National Trust Tea Room in Purbeck

The staff helpfully opened the lower room indoors for those trying to avoid the wasps in the garden. We stopped for coffee and cake/cheese scone after visiting the castle as we are regular NT café visitors. It was very busy initially and I commend the cashier on her patience and cheerfulness. The coffee and cake was of the usual NT good standard, but it seemed more expensive than the other NT places we have visited. It was the most expensive coffee we had all week (perhaps ever)! Watch out for the upright stones on the pavement corner outside. They are probably an historic feature, but definitely a trip hazard.

I had to abandon my scone as I was swarmed by wasps! They were inside too, I had to do this as my toddler child was at risk of getting stung. Also stopped doing food at 2.15pm when advertised as 3pm stop. Just a bit misleading really. Food was ok, setting is gorgeous but nothing noteworthy.

12.45 on a sunny Sunday (15/9) and the place was rammed. But the staff were as pleasant as ever - especially the young guy on reception; friendly, efficient, helpful, unflappable he held it all together with a number of anxious diners ordering and chasing their meals / drinks. If he is a volunteer he needs commending; if he’s an employee give him a raise!

So happy they have gluten free sandwiches. I had the tuna cucumber mayo. Staff are very friendly and accommodating too.

Nice place, lovely gardens (don't get the jam out whilst outside, we stupidly forgot and were besieged by wasps and had to hurriedly go indoors). Tasty cheese scone, and plain scone was lovely too, gf option available, reasonable prices for the scones and tea and coffee we thought. Good service, 4 stars only because if had had to sit inside, slightly musty smell, but from the age of the building I suspect

Just had a lovely lunch at Corfe Castle tea rooms . We had the chicken ham and cheese croque and a coffee and walnut cake . Both were lovely but more importantly the staff were superb on a busy day . Credit all round for staff and food and as a bonus it’s very dog friendly .

We enjoyed freshly prepared vegan sandwiches here. Good service and dog friendly. Perfect lunch spot after visiting the Castle

Amazing staff spotlessly clean and the best lemon drizzle cake ever. They welcomed our little dog with a bowl of water on this very hot June day. We will be back again one day .

Fancied a coffee and cake before we went to visit corfe castle. I will admit, I was very disappointed, as they couldn't make any coffee, could only have tea or a cold drink. I finally decided on an afternoon tea, and it was alright, but nothing to write home about! I had a berry tea, which I will admit was lovely but the scone was rather dry and crumbly. Was only one other person in this cafe, maybe there was a reason, I certainly won't come again.

Popped in for a quick lunch- lots of options of sandwiches, toasties, quiche etc. Service was quick and friendly. Prices good compared to other places in Corfe. The only issue was that it was very busy so we had to sit at a table that hadn’t been wiped down and staff seemed stretched.

A National Trust cafe should be a safe option for great cake and sandwiches. This one bucks the trend though. Despite many posters and adverts (including the menu itself) they didn’t serve the food they described, only weird ‘specials’ alternatives and staff were surprised when they were asked for the food actually on the menu and posters. After waiting over half an hour after ordering, staff came to tell us that they had just sold out of our food order and we would have to change our choice. By this time we had absolutely no option to go elsewhere as we were already likely to miss our train and they made it difficult to get the refund from the original ordered food so we had to donate it to them! Only go here if you don’t like traditional food or good service. We definitely would not ever return as it was so badly managed.

We only ordered sandwiches. They took half an hour and were made with stale bread. It wasn’t that pricey, but buying a fresh loaf shouldn’t have been beyond them.

Lovely spot, lovely service although fayre was limited to cakes / drinks on the day as chef was taken ill. Still worth a visit in this lovely village / place of historical interest.

Lovely cream tea with the family following Corfe Castle visit. Calm and relaxing atmosphere and a great selection of cakes. We are national trust members. Never disappointed!

Very long wait to place order for 3 teas and a cold drink. I suggest understaffed(?). (It’s British school holiday time so it’s bound to be busy!). Tea ok but not enough for a second cup. Garden table with castle view, the pleasure of this was marred by a multitude of wasps causing concern, many other garden users moving places to avoid their attention. (Wasps encouraged by NT, whilst customers attempting to eat cream tea being harassed and potentially stung). Not the first time we’ve been disappointed with NT catering as a whole and as a consequence will reconsidering our membership when renewal time comes round.

Lovely cream tea with a perfect view of the castle. Finished off a great day visiting the castle and village.

