Duddleswell Tea Rooms in Wealden

Great place to visit as always, great coffee and light a bite. ☺️👍

What a wonderful experience we had at the Duddleswell Cafe! The new owners have taken an already pretty cafe in an idyllic setting, and breathed glorious new life into it. The result is a light, stylish space serving delicious food and the best coffee in the area. They have a clever counter system in place so that you can see all the beautifully displayed cakes and food before you choose, but beware, choosing is difficult! The lifestyle store is well laid out and full of good quality products that make perfect gifts. Duddleswell have really thought about their customer’s experience and they deserve every success. I will be back. A lot.

Duddleswell Café is a beautifully refreshed spot that blends rustic charm with modern simplicity. The coffee is excellent, the cakes are delicious (don’t miss the Raspberry slice), and the relaxed atmosphere makes it a perfect stop after a forest walk. The outdoor seating is lovely on a sunny day, and it’s dog-friendly too. The attached lifestyle shop is a bonus, filled with tasteful home and garden gifts. Lovely friendly service, thoughtful food, and a stunning setting – we’ll definitely be back. Just a small extra word to the new owners, good on you both, a leap of faith I think is definitely worth just that, it will pay dividends in so many ways!!

We stopped by on Thursday for our first visit. We were welcomed by a lovely lady, who explain how they work. So we took a menu and found a table. Ordered at the counter, sat down and the coffee and cheese scones were served to us. It was all very delicious. I even bought a slice of coffee and walnut cake to go for my husband. He thought it was very good, so it was a 👍from him. In side the tearoom lovely and spacious light and airy. Such a wonderful place, we will definitely be back. Thanks to everyone for making us feel at home and for the delicious coffee and scone. We

Unfortunately our experience does not match a number of the other reviews. I am sad to write the following - We have been visiting Duddleswell tea rooms for about 35 years & today we decided to give the new establishment a go. How disappointed were we. In our opinion lacked atmosphere, white, clinical surrounding, no tradition sandwiches, no toasted sandwiches & the menu was, in our opinion, limited & expensive. I had a Greek salad, found one whole olive & three bits, cheese lacked flavour & a very small portion. Also you now have to go to the counter to order your food another tradition lost of being serviced at a table. Giving a canteen experience. It would appear, that we, the older generation, are not the target customer with a modern menu now being offered. However the staff were excellent & friendly.

Very popular spot for coffee and something great to eat when visiting Ashdown Forest.

We visited Duddleswell Cafe this weekend (26 April) and what a treat! A 40min drive from Hurstpierpoint. The cafe has been beautifully restored by new owners, plenty of seating inside and out and dog friendly. We both had coffee, quiche and salad for lunch followed by a generous slice of Raspberry Victoria Sponge and a pot of tea. Delicious! All staff were super friendly, warm and very welcoming. There is also a beautiful lifestyle store packed with so many gorgeous things! A new favourite place for us, will be visiting again soon :)

Wow! Loved popping by Duddleswell last week. Everything is made on site, which you can really taste in the quality of the food. Café has a warm atmosphere; the staff were genuinely friendly and attentive. I tried their homemade cakes which were divine..the lifestyle shop attached to the café is also a real gem.

I had a wonderful time at Duddleswell the other week -- the salad and quiche were absolutely delicious (I especially recommend the aubergine, red pepper and pesto salad). They also have good gluten free and vegan options. We browsed the new lifestyle store, and it's safe to say I'll be coming back every time I need to buy a present! Staff were lovely too.

Food and coffee was good. The only criticism is that you order at counter and pay by card. Would prefer to order at table ,so you can carry on ordering until you are about to leave. Would be easier for the disabled or less able. I agree with card/cashless but should have note on menu .this was just some thing I overheard from other tables. Wish they could improve there breakfast menu, hot bacon or sausage rolls and scrambled eggs on toast. Now much larger, very open airy will be a lovely place in the future when the weather is wet. Wishing the new owners a success!

