Dedham Arts and Craft Centre Tearoom in Colchester

This is welcome spot to refuel if you’re on the Constable walk. The service was prompt and friendly, the cafe was spotlessly clean and very pleasant to sit in, but sadly the food was pretty poor. A sweet potato and spinach slice was limp (possibly microwaved) and the salad although very fresh came with no trace nor offer of dressing. A little thought on how to improve the food would go a long way. I didn’t have any cake, but they did look really good.

Nice building and tea room, but very disappointed that they are charging £3.90 for a single scoop ice cream cornet. ....................................

Very interesting arts centre, mix of arts to wander around, we always like these village crafts, you can find some real treasures. After a good look, we were happy to have a pot of tea and some homemade Victoria sponge. Recommend a visit.

Nice food , bit pricey tbh but don’t mind too much when well made and presented. Chocolate Jaffa cake was really nice. Arts centre itself is worth a wander around some nice things here, staff up stairs seem a bit huffy but other than that worth a visit

We went for Mothers Day and had a lovely experience, we would definitely go back. Leek and Thyme soup, Ham hock terrine, sausage roll, lemon meringue pie, rocky road, scone with fruit and jam, hot chocolate with all the trimmings. The food was beautifully presented, good portion sizes and tasted amazing. Friendly and helpful staff and quick service. Lovely setting. What more could you ask for.

Have always loved going to the Craft Centre tearoom and took an American friend there recently for an English 'tea and cake' experience. But it was quite disappointing, sorry to say. The tea was fine, difficult to get that wrong, but the Victoria sponge cake was very, very dry and obviously not at all fresh. The jam had all soaked into the bottom layer, so the cake had probably been sitting around somewhere warm for some days.

Lovely cafe - delicious food in an interesting and engaging environment. One slight criticism - it can be jolly cold there in cold weather - especially when doors are left open!

We ordered from the outside 'hatch' and had to wait about 5 minutes before a member of staff noticed us. We ordered a pot of tea for two, a slice of carrot cake and a slice of lemon cake. These were brought out to us by a lady who looked as though it was an ordeal to be working there - no communication or greeting from her at all. The tea was tepid and the teapot only contained enough for a cup each. The tiny slither of lemon cake was dry and flavourless - not at all worth the price. However the carrot cake was lovely.

Stopped here for lunch today. lovely fresh sandwiches, served promptly by friendly staff in pretty setting. The tables were cleared quickly after each customer and cleaned thoroughly. What more do you need?

Café ist in den Arts Centre integriert (siehe sep. Bewertung). Man kann drinnen und draußen sitzen. Es gibt frischen Kuchen, kleinere Snacks (Sausage Rolls, Sandwiches usw).

We have enjoyed eating here for some years, the setting is very pleasant and food tasty. The last couple of visits have however been a bit of a let-down. The first occasion when one of us ordered the Rosti at £7.50. It was very small and wasn't in our view enough to call a lunch at the price charged. The second was last week when a sausage roll and salad was ordered. The sausage roll had flaky pastry which had been overheated and was rock-hard underneath, and inedible as a result, We told the waitress who said she would mention it to the chef but there was no apology or offer of a small price reduction for what was only half a meal. Not what we would expect!

Called here for a meal and we were happy enough but feel it is not a place we would return to. The staff were pleasant and the food was okay, but the portions were not very generous considering the prices.. . I feel it lacked atmosphere and was not somewhere we warmed to. There was just something lacking, but I cannot put my finger on it

Visited with friends for a cuppa and chat. My friends had bacon rolls which they said smelt off!! They had tea cakes instead as it had put them off. We were charged for the bacon rolls that were uneaten as we were told there was nothing wrong with them!! Also an extra £ 3 on the bill that they couldn't explain. I was so shocked at this customer service.

