Food for Thought in South Hams

Stopped here while waiting for a bus. Had a lovely cappuccino and sausage roll. It was reasonably priced and the staff were nice too

Just stopped for a drink had a tea and a can of coke, I don’t like drinking from a can so my partner went back in to ask for a glass or even paper cup and he had to pay 60p for a paper cup which I think is very poor seeing we bought the drink there.

Genuinely the best brownie I have ever eaten and I have eaten some tasty brownies before! Such a cute little place. Great quality food and amazing sweet treats. My mum said to me ‘it’s good we don’t live in Totnes, we’d be going all the time!’ 🤣 Going to have to go back to get more!

Gluten free quiche was excellent. Also panini and spinach and feta tart. Best of all the girl serving was rushed off her feet but still managed to have a smile on her face. Thank you.

My wife and I visited Food For Thought, the Cornish Pasties are honestly the best I have ever had, absolutely packed full of filling. Their rang of cakes is extensive and the Millionaires Shortbread is delicious very highly recommended

Purchased a take away coffee and cake. Sat down to eat the cake and two long black hairs in it. Yummy!!!

This being Totnes, we were pretty sure we’d find a suitable place for The Vegan to have lunch. We found Food for Thought by accident and settled at a table outside. The Vegan had a choice of 3 baked goods to choose from, cauliflower curry pasty, butternut squash pasty or sausage roll. A fellow customer was given a choice of vegetarian sandwiches. Coffee was good and the staff friendly, we enjoyed our lunch

Friendly, accommodating and welcoming staff. Couldn’t do more to provide us with what we needed...children’s portions and helped with dairy free options...

We are local to the area and always choose Food For Thought when we are looking for something to eat. The food is amazing, always fresh and locally sourced which is excellent. The selection is really good with the Spinach & Feta Pie and also the Iced Buns being particular favourites! The staff and owners are lovely and always welcoming. Could not recommend highly enough!!!

We visited Food for Thought and it was fantastic, The staff were welcoming and very friendly, nothing was too much trouble. There was a huge selection of vegetarian and vegan options as well as more traditional fare and all fresh and made to order if not immediately available. The prices were vey reasonable and it was lovely to sit in the sun at one of their outside tables. We could not say enough good things.

My wife and I visited Food for thought yesterday and can only say how good it really is. There is a wonderful choice of food with many vegan and vegetarian options as well as meat options, to be clear this is snacks, sandwiches, cakes and pastries, coffee and tea etc. The staff were delightful and nothing was too much trouble. What I wanted wasn’t immediately available but was made to order for me. The prices are extremely reasonable. We sat at one of their tables outside in the sun. We will be going back again and again every time we visit Totnes.

We chose rolls from some that were already made but anything could be made to order. Our choices were delicious, chicken and salad. Good coffee too. The cakes all looked great, it made choosing difficult I enjoyed an almond slice and hubby had a rocky road. Both were fab. There are a few tables outside but we took our food over to the river to sit and enjoy the view. Watch out for those cheeky seagulls though!

I visited Food for Thought during my stay in Totnes and I liked the little shop very much. The staff is fun to talk with and their food tastes great. The variety the shop sells is quite big, from sandwiches, preserves, icecream over baked potatoes to salad. I had the chance to try some sandwiches and pasties during my stay. When I'll get the chance to visit Totnes again, I'll be sure to stop by and get my lunch there. Keep up the good work.

Consistently unpleasant and rude staff. Some time ago, I remember being sold a partially frozen spinach and feta pie, that they had claimed was fresh, and being rather surprised by the rude response to me returning it. The staff have always seemed a little odd and off, almost as though they are inconvenienced by customers. They have been reactive to questions about the stuff they sell, such as 'is this fresh?' or 'does it contain free range eggs?', and they can't seem to handle customer feedback without reacting or walking away mid sentence. In my 51 years, I've never experienced such repeatedly rude service. I've used the place out of convenience and have been tolerant of their cold abrupt and unfriendly attitude, as it's close to where I run my business.But having yet again been met with rudeness and arrogance from a member of their staff today. After I complained to them about their rude attitude towards me, i I was told that I was the problem and that I should be careful. I was then threatened with 'i know people''. I presume she was implying an intention to promote a poor view of me to members of the community. Fortunately, I am a bit too long in the tooth to be bothered about that .... Or, perhaps her threat had a more sinister meaning... I hope not!I see from the reviews that I am not the only one to have suffered such appallingly bad service, even though I was told that I am the only one of their customers to have complained.There is a lot of competition in Totnes, and even though they are well located, F for T's food isn't particularly tasty or fresh. If food for thought want to maintain a sustainable income, perhaps they could think about the need to have staff who are polite and friendly with customers, who are all to face constructive criticism or complaint with professionalism and maturity.

