Darlingtons Tea Rooms in Aylesbury Vale

We were having a special family gathering with a few requests as we wanted to bring our dog and my elderly Mum was in a wheelchair. From the minute I called to book the table, the team at 1867 were exceptional. They could not have been more accommodating. We had a fantastic lunch there and I have to pass on my thanks to Sarah who came over to give my Mum a birthday ballon and a bottle of Prosecco which we were not expecting. The team put the customer first from the start to finish, and it’s been a long time since I have seen such a genuine and dedicated hospitality team in a restaurant. It’s an exceptional place to eat and meet with friends and family and I can’t wait to come back and eat here. Congratulations team 1867 - you deserve a 5/5 for all your excellent work.

A group of eight of us met here for lunch and then returned for tea and cake after a good browse around the shops. The food, atmosphere and service couldn't be faulted. We were made to feel like friends rather than customers by the wonderful lady who served us. Nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely return and would recommend 1867 to anyone.

When dining with a 2 year old, you always feel a little anxious. Not today though ! A book, a special menu which doubled up as a colouring adventure, plus a toy were provided without prompting. Little mans face lit up when the food arrived. The presentation of his meal was amazing and he ate almost every morsel. The staff here are 100% attentive and fabulous. The food is clearly in house prepared and whoever is in charge of staff training and team building deserves a raise. Thornily and wholeheartedly recommend you visit. Do book though as it is such a busy place. For those who left a negative review, you clearly do not understand or appreciate the hospitality industry. 10 stars for our experience x

Visited this place with my wife and Labrador after a walk locally. We were warmly welcomed and our dog was given a water bowl and jar of treats when we sat down (best dog service we’ve ever experienced). The food we had was really tasty and reasonably priced, and when they found out it was actually my 50th birthday I was given a card and bottle of cider as a present! Will definitely be returning and would recommend.

My friends and I went for afternoon tea (pre booked). The food was nice - generous sandwich portions, and lovely scones and cakes, but there a few things which let the restaurant down: - The service was quite slow. On arrival we were shown to our table then left for a good 15 minutes before anyone took our drinks order. We also had to ask several times for our scones to be brought out. - There was no information/menu indicating what the afternoon tea included and the waitress didn't explain what sandwiches and cakes were being served when they were brought out - Bizarrely, any tea/coffee refills are only included in the £29.50 price if it's 'builders' tea (Yorkshire tea) or filter coffee. As none of us drink either of these, and all requested a refill, an additional charge of over £10 was added to our bill. When challenged on this, the staff member removed this cost as a gesture of good will, which was very much appreciated. This is the first time I've encountered an additional charge for refills anywhere I've been for afternoon tea (and I go out for afternoon tea a lot!) I would recommend the restaurant to others based on the food quality but I would have reservations about going for afternoon tea again due to the additional charges for refills on 'speciality' tea!

Sadly we got turned away from the 1867 cafe even though there was a spare bench to sit on outside , we asked how long the wait for food , the answer was 60 mins so we asked for drinks instead , no was their answer as they were to busy to serve food or drinks . Very disappointed ! We travelled 15 miles to have a look a round the little shops and have something to eat and drink at the rose of the shires but sadly we left shortly after being turned away from 1867 cafe . We did ring and explain to the manager of the cafe and they were apologetic. I am not sure how the cafe will cope after the building work has been completed on the rose of shire site or maybe some other refreshments outlet should be there ! .

What a great find! We were on a narrow boat holiday when we stopped to find somewhere to eat. Just a short walk away we found this fab little spot. We had a very warm welcome from the friendly staff. Food was delicious, coffee was fab. Highly recommend.

When I look at the reviews, my own experience must have caught them at a bad time. Lovely summer day when we visited and having walked around, decided to have a cuppa and something to eat. Not really wanting to sit inside, we went to one of the few empty tables and sat down. The cutlery and crockery from the previous occupiers was still sitting on the table so we tidied them up to make it obvious that they did not belong to us and sat, and sat and sat. The waitresses that did appear, simply ignored us even when we tried to attract their attention. I don't mean the deliberately ignored us, simply were focussed on walking past and not seeing us. My wife suggested that we had to go inside to order so I did, only to be told, no a waitress will come to your table. Over 20 minutes sitting (had we not been in a fairly remote area, we would have left) however, eventually a girl did arrive - but only took the crockery away and did nothing to clear the debris left on the table which I had to do myself. Eventually we did get our order taken and have to say, the food (cream teas) was very good. Extremely disappointed with the service however.

