The Bee Shed Coffee House in Chelmsford

Where do I start…..great lunch (tuna sandwich on freshly baked bread, ham and cheese toasty and the most amazing Welsh Rabbit. It just goes to show what a little bit of love, great ingredients and attention detail can add to these dishes. Lovely setting away from the hustle and bustle of the city center with tables generously spaced so you are not sitting on your neighbours laps. What set this place apart were the staff - everyone wanted to help, guide you through the menu and nothing was too much trouble. A special mention for Felicity who was an absolute star. She guided us to the Christmas Cake and Chocolate Brownie which were to die for - so much so we ordered a whole cake and tray make for Christmas (at very reasonable rates). The Christmas Cale was the finest I have tasted in years!!! All in all - a fabulous spot for breakfast and lunch 1 we will be back!

This was our first visit here - there were six of us friends. We arrived and sat at a table and we looked round to see if there was a notice or sign to tell us where to collect our drinks etc or if it was table service but there was nothing so we waited. Eventually we noticed people on other tables returning with trays of food etc so we followed a group and found a counter where you can order place your orders. No staff were in evidence other than that and a lot of the tables needed cleaning and clearing. Very strange. When we did go to order we were told quite rudely and abruptly " You order from there, not here" - but here were no notices etc to tell us that. The cakes and drinks, however, were very nice but a few manners and better service wouldn't go amiss. I'm not sure I'll return.

Appreciate they were busy 🙄 but an hour for a toastie and a panini . Really unacceptable. When asked politely where the food was the waitress simply said we are busy. when the food finally arrived my partners was full of stuff we’d specifically asked to not include and no chicken. The other order had toasted bread but it’s contents was cold and the cheese wasn’t even melted. Really disappointing as we are really local to the farm/tea room and often spend money in the shop. Once complained again we were offered our money back for the food (that we accepted). But we won’t get back the hour and the rest we sat there. And leaving incredibly hungry. Waitress was apologetic but kitchen staff no apology.

We have been regular visitors to Lathcoats farm over a number of years and have enjoyed our visits on many occasions. (fruit picking with children/grandchildren, friends etc/ apple days / pumpkin days/Halloween etc). Sadly we have found our experience to be less enjoyable lately due to a couple of things. We visited the cafe a few weeks ago and the service was terrible, at the time we dismissed this as simply being busy BUT we tried again on Saturday afternoon when it was fairly quiet and found that despite there being three staff behind the counter it took about fifteen minutes to buy one tea, and one coffee. I have no idea why it took so long, the staff that day did not seem to have a clue what they were doing! However the thing that may turn out to be the main reason we stop visiting Lathcoats is the main shop. There have been times when we have spent a small fortune in here BUT if we come back to Lathcoats we wont visit the shop anymore due to the unfriendly, dehumanising, completely unnecessary plastic screens encasing the tills. These abysmal things just shout "Lathcoats are NOT friendly and do NOT want to interact with their customers". Why oh why are these ridiculous things still in place in the shop (if you really thought they actually served some purpose you would not have staff wandering around loose and you would also have screens in place at the cafe etc? And please dont quote the equally ridiculous "its for the safety of our staff and customers". The till in the shop is generally the last part of Lathcoats people visit so the experience we go away with is akin to a high security prison!

Amazing apple juice with great jacket potatoes and completely good price and freshly grown and the crisps are really delicious.

I try and visit every year for the pyo season. Beautiful strawberries, raspberries and cherries. The little farm shop is nice with lots of choice. The bee shed is lovely for some cake and tea, I think they serve sandwiches and hot breakfasts too. Staff friendly. Lovely little farm at the back where you can visit the animals for free.

I visited this morning with my two children. One doesn’t eat particular foods (bread, beans, potatoes) making the bee shed menu a problem - none of their combinations work for him. This has never been a problem anywhere else in Chelmsford that we’ve gone for breakfast (and we have been to loads of places!), but here the (very rude!) woman at the cash desk told me my only option was to order an adult sized breakfast (for a small child), removing half of its contents (so £11 for a sausage, a slice of bacon and some scrambled eggs). When I explained that the Bee Shed had recently been a lot more flexible she bluntly told me that should never have happened. A family business who go out of their way to attract business from local families, who cannot be flexible enough to accommodate dietary needs of kids should frankly be ashamed of itself. I have regularly visited in the past (fruit picking, cafe, shop) but without a sincere apology there’s no way I will be back! The worker I spoke with was rude and dismissive. We went over the road and are having a lovely breakfast in a much nicer environment :-)

Normally we enjoy coming here but they are under staffed or skilled and we waited over an hour for a bacon bap and panini. The staff were slow and tried to avoid eye contact.