Always a pleasure to go here, delicious food and friendly staff. (Especially love the cakes!) Would definitely recommend.

Discovered today that this business donates all unsold sandwiches and bread to local homeless people and to an animal centre. I think this a good demonstration of ethical business especially in the current climate of food wastage by larger retailers.Plus they do a lovely Orange and Pistachio flapjack, so I will be returning. Keep up the good work guys.

Super-friendly, helpful staff and top spot to sit outside and enjoy a coffee and cake. Fantastic!! Thank you.

Bought a hot steak pasty from here...it was not hot....greasy and tasteless. Only taste i got was grease and water. Sorry failed on the pasty front.

I decided to take my girlfriend to Totnes for a days shopping. We arrived about lunchtime and, as we were planning on dinner, we didn't want a lot. We chanced upon this little deli where the food looked very appealing. My girlfriend is on a diet however and didn't want a pasty. The very friendly lady asked her what she would like, to which my partner replied "Something like a salad baguette would be nice".So, the lady made her a fresh salad baguette on the spot! I opted for a pasty. Now I do consider myself a pasty connesseur (yes there is such a thing!) I have had many different pasties from many different places and I have to say that the pasties here are THE BEST I have tasted, hands down. They were so good, I bought another 4 to take home. A wonderful place and highly recommended xx

2 of us called into this cafe today for a coffee and cake whilst out on a cycle ride.The coffee and cake was sort of ok and we paid over a tenner between us. Everything was spoiled when we politely asked them to refill a our water bottles with tap water .I have never before met with such a response - “ we do not fill cyclists water bottles , it’s the managers rule ..... if you want water you can use the public toilet over the road or buy a plastic bottle from us “ Outrageous. I thought Totnes was very forward thinking as a town and certainly wouldnt advocate such use of single plastic bottles. I also thought Totnes was very cycle friendly , which it is but this premises certainly bucked the trend ! Shame on you “food for thought” . I won’t be darkening your door again and I suggest any cyclists reading this spend their cash in a different cafe in Totnes. The seven stars opposite were extremely helpful and filled out bottles without question. Well done !

Popped in today to buy a hot pasty and pie, was charged about a pound extra for items to be nuked in the microwave for 5 seconds, needless to say they were still cold!!!! If it wasnt for the fact that our time was nearly up in the car park, i would have took them back... so they were chucked in the bin...Will never go back again, the member of staff was unfriendly and cold, just like the pasty/pie!!!!!!!

Picked up a couple of coffees here and a feta/spinach slice to share. Plenty of nice things to eat here, and reasonable prices. The lady that served us was friendly and helpful too. Worth a visit.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian don’t bother with this place. My friend who has always been vegetarian has been given a chicken pasty thinking it was a mozzarella. She then proceeded to throw up for the next hour. Any of my friends and myself will never be entering this premises ever again. Sort your staff out, this has ruined a day and has lost you many loyal customers.

We were enticed by the beautiful bakery and lovely outside sitting area. Unfortunately their expresso coffees were bitter and had a burnt taste. We aren't sure if it was due to the temperature it was made at, or the type of bean. (We've had expresso coffees around the world and unfortunately this really didn't taste great.) Bakery items looked good though!