Very rude staff . Regarding seating area . Not a nice experience . When we highlighted her rudeness she became even more rude .

Hubby and I visited today for the first time in a few years and OH MY what a very pleasant experience we had....the staff were friendly and on the ball the restaurant was very clean.. comfortable..and bright and to top it of the food was very good arriving quickly and hot. We were very impressed and shall return very soon...Well done team 1867 at Heart of The Shires

Just back from a great trip to Heart of the Shires . We organised a coach trip for our local WI along with a trip to Althorp House . Jackie great at getting back in Touch re accommodating all 38 of us and the feedback from our group has been fabulous. Lovely food service and welcome from all! We will be certainly be back as a Christmas trip has already been suggested. Thanks again.

I had the Turkish apple tea which came out with a funky timer. It was lush. I shared a massive portion of lemon meringue pie with my mum. It was very good. Dogs are welcome and there's a doggy menu.

Location great for a meet up. Food on the expensive side for what you get. £4.95 for a tea cake! Service pleasant but a little ‘ in your face’ for me! We were asked three times for our order when we had just sat down. This looked to be the case for other diners too. Surely people don’t sit down and decide straight away. Dining is a social occasion. Feels like pressure to turn the tables around quickly rather than having a nice experience. From my experience I think they need to balance this better While I understand the need for time limits at a table it is not welcoming to be told when you need to vacate the table. Sets an unfortunate tone. We meet here for good location and chilled shopping. Eating experience is so so. Would recommend with reservation for cost/service approach

Just returned from having a fantastic Bacon Baguette and Coffee. I the most fantastic Christmas Decorated Outdoor space . They are to be congratulated for what they have achieved in this difficult year.

My star rating is for the overall experience, as this is a lovely old fashioned style tea room with very friendly, helpful staff and great customer service. We have not eaten a meal here, but the food looks very good. We have been three times for coffee/cakes. I understand this is more of a restaurant than a stop by for drinks, therefore coffee is not made by a barista, rather a push button machine. But the coffee quality is very poor, tasteless and little difference between cappuccino/latte/flat white. They are just presented in different cups/glass and we feel a bit short changed by this lack of knowledge and lack of quality. If management don’t want to train someone to prepare milks for espresso (I work in a very busy food cafe in the Lakes, but our 18 year old barista can present drinks as quickly as they serve them here), maybe use a better quality local roasted coffee? We did pass this on after our first visit, but maybe the emphasis is on the food, not good coffee.

Really lovely place to stop and have a delicious lunch and cake too. Also make sure you check out the kitchen shop upstairs in the centre section

Lovely little gem of a place. Really friendly and homely. Tasty food and well priced. Feels safe and clean.

This is a gem of a place. Family run restaurant with fantastic friendly staff and service. The food is very fresh and very generous and its presentation is outstanding. The new outside all season area is an added bonus, which is either open to the sunshine or shuttered and heated from any cold. It looks fabulous kitted out for Christmas. We visit as often as possible and are always made to feel welcome and part of the family. Cannot recommend enough !!

Due to COVID had a work Xmas lunch outside with two work colleagues ...shutters were down on the terrace every table had a heater beautifully decorated surrounded with Christmas trees and really spaced out Food as normal was really tasty and mince pies were delicious highly recommended

Lovely food AGAIN!The pork and stuffing baguette was huge, and jacket potatoes were also very good!And lovely friendly staff!!

We had a lovely lunch for my wife birthday, food was great and the staff were really friendly and attentive, they went out of their way to cater for our 14 month old son and sang happy birthday to my wife and put a candle on her cake. We will definitely come back. Also the ploughmans is huge so make sure you skip breakfast if your planning on having it for lunch.