Craving a Cream Tea & driving by this very glam Church/Tea room on our campervan road trip we simply had to turn back & pay visit What a lovely quirky place Well worth a visit .. i enjoyed the coffee that much i wanted to purchase some to take with me for my cafetière But they had run out of there own special blend but sold other options. The busy staff noticed i was disappointed so the team rallied round to find me 2 empty canisters & he blended me the beans to ground coffee in front of me and charged the same as the other bags of coffee That is going above & beyond & I’m Very gratefull for this kind gesture & still thoroughly enjoying my coffee today .. the place is huge & offers a wide range of gifts to purchase too Well worth a wonder in .. 💖

Very friendly and attentive staff run this place. The food choices were generous and the cakes tasted like they were baked only this morning.

Offering a Covid restricted service we had a takeaway of Teas, bacon roll, pork pie with pickle, coronation chicken sandwich & coffee and walnut cake. It was all fresh and delicious. The lady serving us was friendly and chatted to us. Will return and definitely would recommend

We went here at the weekend for a tea and cake. It's always difficult giving bad reviews but this is the 3rd time we've been here and unfortunately it's the 3rd time it's been very very average. The cakes are over prices for what you get. Unfortunately we won't be returning here.

Stopped off for a light lunch on a lively Sunny Sunday. Seating outside and covid secure. Have to say sandwiches are expensive at £5.95 for 2 slices of bread with grated cheese and tomato and a small salad leaf garnish. Also tea pot only gives 2 small cups of tea. Not sure we will bother again.

Visited today Sunday August 2020. Fully appreciate the Covid-19 implications on businesses but now that many are operating once more, we thought we would give our custom at this important time for re-emerging businesses. However, having frequented this establishment many, many times over many years, we were extremely disappointed and shocked at both the lack of customer service and the poor quality/poor value for money and meagre portions. £5.95 for a standard tuna-mayo sandwich is shocking value for money. My wife and I both had the quiche with a side-salad which was more akin to a garnish! My stilton & broccoli quiche was flavourless and was a child's portion (as was my wife's). We made the mistake of ordering dessert to cheer ourselves up. My wife described her Victoria sponge as bread like & heavy (the exact opposite to what a V.S. should of course be). I chose a fruit scone which was devoid of fruit. Annoyingly, the scone was heated up, rendering it claggy and plastic like and again without flavour and the tiny single butter portion barely sufficed. You win some, you lose some but we are totally perplexed that a business, whose priority should be to ensure repeat business, is serving up food that is inferior to that which it used to provide in the not so distant past, where the quiche was to die for and was accompanied by a wonderful and generous multi-ingredient salad. A warm welcome and some friendly interaction with the customer is also a prerequisite for any business, something that was sadly lacking at this establishment today. Needless to say, we will take our custom elsewhere on our continued frequent visits to Dedham, where I'm sure it will be more appreciated.

Very nice there and interesting in there and all around but be careful of the outside chairs to the cafe as one of them suddenly collapsed, causing one of our party to crash to the ground and they are not that particularly heavy for this day and age, no harm done but if they has been a bit older they could of been hurt.

What a lovely little Tearooms tucked in the corner of a craft shop. Went here for lunch with my partner, great selection I just had a ham sandwich, gorgeous freshly cut ham with fresh salad. My husband had steak pie - wow it was amazing. Definitely popping back for the cake another day. Huge selection and all freshly made. A little gem for Dedham.

We went to the dedham tearoom for the first time as it was recommended by a friend.We weren't disappointed,there was a large choice of dishes and if it was not on the menu the chef would make something up for you .the food was amazing and good value for money.We didn't wait long to be served,the staff were very pleasant and made use very welcome,very smiley.we would recommed the place its getting very popular place so advised to pre-book

Dedham is one of our favourite places to visit and we often have a picnic-style lunch in the grounds of the church, but on this occasion as we were only staying for the morning, decided to try the Dedham Arts Centre Tearoom......and wished we hadn't!Despite the high price for tea & scones for 2, we ordered it. Upon returning to our table, my wife found a silverfish under her (tiny) scone, so took the plate up to the counter where the scone was just placed on a new plate and handed back! I couldn't find even ONE choc chip in my equally tiny scone, so pointed that out to the staff. 'Chef' was brought out to examine it (!) and I was grudgingly given a replacement which had all of 3 minute choc chips in it. Grudging service, poor value and dubious hygiene......!