Nice tea and great hot chocolate. Staff were nice and friendly and the view of the castle was amazing.

We visited on a lovely sunny day garden was very pleasant and had good views of the castle. Staff very friendly and prompt service. Disappointed with the scones, whilst the texture and size was good, they had absolutely no flavour…apparently vegan recipe…so no butter as ingredient! Whilst I am sure it is necessary to provide vegan alternatives … why do we have to have them? Surely the NT should offer both versions!

Visited today and unfortunately had a really poor experience. Firstly, the order took over 20 minutes to arrive - we had only ordered teas and scones with clotted cream/jam. The drinks were wrong and the crockery dirty. The scones were undercooked so couldn't finish them. It was a real shame as we had been looking forward to it. The only saving grace was the garden area looks onto Corfe Castle and the view is spectacular.

We arrived later in the afternoon when the cafe wasn’t busy and found a table quite easily. The cream teas were adequate but the scones seemed to be quite old as they crumbled on cutting, The drinks we had were excellent. The cream teas were quite expensive with only one scone.

Lovely sunny day and we sat in the pretty garden taking in the view of Corfe Castle. Lots of birds to watch as well. It was busy but we were served quickly. We had an egg mayo sandwich and a cream tea. Everything was lovely and fresh. Could have stayed all afternoon as such an idyllic spot. Cheerful friendly staff, looked after everyone including bringing water for the dogs.

Friendly, smiling staff, good prices, fast service and one of the best views in the town. Thank you!

A charming spot with a garden view of the castle. Their afternoon tea was superb and although busy when we visited, the staff were friendly and attentive.

Quick and very good lunch in a handy tea room. Service was good but we were almost alone - times are tough!

Visited one of my favourite areas of the UK with hubby, friends and 3 dogs. Visited Corfe Castle and rounded off a wonderful visit with a yea and cake stop at the bakery. Fabulous building , though under scaffolding at the front. So clean, warm and inviting!! A range of tasty morsels were on offer and order taken and tasties brought out by clean, tidy, friendly staff. Don't miss a cuppa and cake at this place. But more importantly, don't pass up a chance to visit Corfe Castle purely because you've visited it before. I have used that reason on last two visits with shame. It is a truly beautiful castle set in outstanding scenic surroundings. They have tried so hard to make it accessible. Much better access than my previous visit years ago I will visit every time I am within the vicinity from now on., Which means yearly visits. One of the UK's gems..

We enjoyed a snack luch whilst taking advantage of the garden seating with possible the best castle view. The cafe has a limited and rather expensive menu but the service was good.

Pasamos unos días visitando la zona y quedamos agradablemente sorprendidos por el entorno y el trato del personal. Fabuloso cream...

Terrific welcome from the staff, and they explained about sandwiches being off the menu again. They were going out of their way to please, and even suggested us eat sandwiches from the bakery next door. I declined to do so, as I felt awkward. The...

Arrived mid afternoon and stood inside the tearoom completely ignored by two members of staff. The room is gloomy and very basic. We wandered out to the garden which is lovely with stunning views of Corfe Castle. A waitress came out and told us to...

Goodness, we walked into a very quiet tea room room to be served by a very delightful young lady, we ordered two scones, a pot of tea and a hot chocolate. Some twenty minutes later it finally arrived! On questioning why the delay we were...

We have visited Corfe a number of times and always stop for a coffee on the terrace of the tea rooms. You rather bizarrely now have to order at a shed at the end of the terrace, rather than inside and food choice is rather...

We stopped here for lunch on our way to the castle. Found a nice table outside, sat and read the menu and was very disappointed to see a distinct lack of gluten free options. A brownie and maybe a scone but no sandwiches! Who wants...

Fantastic to be able to have cream tea with our family - my son has multiple allergies and the staff could not have been more helpful.

Popped in after a visit to Corfe castle. Our small dog was welcomed, and we had probably the best capuccino and slice of chocolate cake ever. I understand there were problems with staff shortages and food supplies, which is to be expected in these times...

Great location and gardens. Service style of shouting out peoples names with no service not in keeping with National trust values

Decided to try after a walk from swanage. After coming a couple of years ago and enjoying, wow what a difference. No staff in sight, no food on the premises! Apparently by 12.30 they had no savoury items available, only cake as they had sold...

We had an excellent cream tea with very fresh scones and oat milk for the tea, sitting on the terrace with a fabulous view of the castle. I didn't know they could do dairy free clotted cream (just read the review below) so you do...