The tea rooms are set in a small country retail park known as the Shires on the A5 in Northamptonshire. The food is excellent along with the waiting staff who are attentive and efficient. A good menu from sandwiches, ploughman’s to hot meals. The range of cakes are excellent!

Lovely afternoon tea, warm scones and clotted cream. Great service, very friendly, and good value. Will return!

We decided to go out for lunch on a weekday from the Northampton area but so many local places were closed (apart from the chains and we wanted a family type place)> We phoned "Yes we are open - no booking - come along".This s a delightful place for a light lunch (though portions are generous) and very welcoming. Clear spacing for safety, sanitising stations and adherence to all precautions. Efficient and speedy service though we weren't rushed. A number of shops were open for business so browsing either before or after eating is a good way to enjoy the visit to the venue.

How anyone could write a bad review of Darlingtons is beyond me! The food is of great quality and quantity!!….and always tastes delicious, the service is always fast and efficient and the staff are so friendly, polite and welcoming.I visit Heart of the Shires fairly frequently to meet with friends and Darlingtons is always our first port of call for that late morning coffee after a longish drive!! Coffee normally flows into lunch and then we meander around the great selection of shops they have at the 'village'. We are never made to feel rushed even though the Tea Rooms are always busy.A visit to Darlingtons Tea Rooms is a fantastic experience....so good in fact I am back there again in a weeks time!!!

My partner and I came to Darlingtons last week for a meal with two friends and we had a brilliant experience. As we left we all said how safe we felt with all the safety measures in place. The food was excellent. My partner and friends had the pork and stuffing baguette which they all said was lovely and I had the salmon and prawn salad which was so delightful, I haven’t been many places where the salad has been so fresh. I definitely recommend Darlingtons, both food and service was fantastic.

Had the cheese ploughman's for lunch, not good the salad was basically a pile of lettuce leaves with half a tomato a couple of rings of onion and about a third of an apple.The Stilton was very good but the cheddar and brie pretty tasteless. Really poor effort for the price. Nice place and my wife enjoyed the baked potato but also had a surplus of lettuce.Shame really that they can't put a little bit of effort into making a salad.

We had a light lunch and to my surprise, the portions were generous! Amazing service, fabulous food. Winner!

Our young lady waited on us very quickly and pleasantly. The cutlery and crockery were sparkling. The bacon sandwich - fairly thick granary bread, really crispy streaky bacon -was served with a very fresh side salad and a handful of thick crisps.. Coffee was tasty and not bitter. Not a scrap was left.

Stopped in for a quick coffee, lovely and quiet with all precautions excellent, space between tables, and service quick. Always a great place to go with great shops to wander around

Perfect food, friendly staff, varied menu, free parking with cute shops all around it. Whats not to like? Portions are huge so there's no room left for dessert!

We enjoyed a delicious, wholesome lunch here and will definitely go back. When the food came to the table we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of ingredients and generosity shown. Everything was lovely and fresh. It felt like whoever was in the kitchen really cared. It's a great place to go for a yummy lunch or afternoon tea.

This was the first time we had been to Darlingtons for lunch although we have been for coffee several times before. The food was excellent more than enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite! I had the salmon & prawn salad which was so fresh & the homemade coleslaw was really good. My husband ordered the pork baguette which was almost too much for him to eat, he said the stuffing and apple sauce were both delicious as was the pork. We did manage to order and eat the pear desert which ended a very good lunch.The staff were all very welcoming and friendly and we did not feel hurried over our meal. The cost was very reasonable this was certainly one of the best lunches we have had and we will certainly recommend and return again.

Came to heart of the shires for nosey round and came across Darlingtons. Wow what a find. Due to on going conditions and being busy they took our phone number and phoned as soon as a table was ready. Allowing us to carry on shopping until our table was ready meaning having nobody hanging about. Superb idea. Well done. When we got our table the staff were all beyond polite and friendly. The owner/manager was very smiley and friendly as well. But naturally not false. We ordered a toasted tea cake, a soup of the day and I had the ham ploughmans. As it was busy there was a little wait for things to arrive but that's fine no complaint at all and the lady serving did apologise for delay but wasn't any need to. The tomato soup was superb and really fresh tasting and seasoned perfectly. Compliments to who made that. The ploughmans was huge. But perfect. The ham was out of this world and nice to know that it was a fairly local meat as well. We will 100% be returning to this place. Keep up the good work the whole team. Well done and thank you.