I am fairly new to Totnes and after a rain cloud descended upon the town, I stumbled upon this quaint little cake and sandwich treasure chest by pure coincidence. I am very happy I discovered their mouth-watering lemon flapjacks, quality fair-trade coffee and fantastically moreish French loafs. I can honestly say that I have never met such a down to earth, community orientated little team of welcoming staff that greet both their locals and further afield customers with wit, insight and superb product knowledge. I have returned time and again because there is something of substance here at Food for Thought.

I have never been so insulted in my life, visited this shop in my lunchtime to get a baguette, instead i ending up recieving a bag of insults from a paticularly rude middle aged woman who clearly didnt want to be there. I left empty handed and went elsewhere which i strongly recommend to all.

I'm a fairly regular visitor and I love the selection of cakes on offer. They do a gorgeous pear and butterscotch pie. I chat to the staff every time and always feel welcome and ask me how I am doing. There is one young lady who ordered in a special cake for a party I was having recently and she couldn't have been more helpful in getting me the one I required. I have also ordered one of their buffet lunches which was delicious and beautifully presented and was well received by all the guests.

I don't know why others are giving bad reviews. I found this place on summer holiday in the South West, and found both the food and staff wonderful. I had a delightful chat with a very friendly staff member who gave me some travel tips for Totnes and other nearby towns.

Popped in to get a simple coffee and pastry, one member of staff was busy staring out the window so the other one served, they literally made no effort to be polite or friendly/welcoming, the person who served me made a back chat remark, i asked for a pastry in the window to which she cockily replied 'yes i know where they are'. Coffee was put on the counter with a 'theres your coffee!' No thanks or anything that'll be the last time i go there.

I visited this shop a couple of years ago and was disappointed with the surly service I received. However, today I returned with my husband, to give them another chance. Yes it happened again, miserable faces and abrupt service. Where did this lovely shop get their staff from, the school of charm! We won't be visiting again!

Ten en cuenta! Cobran para calentar su comida y aunque es casi frío! Alegan que son cálidos y han sido fuera del horno por 1 hora y la e. g. empanadas y tartas no se mantienen en una zona climatizada pero bandeja en la ventana...

Aparecimos aquí a recoger algo de nuestro viaje en el tren de regreso a Londres. Recogió un pastel de cerdo, salchichas y un quiche roll. Estoy de acuerdo con otros clientes sobre el personal sonriente. No es un servicio muy hospitalario. Ya tuvimos nuestras delicias...

The Staff in this deli/sandwich bar are almost 100% unsmiling and rude. I am writing this today as I have just been in for a sandwich to be greeted by an unsmiling assistant who ignored my request for sandwich on bread rather than a roll even though the other assistant would have sliced a loaf... and forced me to have a horribly dry roll - I am really fed up of their attitude - many of my colleagues have the same view and we find it quite off putting - its as if they all have lessons in being unfriendly ! Not good in a lovely friendly place like Totnes.

Was looking for a coffee in this part of totnes prior to a walk. I saw this place with chairs outside and offering coffee.As I had my dog I didn't walk in but poked my head through the door. Upon asking if I could have a coffee the lady couldn't state quickly enough 'this is not a cafe we only do takeouts ...'....but she said I was more than welcome to sit outside. After asking for a coffee again was told this isn't a cafe.I was made to feel unwelcome and if it wasn't for the fact that the cafe opposite was busy with apparently happy and appreciated clients, I would have gone there! Why do you put tables outside and offer coffee and then wonder why I might have wanted to sit and have a coffee?Customer service poor so me and me dog won't be back!

Went in for a couple of cakes which did look tasty but getting in is a pain because the ice cream stall is right inside the front door. I have a nut allergy but not severe so asked about this to be told in an extremely abrupt manner they could not say! They had some which clearly didn't have nuts in on the same trays as those which clearly did! Even putting them on separate trays would have helped people with less severe allergies. Woman behind the counter could not have cared less. Didn't even try to help. I will never shop there again and as I live locally will tell people of my experience. I realise this is not something which affected everyone but nut allergies are very common now. That apart, the attitude staff was particularly rude and unhelpful.

Great homemade soup and banter with a fellow Midlands lady who served me. I have been here twice now while visiting friends in the area. Came back the second time for the soup...never tasted any soup so seasoned and tasty

This small takeaway is reasonably priced. The bread they sell there is freshly baked, great with marmite. Additionally, the vegan chickpea pie is amazingly tasty. Staff are very helpful. Great service !