Absolutely amazing to have dairy free cream tea!! The fruit and plain scones are all made with oat milk and even had home made dairy free clotted cream! 1st time we were able to have a proper cream tea for 25 years. You made our...

I visited the Corfe Tea-Rooms and it was an absolutely lovely experience. The scones (We had cream tea: hot drink, scone, cream and jam) were nice and the drinks very pleasant as well. The place was buzzing with people but that it is expected in...

We have been previously and it was nice. Last Saturday we went in for coffee and a fruit scone. This was inedible, very dry and hard. The worst I have ever tried to eat. Either overcooked or extremely stale. I would have complained but the...

That says it all. Doughy and tasteless. Staff are very friendly though. Cheese toasties was good though.

The staff were lovely and friendly, and it was clean… however the sandwich was awful. The bread was cold and dry. Worst sandwich I’ve ever had I’m sorry to say.

Enjoyed our meal in the tea rooms , delicious eggs sandwiches and scones . Love this place and it was great to be able to be back out and about with the National Trust.Lovely views of the castle from the garden too.

The tea room had only a limited menu on the day of our visit but the soup and scones were very good. Volunteers/staff very helpful and friendly.

Thankfully we are NT members so didn’t need to pay for the car park before walking up to the tea rooms. Having been to the castle several times, we were only there for a cream tea but only a bust, sunny half term afternoon we...

We visited on 2/10/2021 on a very miserable Saturday lunchtime with our dog. We were all soaked through but welcomed in and managed to bag the table in the corner (which is good as our dog is a Sprocker so always lively, even after a...

Enjoyed a nice Cup of tea and biscuit after our walk through the castle. Conveniently located to enjoy the views.

As we are members of The National Trust it seem sonly appropriate that we should support them. Before we went up to the castle we had a traditional Cream Tea. Just as you would expect lovely cakes and as much tea as you cauld drink...

Visited 8/9 the summary doesn’t lie the view from the courtyard is cracking, beautiful with cuppa and cake. They have a large gazebo up so good even if it is raining. Protected from hustle and bustle too, v peaceful. Allowed to take dogs into the...

Excellent find on walk up to Corfe Castle from Norden. Wondeful cream tea. Just be ware to get there before 2pm for any sandwiches.

Super location with wonderful views up to the castle. The drinks were fine but the cakes were very disappointing, definitely not fresh.

Had to go outside to a hut in the garden to order and pay. The person serving us was very good but let down by the food. Three os us had cheese scones which seemed to have been microwaved as very pale and extremely stodgy....

I have used the National Trust tea rooms on many occasion over the years, and always enjoyed hot or cold food, great cream teas etc. Things have certainly changed now and disappointingly so. Firstly, the location is awesome. Their are tables indoors, and now a...

It has such a stunning location outside looking up to the castle and could have been great. Tea in a cardboard cup and cake on flimsy cardboard plates. No doubt Covid used as the excuse to prevent having to wash up afterwards. It was a...

The cafe is quite pleasant, as are the overworked staff. Someone needs to go to cakemaking school here though. The Victoria Sponge unnecessary missed the mark. No buttercream, little jam but rather tasteless. Oversweetening the sponge did not make up for this . The soup...

You definitely should sit in the garden area of this small tea room if possible as it gives you a fantastic view of the castle! Small but sensible menu made it easy to get lunch; my husband thoroughly enjoyed his carrot and coriander soup of...

This is the perfect place for tea in the shadows of Corfe Castle, Good value and the open terrace makes it simply beautiful to sit and stare at the castle.

Wonderful place,typical National Trust organisation to make people safe in this Covid period.Limited food however but still worth a visit

We stopped here for tea and cake after a walk around the castle. National Trust have got the Covid precautions down to a fine art here. We ate in the garden at the back which was delightful. A great view of the castle and some...

We visited last week for sandwiches, cake and tea. All were delicious - in fact, the sandwiches surprisingly so for an NT teashop. Service was friendly and good, the views terrific (we sat outside) and a lot of attention was given to hygiene measures. Highly...

Went back to have a lovely afternoon tea on the lawn with a terrific view of the castle to find that the grass had been concreted over and they were just serving takeway. It is the most shocking kind of vandalism imagineable. They should be...

Had tea and scones at the tea rooms which was very Nice indeed On arrival we were welcomed by a very lovey lady Who made us feel welcome from the start , got us to scan in to the NHS app without any fuss and...