From the minute we walked in to the minute we left we were met with kindness and warmth. My family and I dined in for lunch and were served by Danielle, who was so lovely and attentive. The quality of the food was next to none (I highly recommend the club sandwich) and we finished off with fresh chocolate fudge cake, which was delicious! The restaurant is beautifully set up and a lot of attention to detail, especially with the current climate with spaced out tables and hand sanitisers on every table. Plenty of parking and easy to find location. I will definitely be returning to this beautiful family-run restaurant and can see it quickly becoming a favourite!!

What wonderful customer service. This family run business couldn’t have been more accommodating and helpful. We were a family of eight who hadn’t booked but thought we’d use the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme. It was pouring with rain and no tables were available, so we were kindly put in the covered area until a table became available. Service was very efficient and when the food arrived .... WOW baguettes were huge with a lovely salad and delicious crisps. All the food was excellent and the cakes yummy. We will definitely be returning. Thank you Darlingtons Tea Rooms for a lovely few hours spent with you and your very helpful and attentive staff.

Have to say the best lunch had in a long time. The produce was top market our lunch was so tasty. Great service, friendly. Good value, social distancing in place, sanitisers on table. Sun shinning we ate outside. A must visit. We will certainly be back. Thank you for providing great food.

We visited early lunch and had a choice of outside tables.There was hand gel on our table.What i did not like was none of the staff wore masks at minimum a visor. The staff are very friendly.We had tomato soup. To be honest this was very watery and little taste.Hubby had ploughman's. Excellent size.For Vegan s little choice. I had a jacket with beans. Then half a lettuce with a couple of grapes and other things .Shame in this day and age the menu is so limited and no pudding . I asked for any recommendations.So recommended if you are a meat eater.Will visit again as we have before for drinks

We stopped here for lunch on our way to Yorkshire as it was recommended. The food was really good, staff were friendly and there was hand sanitizer on every table. We were glad we stopped here.

The menu is incredibly extensive here, we pretty much had to flip a coin in the end. There is an option on the menu about quiche of the day and when I asked about this, I had to make yet another decision of WHICH quiche. It seems hard to believe that they can make all of these options from fresh but the presentation and taste had me convinced. The stilton and broccoli quiche was so good. Our other choices included an egg mayo baguette (absolutely huge!) And there is every item of salad on the plate including (strangely to me) apple and grape. Wouldve tried the desserts if we had the room. Alas we did not but the menu sounded tempting.They also serve alcohol and there are loads of great options for veggies - less so for vegans I'm afraid.

Really pleasant welcome, every measure to ensure hygiene and social distancing was in place efficiently! The staff were so wonderful and made us feel very welcome. Very quick service, with really nice portion sizes. Delicious desserts!!Enjoyable background music, menu is slightly pricier but absolutely worth every penny time and time again for the experience you get. Wouldn’t hesitate to return and will be recommending to my friends and family! Very glad Darlington’s is open to enjoy again!

Lovely to be back at Darlington for lunch. We’ve really missed our visits during lockdown. A very friendly welcome, great staff, efficient service, super food. No wonder we’ve missed coming.So much has been done, and is done, to ensure the safety of customers post lockdown, but without losing the ambience and friendliness of the tea room. The food was excellent, as usual. We thoroughly enjoyed our first lunch out in months and, as we had no room for pud, we brought some lemon meringue and chocolate orange cake home with us! Thank you for our lovely lunch and for caring so much about the safety of your customers. We’ll be back again very soon.