Visited with the wife today and had a pleasant cuppa. It certainly isn't cheap and is not to a top hotel standard, more like a very tidy cafe so makes you wonder why a piece of cake or a sausage roll is £5-£6 each? Drinks, Tea cakes and scones are more realistic but the rest is high. The service was OK but again far from top standard, we were offered an extra pot of water which was nice but this place needs to lower a few prices to make it better. The same kind of sausage roll is half the price in Paddy & Scotts in Hadleigh.

Had lunch here. Noticed a number of tables reserved for booking, always a good sign. We had the quiche salad, which was amongst the best quiche I've had, pesto and tomato,, and the side salad was so fresh and tasty. It's not a big place but well worth a visit, they also serve hot food after 12 noon.

Definitely a hidden gem in Dedham. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Wide range of food available on the menu. We stopped for a drink and cake, the range of cakes on offer was brilliant and they all looked really good. My chocolate cake tasted fantastic. All reasonably priced too!

Having been a regular visitor to this lovely tea room over the last 20 years or so, I was a little concerned, having read some previous reviews, that the recent change of ownership would mean I would have to find somewhere else to enjoy my Sunday morning scone and coffee. I needn’t have worried. A little more expensive than the previous owners and the scones not quite up to their high standard, I found the newly decorated and updated cafe a very pleasant surprise. Lovely coffee, friendly staff and delicious looking cakes. I will come again.

After having been turned away from The Boathouse (as the chef was at capacity) and the Michelin starred The Sun was so disinterested I found this little gem.Taking a look at the menu, I saw they featured a Bacon Brie and cranberry sandwich which I rather fancied on a jacket potato. No problem at all - and the Bacon Brie and cranberry jacket potato was delicious. I loved it here and the staff were so accommodating and friendly and it was no trouble for them to adapt their menu to suit my request. I would highly recommend this tearoom if you'd like a light lunch or a cup tea/coffee and cake (which looked delicious although I was too full to try it.Thank you.

Had a lovely lunch with my daughters here, I had a warmed Italian style quiche with salad, it was delicious, would definitely come again!!

We have been coming here for several years but we were left disappointed by our visit yesterday. There has been a change of owners since our last visit and rhere is now a much reduced menu for vegetarians and although the quiche and salad was good, nearly £9 for a small slice of quiche and a salad consisting mainly of lettuce was not good value for money. Sadly don't think we will be returning.

Have visited this cafe many times. We went today expecting their usual array of tasty scones only to find that the cafe has changed hands and no longer serves a variety of scones, now only fruit and cheese, and these are in no way as good as the previous owners served. Scones were mediocre at best and the menu is vastly reduced. Sadly I don’t think we’ll bother to make the trip out here again.

We visited for the first time this week to find a very welcoming and friendly experience. A good choice of light lunches, a great selection of home made cakes and good value for money. Well worth a visit. We will return.

I have to think hard why I decided to eat here and have a memory of seeing this tearoom described as 'vegetarian' on the village welcome sign, outside St Mary's church in Dedham.

We visited for a light Lunch before looking round the antiques and craft shops. There was a good selection of food to choose from and was very nice.

Best cakes we have had lately. Ferrero and Blueberry Cinnamon yum yum 😋 Also nice to have hot coffees. Cozy location. Shame we couldn’t catch lunch time to try for it hopefully next week.

We popped into this tea-room while we were exploring around Dedham &what; a lovely find it was.

This is the second time I've visited the cafe and the second time I've left irritated. Todays visit, I took a seat with my girlfriend and read the menu. As we walked in all of the staff were sitting down having lunch together, which was a bit odd but hey. The young waitress came over 'just to let you know it is counter service and lunch time is now over'. Wasn't great - fortunately it wasn't over for all the staff sitting down. I placed my order, all fine - to be fair the coffee and cake was tasty. My coffee was served, the other waitress spilt a bit of it, didn't clean it up, infact I don't think she said anything. Cafe has such potential, but I really dont understand the service.