My poor Uncle!!! He was forced to drive me 45 minutes to this place as soon as I arrived from Morocco (from Australia)....... just to find it was actually closed for renovations under new management (but with all the secret recipes passed on thank God!!) I had visited this place in 2023 by accident - with same said Uncle and his beautiful wife.......I was in gastronomic HEAVEN!!! It was the first place I thought of when he offered to take me for afternoon tea again. Alas I missed out this visit - but I'm praying they are fully operational next time I am able to travel half way round the world again!!! Their Lemon and curd scones with clotted cream are the BOMB!!!! I literally dream of having them again one day!

What a place to have in the heart of the Ashdown Forest. The new owners have transformed the space and brought it back to life… The cakes, quiche and salads are all homemade on site, they’re so tasty ( possibly the best lemon cake I have ever had ) Well worth the journey to combine with a long walk in the forest. Oh and not to forget the perfectly curated lifestyle store - just beautiful ! Thank you for creating such a gorgeous space, we will be back x

Recently refurbished, they've brought a new life to the space. Light bright and airy. Delicious cakes and salads on offer. Coffee is the best in the area. Lovely staff. A gem in the Ashdown Forest.

What a shame, all the cakes and scones are bought in (the previous ownership made them which we loved)and they were dry. We arrived at 3pm and most items were already sold

The refurbishment is clean, fresh and welcoming, a much needed improvement. The sandwiches are not made to order, so when I asked to omit one of the items from one of the two sandwiches they offered their was no flexibility. It also meant they were sat there a while. We visited at 1.15 and they had sold out of one of the salads already. The menu is quite limited and the brunch offerings are minimal, again nothing made to order. There is a lot more space and a small shop, the cakes were lovely and all baked on site. It would be nice to see the menu expand and food made to order.

Duddleswell has now reopened. Myself & 3 friends went for coffee & cake on their 2nd day of opening, wow what an Improvement. There have been vast renovations & it's all been beautifully done. We spoke with the new owners, lovely couple, they deserve to make it a success & I've no doubt they will. There is free parking in the layby at the front otherwise there is a carpark opposite, but you will have to pay. Pay a visit, you won't be disappointed .

The tea room has now re-opened.

Loved this place, but unfortunately now ceased trading.

Fabulous cakes Lovely staff Can’t wait for them to open after the winter break

The very best cream teas ever, such a shame its closing down/changing hands. I hope the new proprietor can do as well as the last!

Went here for lunch and it was lovely. Me and my daughter both had a cheese toastie and both were delicious. The cakes are also very yummy

My beloved wife, Freda, and I frequently visited and always had the Chocolate Roulade and coffee which we both greatly enjoyed. The staff were always friendly and most helpful.

Cake and coffee. As good as always.

This place is one of my best souvenirs ever in my life. I just want to come back :)

Perfect place for a real English tea.

Love, love, love this local gem ❤️ warmed cheese scones with cream cheese and chutney, you say? Yes, please! Oh and freshly home made cake? Absolutely! Oh and F&M tea in a beautiful fine china tea pot and cup? You betcha! And the staff are all so lovely 🫶

Spontaneous vist !!..Excellent food Excellent service and lovely atmosphere What a nice place to stop off whilst walking on Ashdown forest.

A pretty tearoom in a pretty location with parking. Decor is tired but cottagy and traditional. The layout is lovely, the prices very fair, the staff friendly, approachable and efficient. The drinks and cakes are extremely varied and utterly delicious. Would definitely return.

This an English Tea Room with seats in and outside offering tea, coffee and other soft drinks; scones with jam and cream or cheese in a generally quiet country setting.

Beautiful yea rooms and lovely sandwiches and cakes!! Dog are welcome which is a bonus and staff are lovely! Thank you for another welcoming visit 😊

Beautiful afternoon tea in popular tea rooms close to the Ashdown Forest. Was very busy at the time of our visit.

Cute little spot to get some tea and goods. Personally, I had the house tea and scones. The house tea was not quite what I expected for a tea that came from a tea room, but not bad. The scones were delicious and fluffy, but the jam we got along with it was a bit of a let down quality wise. Still, had a nice afternoon and I have nothing bad to say about the quality of their cakes - they were fantastic.

Historic tea rooms in a lovely setting. Good food and service. Great walking in Ashdown Forest.