Darlington's restaurant is excellent, but it is described as being "1.7km from the Heart of the Shires Village". But seeing that the restaurant is actually IN the Heart of the Shires how can that be so?

thank you for a lovely meal. excellent food and service and staff food was hot and so much of it .will go again will tell my freinds and family everybody should go excellent thank you

Another visit and just want to say how lovely and welcoming all the staff are the young ladies are a credit to the business and are so efficient and polite. The service is so quick and all the food that we have tried from the menu has always been great, my husband said it is one of the best quiches he has ever had. I am rather keen on the open sandwich and have that quite often. The strawberry milkshakes are great too. I am so glad we live local and have a great place to pop to and eat. Always busy so best to book if possible but if not they usually accommodate you within 1/2 hour they take your number and call you when a table is free so you can have a wander around the other great shops on site while you wait.

Darlingtons is a very pleasant place to eat. I am a regular customer because of the friendly and attentive staff as well as the excellent food.

Just stopped for breakfast. It was lovely.We normally meet friends here for lunch but second time we have had breakfast. Although the full menu is available, there is an additional breakfast menu, served until 11.30. With a choice of bacon sandwiches and baguettes, beans on toast, savoury croissants, toast, croissants etc. The savoury croissants with bacon was delicious. Nice to have something that’s a little bit different. The bacon sandwich had a generous filling.Excellent efficient, friendly service. Well worth a visit.

Visiting the shires we stopped for a break and was not disappointed. Varied menu and very friendly staff. Well done

Great place to eat, great food and very helpful friendly staff. My favourite go to tea room. Would recommend to everyone

Went here while visiting a friend in Daventry, she goes here regularly and said because it was a weekend we had to book as it was always busy. It’s a very quaint place set in this old building. We were greeted by very attentive staff who were very busy but still had time to be very polite and went through the menu with us. The food came piping hot and was very nice we were not rushed at all and enjoyed the experience we will definitely be going back when we visit our friends again

Lovely teashop that serves big fat pots of tea with additional hot water, which I love! How many places do that these days! The food is always good and the staff friendly and efficient.

I was so impressed with the friendly staff and efficient running of this tea room. Lunch was very enjoyable with generous portions of homemade food. The dessert selection was also impressive with a large selection of pies and cakes. I look forward to returning again soon.

I love coming to Darlingtons. The food is lovely. The best jacket potatoes for miles. Ian and his family are lovely too. Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

Wonderful Tea Rooms in the Heart Of The Shires Shopping Village. Found by accident whilst avoiding the dreaded M1 - this is on the A5 and easily accesible as it runs parallel with the M1 so well worth the detour. Darlingtons is excellent all round - great staff, great food and drinks all in a wonderful setting. Well worth a visit so check out location and make the detour - if necessary.

Turned up with 8 people out of the blue and the team there couldn’t have been more accommodating for us, the food was really good, cakes were delicious & again the team were absolutely fantastic going the extra mile constantly! Been before and definitely would go again!

This is now our local go to tea room for lunch, again not let down, service is so quick, efficient & they are so polite. The lunch portions are so big that there is never enough room for cake afterwards. We keep meaning to go there just for afternoon tea & cake. I especially like the open sandwich it has so much filling it’s just yummy. So far each time we have been we have not been disappointed with the choice of meal we have chosen, jacket potatoes, quiche, club sandwich, open sandwich have all been excellent

Simple and nice. Large portions. Step back in time and enjoy this retro tea room.

We use Darlingtons to meet up with family what a delightful place.

Thank you to Ian, Sarah and the girls for a fantastic afternoon tea and setting a room aside for our large family of 25 for a 70th Birthday get together.

Superb food, great choice, very friendly and efficient staff

We'd seen this lovely tea rooms on a previous visit, but weren't able to sample. So we made a trip especially, soooo worth it. The staff were well presented, polite and helpful. I was feeling a little unwell, they got me a suitable beveridge very quickly, which helped. Then brought us three coffee and cakes we'd ordered, the coffee was lovely, and the cakes yum, I tried the choc orange cake, which was lovely light sponge with gooey orange curd in the sponge covered in good choc. The others had the carrot cake, and coconut & raspberry slice, both were pronounced to be excellent.

Great for drinks or snacks or even a full meal. Nice friendly service, good choice of drinks, plenty of seating. Our favourite in Heart of the Shires shopping village

Having just moved to the area we came across this place when driving out and about and so glad we did what a lovely find.