Got in early for what is supposed to be the hotest day on record. Picked my own, Plumbs, rasberry's, strawberry's and my favorite Goosberry's. Popped into the farm shop and picked up onion batton's, new pototoes, apple juice and some rather special sausages. Went round to say hello to the animals, good to see plenty of shade provided. All in all a great experience, lovely friendly staff and a laid back feel about the place 10/10 for me.

Such a quaint little cafe, beautifully decorated with views across the farm where you can go and meet friendly goats, donkeys and chickens!! There is a family room where we took my grandaughter and also a quiet room with no children. Delicious fresh food, excellent service, spotlessly clean plus all bright and cheerful.

I come here regularly and always a good breakfast, I came today the breakfast was awful, very over cooked. And the sausages were hard at both ends. Hash brown was hard. It's a shame the standard has gone right down. It's as if the food was precooked and re heated. Saturday 9th April 10:00

popped in for lunch with friends. Nice toasties and milkshakes. Shame the veg lasagne had sold out, it must have been good.

Used to visit all the time with friends but its completely different post covid. I kept up to date with their website and saw they were back to usual with sit down breakfast. With what looked like good covid prevention. But this must be months out of date as when arriving I got told they only did takeaway and was asked why I didn't see the signs. Takeaway menu was very limited too. Knowing that everywhere now is back to normal service wise, I went elsewhere. I'd also advise that the customer pool is now more mummy's and toddlers. I'd go elsewhere if you are couples or friends catching up as this place offers nothing currently. One star as website not current, menu not inclusive or varied enough and only takeaway, had to travel only to be disappointed, rude staff, completely different vibe to how it used to be!

11th September Booked the alpaca trek that was amazing well done Rebecca so much information and they are so well looked after , human friendly too, love your alpacas & good luck at lathcoats, then booked lunch in the Bee shed. Really lovely all sandwiches freshly made great choices , delicious farm apple juice and great service thank you all keep up the great work Definitely recommend a visit to lathcoats farm Check out the farm shop too ,,, Plenty of free parking A perfect afternoon out 👍🏻👍🏻

Called in for breakfast (the full works). The farm was busy due to fruit picking and a children's farm. The coffee shop was well staffed and check in easy. Service was fairly rapid and the food good (although the sausages were a bit bland for my taste). Prices competitive. Much better than stopping off for breakfast at a restaurant chain during our journey.

Booked a table for 10.45 - arrived on time and ordered 3 coffees, 1 tea, scones and cream, a toasted tea cake and 1 egg on toast. We are still waiting at 11.10 for even a drink. Dreadful service. Finally 3 coffees and the scones...

Walked down there today, only had takeaway but could sit in barn, no problems. Desired to have bacon roll and coffee. The roll was cold to the touch (just out of chiller?) and the bacon was only just warm and it had been cooked long...

This used to be our favourite place to pop in for a spot of lunch before strolling round and seeing the animals, however the last two times we’ve visited the menu choice has been getting smaller and smaller! I’m assuming the limited menu is to...

Enjoyable breakfast whilst getting car serviced nearby at RATES. Staff friendly, efficient, food cooked fresh and only a short wait reflective of time of day and capacity. Very good experience.

Great little place for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. Very busy though and there were long queues. Great home made cakes, freshly made sandwiches, baked potatoes.

This was the 2nd visit for me. I was pleased to see it has been extended since my last visit a few years ago. It now has an additional eating area which was much needed as it gets very busy. The Christmas decorations looked lovely...

Been here to eat several times, always giving them the benefit of the doubt - never again. There is a 'ban' on picnics at the farm, but the cafe just cannot seem to get its act together. Always a huge queue to even order, and...

I enjoy breakfast here once a month with friends the full english breakfast is very nice you have to order at the counter and pay but the food arrives hot and tasty

This was our first family breakfast here. Sunday morning was very busy so service was quite slow. The food when it arrived was hot and fresh, the scrambled egg with smoked salmon looked especially good. Coffees and tea were hot. Staff pleasant but very busy....

My go to place for scones. Love this place, it caters for all, if you want a great lunch or a simple afternoon place, this is the place

Nice coffee and cheese scone after a hard morning picking fruit in the fields adjacent to the cafe. A place to recommend

I visited The Bee Shed again this week (my 5th visit). Unfortunately there were excessively long queues up to the counter, which also happened on my last visit too. It took a long time to get to the front of the queue, & then I...