The best cakes, scones and tea. Not to menrion the friendly service and very affordable menu prices. Love this place, been here few times and will always find an excuse to visit the cafe when in the area.

What a lovely place. Hot chocolate a must and delicious. The cheese and onion quiche with a full salad was very appetising. Would certainly visit again. Oh and the cakes our eyes and mouths devoured them.

Just out for a drive in the country and. Found this little tea room had two cream teas very nice pleasent and helpful

We had lunch for 6 - good choice on the specials board. The raspberry and white chocolate scones were a particular highlight. The service was quick and friendly. Will certainly return when we are next in the area.

Called in here for a coffee, nice setting in an old church. Very friendly staff, nice fresh tasty scones that were still warm, and yes filtered coffee..

An interesting Center,an old converted chapel makes a wonderful venueS good selection of ornaments,gifts,clothing and much more.Also a great little tea room.Recommended.

The heading of the last review sums up how we felt, (even two of the party being told to move), we felt so unwelcome. We would have got up and gone somewhere else, but as we had young children with us that needed feeding we decided to stay. Looking back at some of the other negative reviews of which there are sadly quite a lot, whilst there are always two sides to a problem, the reviewers all seem to be all saying the same thing - attitude/rudeness/rigidity of staff. In the previous two days we had visited two other local coffee shops where we had received a very friendly welcome at both on arrival, the staff went out of their way to be accommodating and helpful and we left having enjoyed the experience on both occasions. Not so here, we left feeling very miserable. We won’t be visiting this cafe again. We will however visit the arts and craft part of the building where we were served by a friendly member of staff.

Visited here today with my mum and the staff were rude to us, we had sat at a table and a lady came out and told us we had to move even though the cafe was empty and the table wasn't reserved. She pointed to a table for two in the far corner and said 'Go and sit under the clock' in a really rude tone. My mum and I were shocked at the way she spoke to us, we have been coming to Dedham Centre Tea Rooms for years and have never been spoken to like this. We got up and left and the staff in the kitchen laughed at us as we left, needless to say we will not be going there ever again.

Just passing through Dedham and decided to stop off and have a look around. Came across the Arts and Craft Centre that had a Tea Room inside and we decided to have lunch there. Well what a surprise and delight it was. There was an array of homemade cakes and quiches along with homemade soup and fresh sandwiches. The staff were very helpful, the food excellent and reasonably priced. We will definitely be returning when we are down in the Essex area again.

A late lunch at this busy and popular tearoom. The quiches were great - good portions and tasty - and the salad alongside it was substantial. Couldn't find room for some of the cakes on offer! Specials available on the board. Considering how busy the tearoom was, the staff managed to keep everything going - taking orders, serving, cleaning etc.

We arrived at the tearoom a couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday, with our daughter and grandson at 16.15. We were first told that the tea room was open, so we called over our daughter and grandson and were promptly told that they were now closed. When challenged as to why they were closing early, a young male member of staff abruptly replied that they did not have a set closing time. This however seems to contradict there advertised opening and closing times on there website.

The Art and Crafts centre was lovely. Everything was interesting and tasteful and reasonably priced. Had a wonderful time looking around and finished off in their lovely tearooms. Very reasonably priced. Lovely china wear and numerous homemade desserts. I had the cherry roulade which was the best dessert I have ever tasted..and I have tasted quite a few!

I popped in to the craft centre and thought I would get some cake to take away for myself and my friend. I asked for two slices of cake and they took it off to cut up and box up. I saw a sign that said they accepted card payments (minimum £5.50 spend). I only had my card but I was happy to spend £5.50 or more. The cake slices came to £5 but I said I was happy to buy a cheese scone as well which would take this up to £6.50. The lady at the counter suggested this herself. Then she asked a lady round the corner a question and then I was told I could not use my card for takeaway orders. What??? So I could eat in and pay my £6.50 and take up a table that they would have to clean, but I couldn’t pay the same amount to take the cake away? That is insanity and honestly don’t know what was going through their heads. I just walked away and won’t be going back. I am honestly very confused. They are literally refusing money. A minimum spend was clearly shown on the wall. I will go to the Essex tea rooms from now on.