Great service, lovely setting, friendly attentive staff. My friend has allergies and the staff were helpful. We still sat for a while after we'd finished our coffee and the owner told us there was no rush to leave the table

Very friendly welcome. A great atmosphere in the restaurant , tables buzzing with a variety of people of all ages. Food was hot and very prompt. Our Waitress was superb, very professional and always on hand to refill drinks etc.

We have been here a few times when in the area and the food is always good with good portions and reasonably priced too. The staff are always friendly and welcoming.

We had lunch after shopping and what a Haven Darlington's is, excellent service and lovely food, the staff were so attentive and the food was fresh and so tasty, We recommend Darlington's to all, advisable to as very popular & busy at weekends..

Darlington is halfway between our home in Derbyshire and our friends in Hertfordshire. It is an excellent place to meet for lunch.

Lovely afternoon tea; beautiful scones served warm with plenty of jam and cream. Reasonably priced too,

We stumbled across this tea shop as we were staying in the local area and googled where we could go for shops and coffee.

My first time here as a group of friends with kiddies. A lovely setting for a lunch, nice decor, good, attentive service and a varied menu.

This was our first time at Darlington’s as a halfway meeting point between Leicester and Oxford. The owners could not have been more accommodating to our party of 5 plus kids (and a trainee hearing dog!). The food was beautiful-plenty if it, modestly priced and a great selection. The service was exceptional, they could not have been more accommodating to our above average sized party and the waitresses were soooo friendly-nothing was too much trouble (even providing our four legged friend with her own bowl of water). The cozy surrounding really made this a special lunch-we will definitely be back again soon!

Dropped in for a spot of breakfast and ordered a bacon sandwich and a bacon baguette with two americanos. Baguettes were very good, however it is not necessary to garnish a breakfast baguette with a salad containing lettuce, grapes, slices of oranges and mustard cress at 10am on a Sunday morning

My friend and I have been going to Darlingtons every month for the past 3 years and absolutely love it. The staff are incredibly friendly, the food delicious, fresh and well presented and with a lovely atmosphere. We always consider it a real treat going for lunch there.

We visited Darlingtons Tea Rooms for lunch. We were warmly greeted by a lovely member of staff and shown to a table. Our drinks order arrived quickly. Our food arrived hot and well presented. I ordered the Beef New York Bagel and my partner ordered the jacket potato - there is a great menu with something for every taste. Once finished we were not rushed so ordered extra drinks and a delicious cake. We had a enjoyable, relaxing lunch and will definitely be back!

I often meet up with friends at this super tea room which offers much more than tea! Perfect for morning coffee with a scrumptious toasted tea cake or scone, appetising lunches and afternoon tea. Lovely friendly staff who always have a smile. Within the Heart of the Shires shopping village with its many individual shops selling quality goods.

Visited Darlingtons and had a superb lunch with a group of friends. The service was excellent. All of the meals were beautifully presented with large portions of protein and lovely fresh salad with fruit. All excellent value for money. We will be back soon.

Having flagged Heart of the Shires as just the kind of place that my friends and I love to visit, interesting shops and somewhere nice to stop for lunch, coffee, cake and a good catch up on my first visit today I can honestly say that the centre is being let down by Darlingtons Tea Rooms, which is such a shame because the shops are lovely.

Although I have already written a review about Darlingtons, I feel I have to write another - this is one of my top favourite places to visit, the food is always incredible - never disappoints and the people are genuinely lovely - always smiley, friendly and interested. A real family-run business that is a genuine delight to visit.

Good cafe for a break, its very popular. Recommend the toasted teacakes, delicious. There are also many lovely cakes to try as well.

We visited on a Sunday and it was very busy, so we had to look round the shops while we waited for a table. There is an extensive menu and the food as nice.

We have been to this place several times now, it’s always an enjoyable experience the food is always well presented and exactly what you asked for. The staff are efficient and friendly and the prices are good. A relaxed atmosphere and cosy surroundings make for a nice time, we will definitely be back. Many thanks.

Stopped off for coffee with my son. Pleasant atmosphere and a nice, sheltered garden space to make the most of the last of the summer sun. Only had coffee, but it was good.

