visit for the cafe and superb flower beds in the car park! If not for the pottery.

Just went for a coffee and cake and a look round.

Excellent coffee and cakes. Good place for unusual present ideas.

Afternoon tea was great. Lovely rolls with salad and pickles. Great choice of cakes and macaroons and a good supply of tea.

The pottery shop has a wide selection of quality goods. Excellent cafeteria. Amazing quiches, wonderful cakes and scones and a lovely cup of tea.

Menu is mainly quiche and brioche bun based with a few extra things and has been for as long as I can remember. There is also a selection of cakes etc that I did not try. My quiche (mushroom and bacon) was tasteless and barely warm as were the accompanying vegetables. The parsnips were like bullets. Not good value for money and menu needs updating to provide more choice. At the moment it seems like it is a menu that is there for he benefit of the servers to get the food out as quick as possible.

Rather expensive but well stocked with China from their pottery.

Well worth a visit if you are passing

I was visiting different potteries in the area and came across this one and my god it was so wonderful. The little shop and the cafe are so wholesome and cute to visit. The food in the cafe was excellent - the use of the ceramic ware in the cafe I thought was beautiful. The cakes and sandwiches were excellent and the staff were wonderfully helpful. I would 100000% return here on another visit to the cotswolds.

Great place for a Potter (pun) around. Some lovely quality pottery and other goodies can be found. The cafe is just in another dimension, and the slices of quiche are huge (they do allow sharing.)

What a beautiful place. So many lovely things to look at and buy!

Nice meal but I was disheartened when a man who resembles milhouse from the simpsons came in and began to attack me

Lunch with a friend and a browse around their beautiful gift shop

Lovely quiche and vegetables at lunch time in a charming setting with a constant buzz of activity. Well worth a trip to browse and pick up a few individual gift cards or presents.

A bit disappointing; café staff are not very friendly or helpful, and if you have a food intolerance or allergy, like gluten, you may be going hungry as the choices is very limited. One or two boring things. So while the setting nice, it's a thumbs down for me.

Visited Aston Pottery specifically for an afternoon tea with my daughter. When I booked they were very accommodating as I don't like brioche buns so asked if I could have sandwiches instead. The sandwiches, sausage roll, scones and cakes were amazing and all the staff were really lovely. Good coffee also. Will be going back and plan on taking my grandchildren as they do children's lunch boxes.

The cakes and scones are delicious. The coffees great. Staff friendly and prices reasonable - not much more you can ask for.

A great coffee and lunch stop! Have visited a number of times as a cyclist for a coffee and cake and alway a winner. Recently had lunch here with my parents - excellent value, great choice of quiches and veg/salads and sandwiches. Really a good tasty feed for the price and top marks for the size of the pot of tea. Very friendly staff but sometimes a bit on the chaotic/unorganised side. But would recommend.

Lovely Christmas display, lemon drizzle cake dry but the coffee and walnut was lush

Very nice, but prices have shot up

Food great, lovely place to visit 👍

It's alright, bit pricey but alright

Lovely gifts and super café. Some items are a little pricey for example a mug for £17.99! But great place for something special.

My friend and I visited recently and were left a bit disappointed. We ordered a coffee, hot chocolate and both had the soup. Firstly we were told rather abruptly that we couldn't sit where we had chosen as it was a table for four despite lots of other couples sitting at tables for four and there being many other available spaces including all of the upstairs tables (we wouldn't have chosen this table had it been busy, but we arrived after the lunchtime rush and it was quiet). We then ordered a coffee and hot chocolate and both asked for no chocolate on top when they offered this. They were delivered both with chocolate on top which was a bit annoying as we had been the only customers at the counter and they had a lot of staff at the counter, I could have understood the mistake if they had been busy. We also ordered the soup with soda bread which was on a board of it's own which had gluten free, vegan, vegetation, dairy free etc. highlighted at the top of it. When this came my friends soup had a hair in it which was very unfortunate but these things do happen. I did note though that those working in the kitchen didn't have hair nets/hats on. The soup was very average and expensive for £7 each. The hot chocolate was very nice though. However, since eating the soup and bread I was quite unwell, I have a gluten intolerance and I'm concerned that the bread wasn't gluten free despite this lunch option being highlighted as gf on the board at the counter. My friend has IBS so avoids gluten and dairy and was also unwell after eating here. In hindsight we should have confirmed with the ladies at the counter before ordering to be sure, but I do think if it's on the board that the meal meets various dietary requirements/preferences then it's a bit misleading if it actually doesn't! So overall we were quite disappointed.

We normally celebrate special occasions with afternoon tea at Blenheim palace, but decided for a change to try Aston Pottery Cafe.We definitely weren't disappointed, the bread rolls and fruit scones were delicious and the highlight of an excellent afternoon tea. Almost everything on the plates (and probably including the plates) were created in on site which is always nicer than food that is simply bought in already pre-made.Blenheim palace might have the surroundings but for a lot cheaper and even tastier food, Aston Pottery is simply better. The owner and staff should be very proud.A word of warning, you can't simply rock up, you do need to book a table for afternoon tea.