We arrived at a very busy time so service was a little slow but nevertheless very helpful and friendly. Food was tasty and appetising and good value for money. The selection of cakes will make your eyes water.

My friend and I visited the Dedham Tea Room yesterday arriving at about 2.20pm.

Excellent home made cakes and quiches great service, nice to be able to shop and eat in one place. The Dedham art Centre has such a range of good quality Arts and Crafts most are made locally.

This is our 2nd visit here nice little tea room,plenty of choice on menu and specials on the board and lots of lovely cakes to try.we had the soup and tuna sandwich and the ploughman’s,the ploughman’s my husband enjoyed especially the huge lump of cheddar he go.All meals lovely and good size.very friendly and helpful waitresses then when you’ve finished take a look around all the lovely items they’ve got for sale over 3 levels in this lovely building,so nice to see that these old buildings being reused and benefitting the local income.fantastic then enjoy a boat ride or a snooze along the river side.perfect enjoy

We were passing through Dedham on our way home and just popped into the tearoom to grab a sandwich and a drink. However, we were seduced by the rather lovely choices on the menu and stayed much longer than we intended .... great, freshly made to order lunch served by a young team who were both smiley and knowledgeable about their menu. It made such a pleasant change to not be greeted with 'you awight?' which seems to be common parlance these days. Definitely recommend the tearoom and then a mooch amongst the tempting array of goodies in the shop.

After a walk by the river to Flatford and back we were ready for refreshments. It was busy but we found a table for two and after a few minutes a very nice young man came to take our order and apologised for the wait. The raspberry and apple scone with clotted cream and jam went down a treat with a cup of coffee.

Dedham is the classic English village and the craft centre tea room couldn't be better suited.

As a group of 3 adults & 2 kids we sat down at a table with 4 chairs but were told by the woman in the cafe that we were not allowed to take an extra chair from other tables even though 3 of them were free and would have to sit on separate tables! You really couldn't make this up! As I'd forgot to bring my spare chair with me we decided to leave! Frankly it put us off looking around the arts & crafts which was a shame as it looked really interesting.

Visited with friends while on a walk from flatford.lovely quiches and excellent salads.delicious choice for desserts . Would recommend anyone out for a walk to pop in.

My husband and I walked from Manningtree to Dedham via the public footpath system. Having got quite lost we eventually strode down the hill and straight into the centre, relieved to be out of the midday heat !! The art & craft centre has 3 levels with some lovely trinkets to buy. We decided to have a light lunch in the tea rooms before wending our way back to Manningtree via Flatford. We were delighted with the greeting from the waitress, in fact all 3 members of staff were very pleasant and smiley. We ordered a ploughmans and a cream tea. Although there was only cheddar available with the ploughmans and it was served with sliced bread not crusty chunky bread my husband said it was tasty. My cream tea with fruit scone was delicious. The tea came as one pot between us and a jug of hot water, enough to have two (smallish) cups each. All in all it was a lovely little tearoom and reasonably priced. We will come back again in the autumn.

Called in with a group of friends on a hot Sunday morning. We had a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes, scones, tarts & etc.

My wife and I went rowing on the River Stour on a beautiful summer's day in July. We were looking for somewhere convenient to grab a light lunch and stumbled across the Dedham Arts and Craft Centre Tearoom. I had a brie and cranberry sandwich with salad and my wife opted for a cheese salad. The food came quickly and was delicious - my wife was particularly impressed with the salad - so often 'salad' means lettuce, tomato and cucumber on the side of the plate but this was a real mixture of interesting tastes including celery, chick peas, red cabbage with sultanas, a mound of coleslaw and a huge tube of grated cheese. Our waitress was delightful and had time for a quick chat although the place was quite busy. We'd both highly recommend this friendly eatery for a light lunchtime snack. (They also offered apple and almond scones and cream teas - we made a note for next time!)