This National Trust cafe is in a lovely location with a terrace overlooking the castle. The coffee was nice but the cakes were disappointing. Cheese scone in a box was cold and slightly stale, and flapjack was dry. I know Covid safety will be taken...

Visited in December and was greeted with a very rude manager with a Scottish accent. She actually swore at my children!! Absolutely disgusting!

We visited on a very rainy day so sitting outside to enjoy the view of the castle was not an option. Indoors, tables are well spaced for social distancing. We only stopped off for coffee and cake, both of which was very disappointing. Cakes arrived...

Having looked briefly at the menu outside we thought that this cafe sounded good for a cuppa and a cake and was reasonably priced. When we went inside we were told that there was only tables available outside and that 3 of us needed to...

Called in while waiting for a bus in Corfe. Excellent service in very clean surroundings. Friendly staff and a lovely cream tea. A good place to go if visiting the castle nearby.

Visited Corfe Castle on Saturday after a great journey on the Steam Train from Swanage. Sat outside as it was a glorious day. We ordered 2 x cream teas - what arrived was rubbish! Freezing cold scones served in a cardboard box chucked on tray...

Always nice place to go and great scones somewhat marred by a rather officious staff member saying full up but then she grudgingly said it would be at least 5 minutes. She then told us to leave the porch(even though it was raining and entrance...

We called in at lunch time on Wednesday after a long hot walk. We had to wait at the door for a few minutes while they found us a table. Told what was going on so fine and asked if we wanted inside or outside...

Lovely friendly staff. Morning coffee with a view of the castle. Lots of space between tables, social distancing sorted.

At the foot of the castle sits this lovely tea room. The garden has great views of the castle. Lots of wasps so be careful. The cheese scones were delicious. The toilet facilities are clean. Covid protection is very good

We visited today for a cream tea and due to covid had to que and pay beforehand which is fine. The Scottish woman serving people seemed very stressed and was rude to ourselves and other family members. When asked if we could have a seperate table to my grandparents she shouted it was too complicated and when my mum looked round the door to see if there was a chair for my elderly grandad who was struggling to stand the Scottish woman shouted ‘wait back there!’ Not very friendly or welcoming! The main problem we had was that they had failed to inform us that there was a wasp problem in the garden and there was so many that we just wouldn’t have been able to sit there safely with our baby. When we asked if we could sit inside instead she snapped at us that there were no tables left. We also were not allowed to sit on a table near the doorway that was unoccupied but has less wasps near it, simply because it was too close to the tea room. So we just left. No one else was sat in the garden because of the wasps and on a hot day like today that shows how bad it was. My cousin overheard staff explaining to someone else that they need to get pest control to get rid of the wasps but haven’t been able to because of Covid. I think these services are working at the moment so should be made a priority, for the safety of the customers. I understand that Covid has made everyone’s jobs hard at the moment and things are different to how they used to be but it’s no excuse for treating customers like this. If the Scottish lady finds her job this stressful maybe she should look for a new job. Please sort out your wasp problem. Or if you cannot, close the garden and inform your customers beforehand.

I’ve always loved visiting Corfe Castle.But on this occasion it was utterly confusing and awful. The staff of the tea rooms had no idea what they were doing. A Scottish woman was shouting and smoking outside the tea rooms without a mask on in NT uniform. Another staff member was coughing all over the food.I think the tea rooms could do with some new Management. Smoking on the premises!

After a visit to Corfe Castle, and a busy morning, what better to go into here and enjoy a scone and a cup of tea. The tea rooms are separate from the castle (the NT properties in Corfe are spread out with a separate gift shop, cafe and visitors centre to the castle) but this is close to the castle and the road back to the car park and is in the heart of the village.

Stopped for a cuppa in the National trust cafe, got a table outside, ordered, drinks came, sat in the sunshine looking at the castle, great

Our annual walk to Corfe And naturally the National Trust Cafe......met by the extremely friendly and welcoming staff, into the cosy environment away from the March wet and windy weather! The latte and Americano with hot milk were superb ..... had to have a second!! Not forgetting the cheese scone with butter. Look forward to our autumn visit - hopefully warmer and without fear of viruses!! Thanks

The same thing happened to me as to Alan.

The Scottish woman who served us seemed more interesting on bad mouthing other nationsl trust staff that doing her job

This was a lovely resting place in inclement weather The menu was very good with a good variety When we visited there was a lovely log fire burning

I came to this place after visiting Corfe Castle and it was just the perfect place for cream tea and a little break. I also got a slice of a citrus cake (amazing) and a slice of Dorset apple cake to go. This place is totally worth a try if you're in Corfe!