We had a lovely stop off at this restaurant. I had a lovely cup of tea and my partner had a latte. We also treated ourselves to a lovely piece of chocolate orange cake and lemon merangue pie with cream. Set in a lovely bright room.

I have been meaning to write a review for a long time as we've been visiting here for many years. We've been dozens of times and Ian and his team have always been very helpful, we have never once had poor food or service, it's always been top notch and served within a lovely atmosphere, the Prawn and Salmon baguettes are my favourite. Thanks to all and we'll see you again soon.

Stopped off for drinks, nice clean place, pleasant atmosphere Prices are good, service fast and friendly Milkshake with marshmallows yummy Thank you

We've been here a few times now and the food quality is always superb. Even as a family there is something for everyone and they have some extra special treats too.

We were travelling between Market Harborough and Stoke Bruerne and marked this as a stop at Bridge 18.

My wife and I quite regularly make a stop at heart of the shires when on route to Milton Keynes to visit family, however we were yet to spend enough time to enjoy a meal at Darlingtons until our most recent visit. The standard of food is really quite something. I can highly recommend any of the salads as it is not very often that you would receive anything more than a bag of leaves in most places nowadays. The staff are very polite and attentive from the minute you walk in to the minute you walk out.

We visited this lovely tea rooms for our lunch as we were shopping and thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

After entering what seemed like a pleasant interior and a pleasant member of staff, we were placed at a table with a nice view of the outside. The food came and was acceptable until I discovered that my lettuce wasn't clean, and the dirt had spread onto my plate. I ate around it and finished my meal tentatively - I should have complained there and then I suppose. Anyway, my wife complained to the waitress in my absence, and I complained to the lady on the till, to almost complete indifference. C'mon! you can be better than this - all round!

My friend and I meet at Darlington’s for a longish lunch fairly regularly and for the first time today we were very disappointed by the service there. Our coffee was brought quite quickly, although I had asked for a mug and it was in a cup, but that was rectified easily. We were then ignored. I had to ask twice if we could order some lunch; the first waitress acknowledged our request and then didn’t return. The lunch was good, but afterwards we had to ask for more coffee and then some cake. We kept getting sidelong glances from the aforementioned waitress but not once did she ask if there was anything else we needed. By the end she was making us feel quite uncomfortable as she kept hovering over our table silently as though she wanted us to go and we then went outside into the courtyard to continue our chat.

We visited with friends for a look around the shops and lunch at the cafe. We didn't even know this place existed to be honest. Definately worth a couple of hours stop if you are in the area - there are some cute little shops and the food was very good - we had 2 x ploughmans, the mushroom stroganoff and a fish pie. Everything was tasty - solid home cooking with pleasant friendly service. There is a pleasant outdoor area if the weather permits

We’ve eaten here a few times and it’s never disappointed. Whilst the interior decor is a little tired this is more than made up for by the ambience, friendly staff and decent ‘cafe’ style food. If you are local, it is well worth a visit.

I popped in on the off chance with a colleague with a leg in plaster. Ian and his team could not have been more attentive for such a last minute request. The team are so genuinely friendly here. Food is delicious and good coffee too.

Could not get through the door, could not sit outside due to the weather and Trip ADvisor won't let me leave a review because we did not visit the Darlington Tea Rooms although we had been looking forward to from the Heart of the Shires website which does not make it clear that the place is not suitable for the disabled, those in pushchairs or the elderly/infirm/etc...

Visited with a friend. The tea room was busy as it was lunchtime. There was to be a 15-20 minute wait a table so they took a mobile number, so we could look around the shops until table was free. We both chose Jacket Potato with ChilliConCarne Filling which was very tasty.

can not review - padding for purpose of website - padding again - can not review as was unable to get through doors

Long trip from Bournemouth to Hull. Five of us, two kids.Googled ‘best stop over lunch’ on the M1 and this place popped up. Looked nice, good reviews so we included it in our stop over list. Phoned ahead but the nice lady explained it could be full as the little retail park had a fashion show... but to pop in anyway.

A delightful little tea room with a nice selection of food. The service was very good and the prices mean it is good value for money. The food was good and I would have to recommend this place for a delightful Ploughman's.