Absolutely atrocious too salty steak and ale pie and duck pie which we couldn't eat. Found bone in the duck pie. Threw both away. Served by grumpy, unfriendly person who barely spoke. Beware and don't go there.

This place does a disservice to lovely Totnes! Rude, ignorant, odd staff. We were clearly an inconvenience from the minute we set foot through the door. Average food. Don't go near the place.

AVOID STAFF AT ALL COSTSI was in this shop ordering when the staff member became rude and surly, and when I complained another middle aged blond woman started being patronizing. Both seemed to be in bad moods especially the blond one. NEVER would I go into this shop again.There are far better food shops in Totnes especially THE OLD BAKERY which I patronized after my dreadful experience with these people. The Old Bakery is to be found 100 meters away in the main Street. I had never been in before but will now frequent this new place. The staff were also lovely and kind.

Good Selection of food - well set out, easily accessible, near the main bridge at the bottom of the town.

This deli is in a great location - close to bus and ferry links and plenty of footfall.Options looked very tempting but 'ignore the menu ........ (sic) just go by what you can see in the fridge'.OK - fair enough, there was still a good range of choice at reasonable cost but would have been more appetising if served with a dose of pleasantness/a smile!Maybe I expect too much - I'm only a visitor, maybe Mondays aren't good days!

I buy from the food van nearly every day which travels all the way out to Halwell and does very well at getting for us for lunchtime. Friendly service, great food and well priced, there's never anything I don't like!

There is always such a good selection of cakes on offer and the mince pies are really good, much better than the supermarket ones. I really enjoy the homemade soup which is really tasty and healthy and the salad boxes too. Must try the smoked cheese and beetroot, it's good! As a regular, I've always found the staff to be more than friendly with me and not at all rude. I would recommend, traditional bakery and proper homemade healthy food.

I was so pleasantly surprised when working on my boat to find a van call to the boatyard with such a fantastic range of food on offer for purchase, it is so good that not only did I buy for lunch from them but also dinner.I was in Totnes for only one week and bought from the van and the shop every day, the service is brilliant.Thank you very much.Colin HastePS: would you be able to send any of your delicious Pasties to Scotland? I would love to buy some more from you.colinhaste@gmail.com

The bread and patisserie are good. The staff are probably the surliest and most off-hand you can find around. Such a shame to be confronted by such indifference. The woman who serves on Sunday needs social skills and customer care training as a minimum.So disappointing as the food is good.

Had a homily pie and an almond slice from here today pretty poor really pastry was stodgy and under cooked and I don,t think the almond slice had any almonds in it at all will not be going back

Only somewhere with food as nice as this could get away with being so grumpy without going out of business. I shop there all the time. The nut rissoles, vegetarian Scotch eggs and sosmix rolls are tasty and reasonably priced at about a quid. The homity pies are a bit dearer but also really tasty. The pastries and cakes are amazing - especially tarte au citron and cranberry frangipan. Loads of others are nice too: bakewells, crumbles, flapjacks, treacle tart etc. They also sell olives and bread and cheeses and crisps. I rarely go past without popping in for something. I must have spent a fortune there over the years.I recommended them to a friend who's not been before, and when she said "Pity they're so grumpy," I suddenly realised: 'Yes, actually they are!'. I've been going there for 22 years and yet there has never been a single glimmer of recognition, or of pleasure to see me, or anything else that made me feel they were glad I was shopping there. Then I went in there last week - an unplanned visit, near the end of the day, maybe around 4pm. Everything was covered over. She asked me what I'd like, I said "Ooh, I don't know. What are you hiding under there?" Not a glimmer of a smile. I ran through my preferred items one by one: no, no, ah, sosmix roll. I'll have that. Gave her a £10 note. She asked if I had change. "No," I said regretfully. "Normally I've got loads, but I just grabbed a tenner and went to walk the dog." No reassurance this was OK. She went to the till."I'm afraid it's all change, " she said as she picked it out."Oh, that's fine, " I said."Not for us, it isn't", she said. How rude! So that's when I decided to write this review. I've still given them 4 stars, because the food is lovely, but I really think they should appreciate their customers a little more. The moment there is someone else who sells something equally nice, I'll be gone.