Planned a visit to Lathcoates for my mothers birthday day-out as we had been previously and thought it was lovely, especially the food. Before going I specifically checked the menu for vegan options and was delighted to see they had added some (picture attached). Upon...

We came in for breakfast with high hopes as it used to be so good and I love this little cafe, but we were thoroughly disappointed with what we were presented with. Even the tea tasted odd, but that’s just a matter of preference. I...

We found this little gem while visiting a nearby attraction. The cafe is accessible for full time wheelchair users. The main doors are wide with a slight lip into a wide corridor from which you have to make a 90 degree turn to enter either...

Nice lunch options and all made on site too. Busy (in a good way) so expect a reasonable wait at most times. Very large cake slices so probably not suitable after a lunch - you’ve been warned! You can also walk around and visit some...

I have been here several times for breakfast and the food is always really good also it is nice to be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies in the farm shop

Lathcoats Farm were hosting a special, bookable childrens function every 30 mins so the café was in great demand (as would be expected). They had no jacket potatoes or coke left and it wasn't even 1 o'clock! After waiting 30 mins the food we received...

Love The Bee Shed. The cheese scones with cream cheese and chutney are superb. And a glass of Lathcoats cider in the summer is rather pleasant too! Make sure to pop in the shop too, amazing produce.

As a regular visitor i though it time to give The Bee Shed a review it deserves. Always brilliant food good portions and choices. Great area for the grandchildren to play and look at the animals. Keep up the good work. And reviewers moaning about...

As a regular visitor of Lathcoats, I highly recommend to any families with small children. The farm is great fun and the Bee Shed serves brilluant food. I highly recommend the chefs there and staff are always friendly. My favourite is their Mocha which is...

The sandwiches were very good, however the spiced scone was amazing. The queue needs to be sorted though.

I have been here on numerous occasions now and have ended up leaving before ordering as the queues have been so long I doubt I would get any food or drink before closing! I appreciate that during busy times the crowds are going to descend...

Cannot complain about the sarnies. Fresh bread, lots of filling, lovely Apple chutney, with coleslaw and crisps on the side. The tea pot for one was a very generous size and enough milk was given for all the cups poured. Not a wide choice of...

Love coming with my wife for a lazy late breakfast or lunch. Can get a bit crowded at times. But a nice place to unwind and not feel rushed. Brilliant food!

Not sure I like this place anymore. Good selection of produce, great cafe, nice staff, but It can be very crowded and therefore noisy. I feel able bodied visitors for the cafe should be asked to park in the overflow parking as It frustrates me...

Often stop here for breakfast, it’s very busy so you can end up waiting a long time after you’ve ordered your food. Which I cannot fault. I will be back soon to try the cakes which looked amazing

I live this place, the good I'd always good and the staff are so nice. It's great for children as there is a place area and lots of animals. It is also dog friendly. My only concern is it looks like they are allowing smoking...

We recently moved to Chelmsford and the first week, we had lunch here. The avocado and bacon sandwich was lovely, bacon was properly rendered, fat crunchy. The children’s plate is pretty decent. Unfortunately the drink option is artificially sweetened juice, which we didn’t realise until...

A nice place for a coffee and cake after fruit picking! This is a popular place so you might have to queue. Try the chees scone with cream cheese and chutney. Good for children here too

In the past I have always been impressed by the Bee Shed and my reviews have reflected this. Sadly, I was somewhat disappointed by my most recent visit. At the top of the large "recommendations" chalk board behind the counter was Soup of the Day...

and stroke a donkey! It's lovely here at this time of the year as all the flowers are out. If you go during the school day it's considerably quieter. Although the tea room had just shut (4.10pm) one of the men took pity on us...

Went there recently for breakfast. After ordering we sat down to wait. As there were not many people there we thought that we would not have to wait long. How wrong we were. After waiting some 20 minutes we were told it was on its...

I visited the bee shed yesterday with my adult children & their friends for my daughters birthday. The bee shed breakfast was very small (looked like a child’s) for the cost & the bacon was all fat. My son had the bacon huffer & it...

I visited with my family today. My son who is 7 has a range of food intolerances making breakfast interesting but we have never had a problem working around this... until today! We ordered three adult breakfasts and I asked for three individual side options...

It's a lovely place and the coffee cake was lovely, would like to visit with my family at some point when I don't need eyes in the back of my head.