We enjoyed the best toasted cheese and ham toastie we've eaten. The cheese was melty and stringy and cheesy! Ham was so good - cut from proper ham, not sliced. Served with a lovely little side salad with grated carrot, rocket and other leaves, red onion, cucumber and tomato. Everything really good. Took home a boxed slice of victoria sponge which was very tasty. Very helpful staff. I would certainly go back.

Great Place for afternoon tea. Fantastic choice of teas cream teas and cakes!

We had all day breakfast . Very good . Lovely bread Good cup of tea Friendly staff . Two nice friendly dogs

Really lovely food & friendly staff. I had the cream cheese & pickle scone (huge scone, soft & fluffy & warm). Daughter was delighted with her large slice of cake, packed with strawberries & cream. Tea in china cups, bliss!

The best scones, lovely decor but not very friendly staff

Very poor quality, a cheese toasted sandwich pay extra for tomato and when heated the cheese just separated and resembled flat insipid scrambled egg, in fact customers who arrived after us for a lunch thought that it was indeed scrambled egg, they were looking for a lunchtime menu or a specials board. We felt sorry for them as they were far too polite to walk out having booked the table. I had the misfortune of having a supposedly home cooked ham and watery piccalilli sandwich, no garnishes. Two weak cafetières of coffee with cold milk. I tell you! If it had been good I would sing their praises but sadly it wasn’t, so I voted with my feet. How is it, these people believe that their presence justifies their keep? Also NOT cheap!!

This place is a real gem! We had been in Brighton and had been looking around for a proper cream tea but didn't find anything (except one place that was closed for a private booking). We were heading to our next stop when we drove past Duddleswell Tea Rooms! We stopped the car and turned around and it was well worth it. Delicious scones (and a good lunch menu for that matter). Recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Friendly service & lovely scones & tea. No savoury after 2.30pm but lots of tea & scone options!

The cutest place to visit, amazing service, friendly staff, delicious scones and huge varieties of tea. Plus array of homemade cakes - no better place for an afternoon tea!

This was one of our favourite places and visited today as it is up for sale. We were asked quite sternly if we had booked. They kindly accommodated us for a short visit. The scones were excellent. The drains smell was strong, so we didn't want to sit outside.

Great place to have a lovely tea! Scones are out of this world, the service was fantastic and really had a homely feel. They also have cakes and sandwiches which we will definitely try next time. Parking is available (few places ) in front of the building on the roadside or across the street in a paid parking (2.50£ for 2 hrs)

Unfortunately this is up for sale, so visit soon. Great little tea room with home made cakes, and sandwiches.

Lovely lunch (reduced menu). Shame it's up for sale but hoping will continue as a tearoom. Staff attentive.

Coffee, a pot of tea, chocolate cake and a slice of fruit cake . All excellent.

Delightful location with wonderful food and charming staff with a selection of teas beyond our expectations.

Good food friendly service reasonable price dog friendly

Had been 2 days prior with work friends and really loved the cakes. So invited my sister and her boyfriend along with me and my 2 little girls as a special afternoon out in half term. I booked a table that morning as had noticed it was quite busy. They told me that it was fully booked before 1430 and so I booked for 3pm. Upon arrival I said I'd booked and couldn't find a reserved table. They went to investigate and told me I had booked for 2pm. They found us a table anyway thankfully. Service was quick however our experience continued to go down hill as my 18 month old daughter was 'sushhed' by the waitress when she made a high pitched giggle during the order process. My sister and I caught eyes and were shocked. She then proceeded to tell me that my daughter was 'now chewing on the sugar packets'. Yes fair enough she was and I immediately put a stop to it but i was again taken aback by the way it was said. I felt like we were very unwelcome here. I also felt very self conscious for the rest of my visit. We also had a hair poking out of one of the cakes. We asked if we could have a different slice. The same waitress just took it away and said 'if we have any left of it.' It was clear there was lots of that cake left so we felt it was a comment made with attitude. Whilst my first visit there was nice. My second was really poor. It seems to be hit and miss. Good food but to be made to feel so unwelcome was tough and so i wont be going back nor recommending it to anyone. Especially if you have kids!! I felt embarrassed too as I'd spoken highly of it to my sister andher boyfriend only for them to experience something very different.

We came to visit my sister and she brought us here today. Customer service was fantastic and hands down the BEST scones we have ever eaten! We also took cakes away for this evening! 10/10 highly recommend!