PERFECT. In every way. The staff made me welcome and assured me a fine selection of gluten free treats...and I was not disappointed. And lets just say my husband was also well catered for, making short work of a giant steak pasty and still squeezing in rocky road!! Thanks. Back very soon.Mrs.T, Paignton

served by Lisa dingle who was abrupt and point blank rude,food was average but pricey i would not be returning,in my opinion with totnes being stacked high with coffee/pastry shops boss needs to have a shake up on training staff on manners and people skills

Really looking forward to the nice gluten free pasty I bought today when visiting Totnes. There was a good choice of gluten free savouries, sauage roll, scotch egg, spinach bahji, veg pasty, so opted for that. Wish I had chosen something else.The filling wouldn't of filled a tablespoon, about 7 chickpeas, a few bits of squash, stringy spinach and coconut, It was however very tasty, can't fault that. It was the thick pastry which was totally inedible. It was so hard I could not even bite into it. Now wondering how old it was! I wasn't impressed by the service either, I was served by a lady who couldn't even be bothered to talk or answer when I made polite conversation mentioning that it was great to find a gluten free pasty. Perhaps she knew it was going to be dreadful. I will never go in this shop again, I wasted my money, and it wasn't cheap, had nothing to eat and was going for my bus otherwise I would of gone back to shop there and then. I have now looked to see if there was a website to complain directly to the shop but no, hence the trip advisor review. Sorry but it was awful.

Wonderful little establishment in Totnes, apparently serving locals for 25 years now. Fresh bread and pastries every morning. Staff always friendly and knowledgeable about the products on sale. Steak pasties, the best in Totnes. Busy during lunchtimes, with queues out of the door, always a good sign in my book.

I enjoyed a fabulous coffee (cappuccino) and lovely salad box. Good value for money, only place in town that do decent ice cream which my kids love. Staff are friendly cobsidering it is a low paid job they deserve more to be honest especially when some of the customer's they have seem very rude, i tried to get my pushchair through the door but one customer would not let me pass seemed to be more concerned with their pan aux whatsit, very nice lady working there helped me,the establishment can be very busy at lunch time.

As a local, I do try different shops and bakeries in the town. But, unfortunately, the staff always seem to be too busy with other activities rather than serving the customers who keep them in business. I do appreciate that it can be busy running a bakery but even without any queues, it can take an age to get served.I ventured in to pick up a simple pain au raisin this week and (despite there being three staff and no other customers in the shop) was told that 'someone will be with you in a minute'. Several minutes later (during which members of staff walked past me to fill the window displays) an assistant asked what I would like. However, he had never heard of a pain au raison and asked me if it was a type of cake. I'd had enough my this point and simply walked over the road where there is an extremely professionally run coffee shop (staff always courteous and working flat out to serve the customer), bought a pain au raison and exited (wondering why I hadn't gone there in the first place!).It seems the staff are more concerned with filling the windows with produce rather than simple customer service. So, I won't be back.

We've tried several different cakes from this shop, each one looking very appetising, but just completely bland and disappointing. We've gone back thinking that maybe it was just this particular cake/that particular cake..... But today's "chocolate pecan tart" has proved to me that it really is full of bland, tasteless food. It's a shame really as it does look the part, it's just so tasteless that it's not worth it. I could of been eating a piece of paper and wouldn't have known the difference! Where is the flavour?!?

The food is fine but the staff are without fail miserable, rude and unsmiling. I wonder if owner insists on zero customer service?

A promising looking bakery, Food for Thought was our destination for a quick week-day sandwich. We walked in to buy a made-to-order sandwich. The woman serving us was incredibly offhand, rude and patronising. A limited choice of bread, the baguettes were dry and nearly sold out even though it was just past noon. The pricing system wasn't clear and the choice of fillings confusing, as nothing was labelled. I have never been so irritated and belittled by the 'service' in a shop before. Avoid.