Firstly the long border and newly created flower embankment are spectacular.Four of us for lunch, self service was a wee bit slow, but thereafter the food and service was excellent. The quiches we had were large portions and very tasty.Would call in again when next in the area.

Excellent range of quiche and salads plus a few hot dishes. Really large helpings. High quality and taste. Helpful staff

I have always loved having lunch here before lockdown, not anymore. I had the crustless quiche for lunch it was terrible nothing in it but scrambled egg. When I complained it was not taken seriously only that the chef would be informed. I paid for a meal and only ate four tiny pieces of potato. I was cross that I had wasted my money. I will never have lunch here again.

Visited after work for a meet up with colleagues. We sat outside in the sunshine enjoying coffees and cakes and then had a little wander round the gorgeous shop. It was so lovely to be back in one of our favourite shops/coffee shops.

I visited here with my husband, father-in-law and his wife for a mid-week lunch. My husband and I had not been before but our other family members had.There is a very large car park and we had no problem getting parked. It is counter service which is fine but they only allow one person per party to the counter (presumably because of covid) so my elderly father-in-law had to try remember 4 people's food and drink orders as he was treating us. I ordered the salad with goats cheese and red onion marmalade. My husband ordered a jacket potato. My father-in-law ordered a sandwich and his wife ordered a salad too. We ordered a mix of hot and cold drinks. I was looking forward to a cake after looking at photographs on here and facebook but there was barely any selection when we visited and certainly none that looked like the photos so I didn't get one. The tables were nicely spaced apart and the room was large and airy. We didn't wait too long for the food to come. My salad was very nicely presented but if you took away the lettuce leaves whic packed out the bowl, there was actually only a few mouthfuls of food. It tasted nice but the salad contents weren't very imaginative. I was still very hungry after finishing my meal and needed to eat again after leaving. Not just peckish but actually hungry. The prices weren't too bad but i think SLIGHTLY too expensive for what you get served. Only slightly though. We had a little look around the shop which was expensive but had some very nice gift items. I wouldn't return as I like a bit more of a filling cafe meal for that price, but it was a pleasant visit.

Absolutely delicious afternoon tea. Excellent staff who were very attentive. Beautifully presented afternoon tea. Highly recommended. Beautiful gardens and pottery shop. Will definitely be visiting again

What a lovely surprise, hidden away in the back lanes near Bampton. There are gardens just bursting with colourful dahlias, rudbeckias, echinaceas and myriads of other summer flowers and - a thatched cottage! A joy to walk around, and free to get in. The tea rooms have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and you can get real tea in a teapot with homemade cakes. Yum! Staff exceptionally efficient and friendly Gift shop selling their own pottery of course, plus lavender items, scarves, jewellery etc. Adequate and sensible Covid precautions which were not intrusive. If you are in the area, this is a must-see.

All the necessary virus precautions were taken, certainly among the best I have seen.We picked one of the outdoor tables, and I chose a Chorizo Gnocchi bake. The first time I have tried this dish, and it was absolutely delicious, and was accompanied by a small salad.There are always a few interesting lunch choices, and I have never been disappointed. Lovely gardens to visit after the meal

Went in the cafe when we first arrived for 2 coffees, bottled water and cakes - not bad value for £13 as staff were very friendly and obliging. We had also booked for an afternoon tea for lunch as a birthday present for great grandma. Thought was ok when first saw it, different sandwich fillings - salmon, cheese and a slightly tangy pickle and ham (quite fatty) and tasteless salad. A third of a whole sandwich of each filing. There was a scone, cream and jam each and an a iced fairy cake, small slice of apricot sponge and a macaroon each. We had 1 pot of tea and a jug of tap water. The bill was £50 for 3 of us (one was a child) a whopping £16 something each! I know there were a number of elements but it felt like we were paying a fortune for it all to be presented on a tiered plate rack!!! Such a shame because I feel really ripped off! The morning coffee was better value! Terrible value for money! Won’t be recommending to anyone!

Excellent afternoon tea for two. Scones and cakes were home made and tasted wonderful! Prices a little high but probably worth it for the quality. The attention to health and safety was outstanding! If just one person sat at a table with 4 chairs then the whole table and all 4 chairs- front and back were completely cleaned before anyone was allowed to use it!

We visited on a hot sunny lunchtime and ate outside in the courtyard. The food was good, ample portions and lovely that its all served on Aston crockery. The gardens are beautiful with lovely agapanthus in pots in the courtyard and a colourful herbacious border there too. The hornbeam garden (opened by David Cameron when he was PM in his capacity as MP for Witney) is simply stunning with a wide variety of colourful plants.