Went in after seeing a sign for tea and scones food always draws me in, the staff very inhospitable not interested in their customers, scones were ok but nothing special and can you believe no Cream or jam and then if that wasn't bad enough I had to pay an extra 60p for the Jam, which was cheapo stuff not even a decent brand, wont be going again.

Got there at 11.45 and was disappointed that they would not serve food before noon. Had cake and coffee Very nice.

A huge array of craft and art works, plus a tea room with homemade cakes. All in what was once a church. Lovely experience.

A pot of tea and a simple cheese sandwich, just perfect, staff attentive even though they were busy, portion enormous for me!

Two Cheese and Onion Quiches, with Baked Potato and Salad

Our cycling group visited here on a sunny sunday morning recently.

Celebrating our 37th anniversary with a few days in Essex. Went for a very nice walk from Flatford to Dedham. Looking for somewhere for lunch & found the craft centre tea room. This area is well worth a visit as the scenery is stunning. The craft centre is very nice & loads of goods for sale. Just had to have refreshments before the walk back. The service was excellent & had a cold drink with a piece of freshly made cake.

We have been visiting this tea room for several years and find the quality and imagination of the food quite outstanding. As a keen carnivores we are amazed that we enjoy a vegetarian meal so much. We drive for an hour each way sometimes just to visit. The proprietor works endlessly and is charming as so her family and other staff. Every thing is homemade which is a change from most eateries. Can't wait to return.

I have been visiting this tea room for many years and the standard is always very high. Fantastic for vegetarians (they do a couple of fish dishes/sandwiches, but otherwise the food is veggie). The quiches are fabulous, always with a nice variety of fillings and served with a great selection of salads. Their meringue roulades are so delicious too.

8 of us visited for afternoon tea after a lovely walk by the river in the wonderful village of Dedham. Unfortunately we couldn’t bring the dogs in, but that was the only downside! The selection of fresh cakes was vast, and suited everyone’s taste. The scone and tea is great value, and the scones themselves are second to none. My fruit scone was up there with the best I have ever had, with a fruity flavour and crumbly texture, and the white chocolate and raspberry scone was praised highly too. The chocolate fudge cakes went down well, as did the lemon cake and bakewell slice, so there’s clearly something for everyone! Topped off with friendly staff in a relaxed atmosphere.

Went today and found the food and service excellent. A simple clean and typical British tea room with some special dishes and cakes. Also took away a sample of their scones, delicious !

This is the best craft centre I have ever been too. Such interesting things to see on several floors. And I always spend money here! Great art. Cards. Paintings. Pottery. And some old stuff to browse through too. Then the café for refreshments is superb. Buzzing. Full up. Amazing cakes. Order at the bar. Staff rushing around trying to serve everyone. But pretty efficient and competent. The Roulade was incredible!!! Nice pot of tea too served with extra hot water.

Really nice café as part of a great art and craft shop. Have been several times and always enjoy a mooch around and something good to eat.

Great for vegetarians and well behaved meat eaters. Lovely quiches with a fresh salad or jacket potato. Cakes portions are large and very well made. Just remember cash only.

I chose this tearoom for lunch having visited before and found the food to be good. However this time round my companion required gluten-free food and had been assured when booking by phone that gluten-free choices were available, This proved not to be so. We chose soup (which WAS gluten free as per normal) but there was no gluten-free bread, rolls or even scones to go with this. In fact the only other gluten-free item on the menu was a peach roulade, which we did actually order, and which was delicious, but this was hardly a nourishing lunch out - soup and roulade! My friend was not impressed and my opinion of the tea-room has consequently gone down.

Visited for a cup of tea. The tea was served in very small teapots. I asked for some more hot water and milk. Apparently they could give us more milk but were unable to give us any more hot water. This seems ridiculous and I will not be going back- I would suggest the tearoom across the road.....

Great place for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea. Home cooked tasty food, delicious desserts and friendly staff.

What a lovely little shop in a beautiful village.

A warm welcome, a generous bowl of excellent soup, prompt and friendly service in a pleasantly calm tearoom, What more could one ask ?