Having visited the farm shop regularly and cant fault it. We had visited the coffee shop and never been that impressed. We decided to meet friends for breakfast on sunday. I can not fault the breakfast high quality and very reasonable. The service could speed...

Lovely little coffee shop with fire in the corner - perfect for the rainy day I visited with a friend. Ended up staying and "chatting" for three hours it was so lovely. Friendly staff, lovely toasted tea cakes and hot chocolate.

Short review: the best fruit scones in entire Chelmsford! Would love to have the recipe but I'm to shy to ask and afraid to hear no :)

what an amazing venue, turn up and room was not ready so looked around the wonderful farm shop great value and lovely items. when into the room and we had the luxury afternoon tea and it was all very nice and tasted lovely. will defo...

Came to this place today marvellous children farm lots of amimals to see coffee shop and farm Shoppe lots to see and buy

I have used this cafe a few times and have always been pleased with the food and usually we've just turned up and queued and grabbed a table. This time I thought it might be nice to take my parents for afternoon tea for Mother's...

Love the food at the Bee shed, perfect for family lunches 😋 Staff are friendly, lunch is great price and the cakes are delicious

Visited the Bee Shed today and found it quite disappointing. Obviously understaffed and very disorganised. Loads of bits of food on the floor under one table and other tables not cleared. We sent a latte back as it was barely warm let alone hot. We...

Lovely breakfast but small for the money. Service was good but I ended up with wrong food and had to wait for mine whilst my friends ate before me. Nice cakes and lovely outside eating

Been here a couple of times for lunch. If you are looking for something fancy then this is not for you-it serves good quality hearty food. The cafe isn't that big so you may have to wait for a table, but overall this is a...

My wife and I visited here today for lunch and to look at the animals. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. The jacket potatoes were cooked perfectly and the salmon and salad were both really fresh. Staff were friendly and welcoming, as were the...

We booked a breakfast table for seven people for our son's birthday on 28 December. We eat here regularly but never before as a larger party. The room was wonderfully warm and welcoming and the festive decorations tasteful. A highchair was provided for our youngest...

Just enjoyed a tasty substantial breakfast.Everything is freshly cooked but worth the wait. Friendly staff

We went to the Bee Shed late on a Sunday afternoon and we had the best cheese scones ever. My husband had cream cheese and apple chutney with his and said it was delicious. Will definitely go back again to try some more of their...

Passing through area on way to a meeting and saw sign for Coffee Shop. What a find!!! Coffee very good, and the Heffer sandwiches are massive and very tasty Open from 9 am

I love this little place. Breakfast are not that big so don’t order if you are hungry. Cakes are always on point and coffee is lovely. Can get very busy. Lovely little small holding on site for children to see and fab farm shop next...

Although this farm is on the outskirts of Chelmsford it is well worth a visit and there's also a coffee shop.

Visited the cafe during school holidays.......maybe that was our mistake. It was very busy, which is good. But the service was slow and the tables were not being cleared so the whole inside area looked very untidy. We cleared our own table and when we...

To be fair, I only visited the shop. Didn't eat or use any of the other facilities. It's a lovely shop filled with lovely looking things. Maybe I was unlucky but I was very disappointed with the quality of food I bought.

I visited here today for the very first with my husband and father-in-law. We all opted for sandwiches. The service was quick and the food was okay, but not outstanding. The sandwiches were lovely but the coleslaw, one very small desert spoonful would have been...

Panninis all round was the order of the day and we were not disappointed. Absolutely happy with the food and service. Would visit again without hesitation. Oh, and the farm shop is fabulous too!

Eaten here many times food has always been very good both breakfast & lunch. Have missed the food ordering time deadline before and have walked away because of the large queue to order. It does get very busy, victims of their own success.

We called in here today on a recommendation but were quite disappointed. the PYO and the food shop were ok but the tea room left much to be desired, crowded and noisy and, not least of all, I was all but accused of trying to...

We had a lovely time here. Drove from London to Lathcoats farm in the morning. Tried the bee hive breakfast which was delicious and reasonably priced. There are inside seating as well as outside. After eating we went to the PYO which was really lovely....

A fairly decent coffee shop, with friendly staff. Always busy, which is a good sign. Recently though they seem to be cramming customers in, I'm pretty sure there's another 3 benches/tables in an already small space. Just another business trying to squeeze the last bit...

We were recommended here and was not disappointed, though a wait to order food but worth waiting for, a lovely place, food shop with lots of different foods, gifts etc, small play area for children and animals to see ..... or pick your own strawberries...