Lovely food staff very friendly .

I went with 2 friends who had never been here before. We were really happy with the friendly lady that served us and also with the food. I had the Sussex Rarebit (ham with a poached egg with rarebit) which was really tasty and my friend had the smoked salmon and scrambled egg. The cakes in the window were staring at us during our brunch and we couldn't resist getting a cake each for take out to have later on. Try the New York cheese cake, its delicious.

We visited the tea rooms after a dog walk. Initially we sat outside as our dog is young and excitable. However it started to rain. We didn’t want to risk taking the dog inside but the lovely ladies there gave us a quiet inside table and gave the dog plenty of treats to distract her from other peoples lunch. The food was excellent too. A lovely place for lunch or afternoon tea.

Very kind service. Delicious cakes from a wide range. Exquisite tea to choose from. Well located and elegantly decorated Tea room.

Tea, coffee and tea cakes for 4 today. Lovely experience and great quality food. Thank you.

Thank you for a delicious Buck Rarebit today. The tea and Columbian coffee were also excellent! Just sorry that we didn't have room for the yummy looking cake. We will be back soon to enjoy some cake. Definitely recommend this lovely little tearoom.

Visited here a couple weeks ago with my mum as we have recently moved to the area. The tea rooms is beautifully quaint and perfect for a little stop and sweet treat! We had a toastie and then tea and scones - it was lovely. We saw the cakes which looked amazing, will definitely try one of those next time!

Nice picturesque tea room .great cakes and generous portions .shame about the traffic roaring past.

Great cream tea and brilliant location in the middle of Ashdown Forest. About the 12th visit! Great scones Back again tomorrow

Our favourite place, we would come every week if we could. Never found scones as good as Duddleswell Tea Rooms and the cakes are the best.

Situated on a busy road, we parked in a car park over the road, this Tea Rooms was a great find. No fancy coffees here, just great tasting coffee in a caffettier. Lots of different teas, sandwiches and cakes. Lovely staff and great service. Indoor and outdoor seating and tables can be reserved..it does get busy...highly recommended

A lovely little find in the middle of the forest with beautiful cakes and food. My only observation is the staff either seem to not know what they are doing or rude. Whilst sat inside I observed 3 people come in with babies, 2 with pushchairs, a female who I can only assume was the owner was very abrupt and spoke to them like they were an inconvenience and in the way. It appears that dogs are more welcome than children!! When it came to pay it’s clear staff didn’t know what was going on and I was overcharged. It was only £5 but due to the chaos off staff I couldn’t be bothered to bring it up. If your willing to put up with a bit of chaos and an attitude if you have children the food is lovely.

Had the special , smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches, scone with cream and jam and a slice of cake with pot of tea. Food was excellent but waited quite a long time for it to arrive even though we had pre ordered. It is a lovely little tea shop with outside space if the weather is good .

I have visited Duddleswell Tea Rooms on a number of occasions and thoroughly enjoyed their food, but my recent visit was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. Only when presented with a menu did we realise that hot food is only served up until 14:30, which contradicts their Web site, as this clearly states that last orders must be placed by 16:30. I can't think of any other establishment that would operate such a restrictive service. To be told at 14:45 the chef had gone to lunch and they could only serve cakes and scones was extremely frustrating, which was further compounded when we were told that if we wanted hot food or a sandwich we could visit a nearby Garden Centre. On this occasion Duddleswell Tea Rooms overall customer experience was poor. They do need to update their Web site to reflect a 14:30 cut off for hot food and their staff should make customers aware if they are booking a table after 14:30.

Lovely cream tea and scrumptious cakes etc

We booked a table for 3 pm and arrived early at just after 2.30pm. Very clear on their website that last orders are 4.30pm. We were then advised that we couldn't have sandwiches as they stopped serving at 2.30. We were told that the chef had gone to lunch and we could go to the garden centre up the road if we wanted a sandwich. Not sure why a chef is needed to make sandwiches! Really unhelpful attitude. Website needs to be updated

Very pretty cottage style tea rooms with outside seating, the homemade Victoria sponge was splendid and the pot of tea also good, and reasonably priced .Recommended (also people came out with boxes of food so take-aways ?) Best to reserve seating it's quite busy.