My husband and I go regularly for lunch, but we have become bored with the menu as it doesn't Change, it's mainly quiches! about 6 variations. Yes they do jacket potatoes which we love and fish cake but as we don't like quiche! The cakes are delicious and the staff great.

We very much enjoyed Lady Grey tea & home made scones, & a good choice of tempting home baked cakes were available too. Efficient polite service, & reasonably priced. Highly recommended

I come to Dedham on a regular basis and I always stop by the tea room for a lovely cake or scone. I have always found the service good and the staff polite. Having read the previous reviews I can only say they were unlucky, hey every one has a bad day.

When to have a drink with my wife sitting outside with our westie, they said they we bring it out after waiting sometime, they had brought out a coffee and tea in a pot with water, on adding the water to the teapot my wife noticed it was badly chipped and the cup also had a small chipped in the area where you drink, my took it back and asked for a non chipped teapot and was told that they ARE ALL CHIPPED, so when she asked for the managed they said we find a undamaged one, after waiting awhile they came back with a non damaged one BUT it was very stained inside, and they didn't replaced the hot water, which had by then gone warm to cold so we gave up on them in the end, as we had to move the car from the car park, because it took to long to get a cup of tea, have to start using a flask it be safer.

As a regular customer at the Dedham Tea Room, I went for lunch yesterday with a friend who had never visited before. We were in a queue and the 2pm deadline was approaching - despite tables for two becoming free, they weren't being cleaned and when we finally sat down, we were told we were too late for lunch, despite having been there for 15 minutes. We weren't particularly happy with this attitude, but having been told a member of staff that the cook was ill and was having to leave immediately, and then another explanation that she had received bad news, we chose a scone and a cake. However, one hour later, said cook was still bustling around behind the counter and serving customers in the cafe. She noticed us looking over and commenting on the fact that she was still there, so came over and asked if we had a problem. We explained that yes, we were surprised, but she cut in and said it was her tea room and she would stop serving whenever she wanted. A man then appeared (we later found out it was her husband) and swore at us! When we went to pay she said as we weren't happy she would waive the payment, but the young and very surly waiter then decided to join in her continued verbal attack on us - she told him to be quiet as we weren't worth it! She also denied that we had been sworn at. We then went up to the first floor and to our surprise, husband appeared from behind, having followed us up the stairs from the cafe, and said that if his wife ended up in hospital that evening it would be our fault! Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), his outburst was overheard by several other people, including staff at the centre, who assured us that our experience was nothing out of the ordinary and they were concerned that this would colour our opinion of the entire centre.

Arrived today at 1.45 to find a queue. The couple in front had been told that lunches would be served until 2.30, which was why they had decided to wait. When asked we were told they stopped at 2pm irrespective of whether you had queued or not. About 2mins to 2pm a member of staff announced the chef was ill and would be leaving immediately so it would only be cakes and hot drinks and no lunches. He then when questioned said that the chef had been given bad news and needed to go home. Eventually a table became free. The member of staff came to take the order and maintained it wasn't possible to cut a piece of quiche.....it wasn't as simple as that, were his words. Anyway cake and hot drinks ordered, and served. The chef however continued to work in the open plan kitchen which was very obvious to everyone seated. My friend and I were chatting and lo, the chef took it upon herself to approach our table and ask is if we had a problem with her. She stood there arguing with us, then said it was her tea room and she could decide when to stop serving lunches. A man then followed her and swore at us. When we went to pay she said as we weren't happy we didn't have to pay, then continued to argue with us, and the young man who had served us joined in. She told him not to argue "they're not worth it" we're her words. We then left and started to look around the craft centre, and to our complete shock and horror, the man from the tea room had followed us and again started to shout at us about how we had upset his wife who was unwell. VERY POOR SERVICE AND EXTREMELY RUDE AND ABUSIVE STAFF

We arrived needing a hot drink after a walk there and back from Mannings museum. I sat down and it seemed there were no staff. I then realised that all of them 3 or 4 were sitting on a middle table. I tried to read the many posters around the till area to see if it was table or counter service. I couldn't see one and therefore went to the table to interrupt their conversation. I was told counter service and an older lady went to the counter to serve me. I asked for 4 hot chocolates and she started making them before taking the money. I wanted to sit with my children so asked to pay and could she bring them over, I never got a response to bring them over, but presumed she heard.