This is a regular location for us to take on refreshments and comfort break.A good selection of cakes and drinks (of course you can eat and enjoy a meal, but we only make it a short stop).Well priced cakes and drinks.Plenty of bike space and security for parking up.My only grip is the limited toilet availability (speaking on behalf of 4 blokes arriving together, at least one of us has to wait!).

Surprisingly fast service during a busy lunch time. Lovely light lunch choices including salads, sandwiches, baked potatoes and amazing looking quiches. Lovely little touches such as individual pots of mayonnaise and a wide variety of salad dressings. The choice of cakes was brilliant. Cafe set in a Big airy space. Good value.

Today I came with my friend ( her first visit) . We had a beautiful Cream Tea in lovely surroundings, amazing staff who were all very friendly & helpful and very tasty fresh food.We had a Fabulous time & will definitely return again in the New Year.

Very enjoyable visit including the tour of the pottery. Good coffeee and tea but not eaten there yet. Plenty of unusual gifts in the Christmas shop. Been back several times but did find the cafe a bit crowded -though that can be a recommendation in itself

Had lunch here today. Absolutely brilliant yet again. The herbaceous garden was a gorgeous sight through the window too. The gardens are always well looked after. It's a real treat visiting.

Lovely garden outside but the cafe was not worth the visit. The food was bland and boring. Both of us thought that and we had different dishes, one hot and one cold. The staff were downright unfriendly, the tables were not properly clean and the chairs were rickety. Will not go again.

Came here and it was very busy which is always a good sign. Waited a reasonable time in the queue and ordered food. It came after a short wait and was pleasant. The panini was nicely toasted but the Brie not really melted in the middle could have done with another minute and the salad garnish was just a pile of leaves which I don’t understand. Possibly a tomato or two and a slice of cucumber would make this even better.

Tried to sit and eat outside as dogs not allowed in understandably. Then overwhelmed with wasps in garden and had to retreat quickly to car. How about some wasp traps!?

Really depends what you go here for. Nice flower garden and well stocked shop. We went for lunch...oh dear! I've been here before when it was quiet and service was good today it was busy and despite lots of staff service was very slow. I had an average bit and a mocha which was so sickly I couldn't finish it. There was water but no glasses, the tables and chairs were dirty and sticky. The cake, which is usually very good, was no more than average. By all means come to look at the flowers or gift shop but have your lunch somewhere else.

I come here every so often to meet a friend and the food is always lovely. Yesterday’s stuffed potato skins with feta and dried tomatoes were really good. Love the shop too. It’s great for cards and gifts.

Popped over for a quick visit (Sat 11th May) as we don’t live far away, it was 3pm, lunch service finishes at 3pm. I asked one of the young female staff if we could still order lunch. We were offered a choice which was excellent. The food arrived promptly and was delicious! Staff conduct was excellent, very professional, we personally thanked the member of staff as we left.

My sister & her family live in Aston, we had taken the dogs for a long walk and popped in after for some lunch.

Having walked around the shop and looked at all the pottery on sale we came back downstairs to the cafe entrance and queued for our tea and coffee whilst ordering our quiche, baked potato and salad followed by a scone and a vegan cake for one person. The order went astray but the staff quickly apologized and the correct order came along with polite staff. Lovely surroundings whilst sipping your tea with the large windows all around the cafe. One of the nicest and cleanest toilets I have come across in many years with lovely hand wash liquid soap. Well done to all the staff running this place.If only all centers were this good.

We had lunch here on Sunday, myself, daughter and my parents. My 8 year old enjoyed a tuna and cheese half jacket - perfect size for her, and I loved the sausage roll - one of the tastiest I’ve ever had! We polished it off with some delicious (if filling) chocolate cake that was lovely and moist. Friendly service as always too.

Popped in to visit the pottery shop and had a very good sandwich and cuppa. Lots of lovely salads available too

We went in near closing time after browsing the adjoining shop. The weather outside was cold, windy & wet. Two large mugs of tea with cakes were just the thing to warm and cheer ourselves. Airy, open cafe with personable staff. Good service. Must return for a proper lunchtime meal soon. The cafe and the shop make a good afternoon out.

We had a lovely tea here at the pottery. The food is always excellent and this was no exception. The sandwiches were fresh and the scones, crumbly and buttery (and huge) we took our cake home with us. This is not the daintiest of afternoon teas but it's great value for money and it tastes brilliant.

A brief visit for afternoon tea/coffee and tea-cakes.

The cafe can cope with big breakfasts, lunches or just cake and coffee. Everything looks delicious to eat. We just had one large fluffy chess scone and one fluffy fruit scone. The drinks and food are nicely presented on pottery made at the pottery.

I had the pork and cider pie with the veg side. The pie was okay, being more tepid than tasty and the sides were stone cold. We had come at the very start of service so were very surprised to be given cold food.