We took the kids today to pick some strawberries and raspberries. They had fun and I got some very nice fruit, far better than the supermarket! A pleasant discovery was the tea room. It took quite a while to be served but there was plenty...

this place is highly rated by my family and are regulars. i had lunch here very recently and had a sausage huffer but, in my opinion it was a bit dry and i didnt like the mustard, however my wife says that they do the...

My only criticism of The Bee Shed in the past was that it was quite a small place and the tables filled up quickly. Since my last visit another indoor eating area has been added. It has certainly helped; on a busy Sunday lunchtime we...

Lovely place to visit with young children. The pigmy goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens & ginuea pigs are a great see for the kids. Not big but just right. Also had a little play area with ride on toys. Outdoor seating. Only has one toilet. Hand...

First visit here. Arrived at 12.15 which was just in time as got very busy but there is two inside seating areas and outside. No gluten free bread or cakes so just jacket potato options and I had a very nice prawn and advocado salad....

There is a good little cafe here that offers quite a wide range of food for all ages. Our lunchtime visit was in midweek and it was busy with families and mainly pre school children which we understand to be the norm and for obvious...

Been here several times, had one problem with tardy delivery of food, however happpy to go again and again. Nice in the simmer to sit outside and have a cupp after picking fruit at the fruit farm which is part of the same enterprise

We often visit this place with our grand children to see the animals & have a nice lunch or afternoon tea. There is quite a lot to see there, & the staff are very informative & friendly. All the family will enjoy a visit there.

My wife and i decided to have breakfast here after visiting the farm shop. We sat outside as the weather was fair, The food is good, not brilliant but certainly not bad. As its in a nice environment it makes up for it. Afterwards had...

Visited after discovering they sold Taylor's mustard. Great selection of produce to choose from in the main area of the shop and a separate section for fresh vegetables. I will definitely be returning to restock.

The Bee Hive coffee house has extensive menus for breakfast lunch and tea. I had the bee shed rarebit which was very tasty. We went on a Sunday lunchtime which was busy and there was a queue which went down fairly quickly but by the...

My wife and I visited this restaurant yesterday. We had been told about it by friends who spoke very highly of the quality of food. They were right, the food was outstanding. I had a scrumptious tasting rarebit cooked in a local beer and accompanied...

Go here regularly. Last visit was Christmas time. Good as always. Queue can move a bit slow, sometimes it seems they run on an inexperienced team at the weekend. Over all always a pleasant and clean trip. Walkable from home for us which is nice....

We always like our visits to shop and Bee shed.The family all work hard to make it a wonderful experience for the family.Had a birthday breakfast this morning.unfortunatly they were short staff down to sickness etc . It was a wait to order but the...

Whenever we visit Chelmsford I always have to shop here and just wish we had one like it back home. Splendid fruit and vegetable and interesting breads and cake etc.

This is an excellent farm shop with a very nice tea room The Bee Shed, and animals. A very good place to take the family.

Fantastic couple of hours spent here with my girlfriend. We picked Strawberries and Raspberries. Plums were also here but not ready for picking as were blueberries. We stayed until closing. And purchased some lovely home made Apple juice just before we left. Food quality and...

Fantastic unique selection in the farm shop. Very impressed with recently extend tea rooms which makes a big difference. Hot chocolate is fab! Good to see the friendly animals too. Great place to take our nieces and nephews

Great place to come with the kids Go fruit picking, feed the animals, have a play on the toy tractors then have a coffee and cake or lunch!!! Lovely place, free parking and staff and food is great too Fruit is AMAZING here too!!! Great...

Visited here with some friends on a weekday and had some lunch. There was a half hour wait for food but they made us aware before we ordered. My toasted sandwich was good and they give you tasty homemade coleslaw on the side with some...

Amazing sausages. So pleased to have finally come here seeing as though it is on our doorstep. I had a sausage and bacon sandwich, and the sausages are delicious. Looking around, other breakfasts looked well portioned, and the setting is very nice. You can always...

The honeycomb brownies were deliciously rich and fudgy and the lemon cake was beautifully moist and fresh. Wonderful food, with friendly staff, all in the lovely surroundings of Lathcoats farm.

I reviewed this eaterie 2 years ago, and visited again today for breakfast. The breakfast menu was very limited to either fried food or toast. My wife likes a cereal/yogurt/granola type breakfast but was told it was not available so just had a slice of...