We had been on a very long walk stopped for a cup of tea. I had looked round the craft stalls many times but only once before stopped for a coffee. The cakes and meals look delicious, it's very clean and staff all very friendly. I would certainly recommend a visit.

Me and my friend had a lovely meal which was quiche, baked potato and side salad and it was lovely. We then went on to have dessert which all looked wonderfully good. The staff were helpful and friendly. Really recommend tea room good value for money.

Popped in for lunch with daughter and her two children. We had to ask for someone to take our order - others who had come in after us were served before us. Two quiches and salads and a child's cheese sandwich were ordered. One of the quiches brought was wrong and had to be changed (rather grudgingly) and I'm not sure any adult could eat the cheese sandwich, let alone a 2 year old, as it was so thick. We had also asked for brown bread and it was on white. Not sure how many children like a bit of salad garnish - the adult's version had a few crisps with it which I'm sure he would have preferred. The food when it came was very nice but shame there were a few issues with the service.

Went to look around craft shop. Had lunch in tea room. Very nice fresh lunch. With desert. Good price and service. Would go again

Visited with some friends for lunch who had been previously and enjoyed the experience. The tea rooms are within the Arts and Craft Centre and hence the rather quirky atmosphere. The menu offered, amongst other things, a range of quiches and we each chose one of them, in my case it was Leek and Stilton. I must say the quiche was very good, the portion was excellent and the price was value for money. The service was very good even though the majority of the tables were occupied.

The service was excellent. The able was reserved and we were expected. We were given a large bottle of water immediately, followed by large pots of tea with extra hot water. We were then served a large plate of sandwiches and quiche and, later, a large plate of cakes plus scones, cream and jam. There was enough food for four people. What we couldn't eat, we were able to take away in boxes.

Visited today and I don't usually leave a negative review but I suggest the management invest in some staff training, as lovely as the place looked, the staff started quoting health and safety about us taking our food and drinks outside. We had created our own space using some chairs as the tables were occupied, we didn't have a choice as we had children and dogs with us. Question to management what health and safety were we specifically infringing? If you simply didn't want to serve us then say so as you wanted to pack away, at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon? Anyway please make sure you understand customer service. Unfortunately unlikely we will be back.

Having been very disappointed with a quiche I ate at the Tiptree Jam Shop a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by the selection of quiches offered here - I chose the Wensleydale, Celery and Apricot quiche, and was far from disappointed. Unlike the aforementioned quiche, this one was full of ingredients and very tasty indeed. It was accompanied a full salad (a salad garnish would also have been available), which was beautifully presented and contained a number of unusual salad ingredients. The service was great - service with patience, knowledge and a smile. The meal was excellent value, especially compared with other establishments in Dedham, and we were really full once we'd eaten here. Thoroughly recommended

Started our walk from Dedham to Flatford with lunch at the Dedham Arts Tearoom, we only had sandwiches but they were very nice and all the other meals I saw go out looked amazing. Reasonable prices. The cakes and pies were looking tempting but I resisted. Service was quick and friendly would recommend. A nice cafe with the plus side of two floors of gifts and art work to look at too. Dedham is a reallly nice village.

My friend and I went in for lunch today. There were limited seating options so we joined a couple of other women who are on our art course but who we don't really know.

I am a frequent visitor to the tearoom and love their cakes and food. Normally, I would have had lunch there, but today I was in a hurry as had to take my hire car back at midday. So, I popped in to get a treat for my dad who had to stay at home today.

Visit Flatford Mill and walk across the field by the river to Dedham for lunch. They do really good homemade quiches and cakes at a reasonable price. We visited a couple of times and enjoyed our meals. The building is lovely - a converted church.