The chocolate scone was to die for . We came back twice over the week for more . We even brought your National trust book of scones. I have been trying them out at work. we will be back next year

Great view of Corfe Castle from the back window, very nice atmosphere and good food and drink though limited. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Called in for a coffee and Dorset apple cake - both really good. Pleasant surroundings and staff. Will come again

We always feel we can rely on NT cafes, but this was a shocker. Tables covered in dirty dishes, and not wiped. Friendly service on the till but not from the chap delivering our order. Coffee spoon put directly on dirty table, yuck. Pot of tea v small. Cakes nice.

A quaint cafe with a delightful courtyard area. As with all NT eateries, the cream tea was perfect. No better place in the country for olde world charm.

I really wanted coffee at the end of a day of walking but the machine said no! Chose a really yummy coconut cake with a pot of tea. Tea a little weak. Nice to sit inside out of the wind. Good selection of indoor and outdoor seating and views of Corfe Castle. You pay before you get your order delivered to your table. Cake and tea £5.50. But you know it gets invested in NT projects. NT cake always hits the spot.

We called in for cake and tea mid afternoon. The cafe was not overly busy. We waited quite a while for the tea and cake to appear. We were then served in an offhand manner and the tea consisted of one very small teapot for two people, no hot water. There was enough for one person to have one cup and the second person got a cup and a half. Every other place we visited in Dorset gave either a large teapot of tea and/or hot water, surely tea is no longer that precious. Whilst people watching we saw a child's packed lunch arrive for a very small child (2-3). Who in the National Trust catering department thinks that a doorstop sandwich cut into two wedges is suitable for a very small child? Needless to say the child turned her nose up and dad ate the overpriced sandwich.

When we visited it was busy but only half the tea room was open. Service was often brusque. Drinks were nice but the atmosphere could have been better.

Pretty much as you would expect with cream teas, ice creams, food etc. all in a nice period building. We actually sat outside in the garden which is nice with both sun and shade.

Four of us went to the tearoom today with the intention of having a sandwich lunch, unfortunately we had to leave without eating anything. I enquired if it was possible to get a white bread sandwich as the menu only offered brown bread. I was told no, we only have brown bread. I explained that I have a bowel disease and cannot eat brown bread. She offered me a (brown) gluten free scone. I am very disappointed that the establishment couldn’t produce something as basic as a piece of white bread. Surely it’s not too much to ask. The soup of the day was red pepper, which wouldn’t have been an option either. Feeling rather embarrassed, we had no choice but to leave. The model village tea room, not far away, accommodated us very well, with everything on the menu being available on white or brown bread. It’s not too difficult is it?

Oooh. Check out the coconut and lime cake. Fluffy and moist all at the same time - chunky slice well worth £4 plus great view of castle from garden.

It might have killed the woman on the till to smile. I went back inside from the tea garden to get more hot water and milk, said please and smiled nicely. She didn’t say a word, fetched the top up, and didn’t respond when I again smiled, and said thank you. Tea and cake ok, location and view of castle excellent, but there’s no excuse for rude staff.

We sat outside and admired the lovely views of the castle. The sandwiches were ok. The grounds were a bit scruffy and the menu a tad limited compared to many other NT cafes but it wasn’t bad.

Just outside the castle this is a good cafe for lunch or a snack. Good service and value. Find a table fist as it gets busy.

Had a lovely cup of tea but the large number of wasp traps plus contents was disturbing and upsetting. Shame the National trust couldn't have carried out a bit of research into this much needed and threatened insect. Instead of trapping and killing them, they could grow mint along the wall and pop some into jars on the tables. Wasps are repelled by this plant. We all need to do our bit to help wildlife!

Such a lovely spot, not to be missed. You can even watch the train go by if your lucky. Staff very friendly.

We have become accustomed to NT tea shops being slightly disappointing for quality, but this visit was absolutely spot on. The cake was amazing! We also had cappuccino and while we did have to take the first ones back (there didn’t seem to be any coffee), the replacements were very good and the staff were really good about it. And all in a great location right next to the castle.

We stopped in here before taking two of our grandchildren into the castle. Nothing was too much trouble and the sandwiches were tasty. There was even water for the dog! Highly recommended!

Excellent afternoon tea overlooking Corfe Castle. We sat in the garden where we over looked the castle.