Had lovely time at Duddleswell Tea Rooms with my friends. Food was amazing and so good selection of teas. Definitely will be beck

Delicious homemade food. Very friendly and helpful staff.

This is a lovely place to enjoy a very good cream tea.we sat outside and were served very quickly. Would certainly call again

Lovely quiet little tea rooms with friendly and helpful staff and amazing food and drinks

The cakes were to die for and very reasonably priced

Lovely selection of cakes and great location!

The staff are rude and disorganised. They leave the phone off the hook so it is impossible to get through to make a reservation. They 'forgot' to serve us even though we were seated inside and when we tried to buy some cake from the cabinet, we were told it wasn't available as they were keeping it in case a regular customer chose some!

Excellent cream tea with scones.

Lovely place in the Ashdown forest ( pooh County) for tea, with the best cakes.

A quaint little place, you can sit outside enjoying your cake and a cup of tea

Very disappointing visit. Called to find out opening times as planned to go at the weekend with my daughters. Was advised only open Monday-Fri 10-5. So keen to visit I took half day off work Monday and drove out arriving just after 2.30. Was thrilled to be offered a table and waited to order lunch. At 245 we were finally served to be told kitchen shut for sandwiches at 2.30 and we could only order drinks and cake. I pleaded with him to please see if an exception could be made as we had made a special trip and driven 45 mins but was told “No”, so i left with 2 sad and hungry children to go find somewhere else. Food looked amazing but service and goodwill sadly lacking, as well as information to have allowed us to avoid spoiling our afternoon and arriving literally 10 mins too late!

Absolutely brilliant. Would thoroughly recommend.

Quaint tearooms. Very good service.

This is such a lovely tea room with a great atmosphere! The choice of tea is great and the scones and cakes so delicious! Definitely recommend!

Food would be 6 stars but unfortunately service was awful. Younger staff were lovely but unfortunately the older staff were most definitely frosty about us having children even though they were well behaved. I would not recommend coming if you have children or babies. Won't be coming back

Stopped here for lunch after a walk with dogs to the Airman's Grave, had the homemade tomato soup and cheese scone which was delicious, very friendly staff who made a fuss of my dogs and gave them biscuits. Highly recommended will definitely be going again!

Food was great. Recommend bookion advance as very popular

We stopped off here and had the most delightful ‘Yeoman Tea’ from the menu. Staff attentive and welcoming. Excellent service. Would definitely recommend

Delightful tea rooms, excellent food on offer and tremendous selection of speciality teas.

Loved the Duddleswell Tea Rooms. Excellent service and one of the best ham sandwich I've ever had. Very Clean and friendly staff. I would highly recommend.

Scones squisiti tea pregiato posto rilassante e piacevole personale gentilissimo. Consigliatissimo🇮🇹

Great gardens and menus choice.

Absolutely the best cream tea! Have been coming back for many years and always everything top class. Fantastic fresh scones and clotted cream served with delicious loose tea. This time tried also their wonderful cakes! Five stars is not enough!

A visit here was on my to do list and I was not disappointed. All 3 in our group were made welcome served quickly and smoothly and we were each delighted at the choice and portion size of the cakes. We will return! Thank you

Bit grumpy about our children playing. Servers could be much friendlier. Food is excellent

After a nice behind the Tea rooms in the woods behind I stopped off for a lovely Lemon&Coconut cake + Pear&Ginger cold drink.

An absolute gem of a place, lovely cottage tea rooms and outside seating if you want but be warned it is advisable to pre book for that, parking is very limited but there is a car park on the opposite side of the road, we had cream teas and they were superb plenty of cream and a choice of jams, the waitresses were very helpful and very friendly as well, all in all a lovely afternoon, highly recommended.

6 stars! Visited before and will visit again. Idyllic tea room and gardens. Quintessential afternoon tea (or coffee if your like me) with fresh, light scones, jam and cream; wider menu available. Lovely staff and all round value for money. In company of a very good friend and we left feeling wonderful!

Scones and cream better than Harrods

Really lovely food. I suggest you prebook a table as understandably, it does get crowded. Helpful friendly staff.

Delicious food, lots of choices, friendly staff.

You should really try this tea room fantastic