The Cake Shack @ Cudmore in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Beautiful spot overlooking the ponds, some people were swimming. Very busy although a handy drop off point for those who need it before driving to the car parks. Lots of young staff ,we were told an hours wait for food(about half an hour in the end) the tables stacked with used crockery. Could do with a bit of training. Mistake at the till,loos not to good. Food,coffee and cake OK We both the Ploughmans,Ham nice, one piece of mild cheddar, followed by an awful square of brownie.

Very disappointed with my meal. The scampi was just fish cake cut into triangles and overcooked batter. It was so dry and the menu stated comes with peas but came with salad. I think they had just better stick to cakes and refreshments. 😕

Well what can I say, we booked well in advance for afternoon tea for our mums 90 th birthday 28/7/2024 first thing said to us was go up there and pick the cake you want. There was very little left, and when we asked why, we’re told it’s a hot day lots of people have been. Needless to say they had known for weeks that 7 of us were coming. We made a phone call to request 3 cream teas with brown bread ( dietary requirement) 4 with white bread. All 7 came with white bread. The young lad serving seemed very mythered the fact we need three with brown bread. Two of us caved in to the white bread not wanting to inconvenience. The savoury food on the cream tea was fine. We then asked for another drink. The menu stated unlimited drinks. We were then told it was an old menu. they charged for the drinks, It is still being advertised on the internet as unlimited drinks. The overall impression was very busy too many inexperienced young people

Phoned to book and was told they were very busy, and asked what time did I want. I said we were flexible so what would be good times. Person left the phone to ask and came back and said 2.00. Arrived about 5 past and it was about one third full, and remained that way until we left - not felt very welcomed. Ordered two meals and a pot of Earl Grey tea, which came but not Earl Grey (changed readily). One meal came and a few minutes later the next, and after I mentioned it the cutlery arrived. We were asked whether we wanted any sauces or dressings; salad dressing arrived in two varieties with an apology as they had no mustard, but disappeared without saying "but we do have...". Meals more notable for quantity than quality, but OK. A sign said if we wanted cake or dessert to go to the display and order at the till, which we did. When we returned to the table which still had a coat on the back of one of the chairs to indicate we were still there, our tea pot and half empty cups had disappeared. Apology and promise of more, but the pots were large so said we would only need a small pot. A small pot and one cup arrived - but not Earl Grey! The cakes were first class. As another reviewer has said, the staff were generally very young, so my criticism is not really about them but poor training in basics and customer service. The sheer number of elementary errors should result in improved induction and basic training. We may go back for the pre-booked afternoon tea which looked very good indeed, so I hope it will encourage future visits as the setting is beautiful.

Lovely venue. Food ok, toastie was a bit undercooked. Chips had a fish taste to them. Teapot spout chipped. Service poor. Too many young people not knowing what they were doing. Wasn’t friendly experience. Cook looked really stressed. I had expected much better from the reviews. Ordered cake wrong one came. No napkins given with cutlery. This could have been a much better experience. It wasn’t that busy either.

Beautiful setting, delicious cakes & a lovely warm welcome received (to both us & our pooches). We will definitely be back. Thank you for a lovely afternoon!

First time visiting the Cake Shack today along with my Daughter & Mother-in-law. What a lovely place for a catch up lunch. The scenery is beautiful looking out on a fishing & swimming lake. I can imagine this is even more beautiful in the summer. There is plenty of spaced out seating both in doors and outside. We had sandwiches, toasties and oatcakes all very reasonably priced and freshly prepared even though the cafe was full there wasn’t a very long wait. The cakes are all homemade and looked so fresh that we just had to take a slice home each. The staff were very friendly it had a very warm family feel very nice and relaxing we will definitely return in the future.

We'd never even heard of the Cake Shack before a friend suggested we should go there for lunch and we were very pleasantly surprised. It's understood the restaurant was founded and fully equipped and furnished two years ago in a brand-new timber building heated with a large solid fuel stove, Cake Shack might suggest a cake-based menu but far from it, Although there is a large range of excellent large cakes, all home-made and sold by the slice, there is also a selection of savory lunch dishes all cooked to order and served piping hot by very pleasant and helpful ladies. We were very pleased with the experience and will most certainly be having lunch again at the Cake Shack. (As an aside, AND DON'T LET THIS DETER YOU FROM VISITING THE CAKE SHACK, the restaurant, and associated car parking areas are accessed by a dirt track that also serves the adjacent fishery lakes. The track is very poorly maintained, and that's an understatement. Perhaps It's meant to be a speed deterrent. but the track's alignment is itself a very good deterrent. Last week, driving at more than 3 or 4mph risked serious damage to my car's suspension. The fishery owner could buy a 20-tonne load of Type 1 limestone sub-base simply to fill the potholes because the repaired dirt track would provide more than adequate access for car traffic for many years.)

Very good, but be prepared to endure listening to dogs incessant barking. The food and service are excellent, as is the location. It is such a shame that inconsiderate dog owners think everyone else is happy to have to shout over their dogs constant barking. We'll give it another try to see if we just happened to go on a bad day.

News of this hidden gem seems to be spreading as it now seems to be busier every time I visit! It’s probably worth reserving a table! Whether for a snack, a meal or a cuppa and a delicious cake - The Cake Shack never fails to succeed! The food is always freshly cooked and the portions are generous. The staff are friendly and efficient. There are special offers for over 60s on Wednesdays, 2 meals multi buy on Thursdays and meal deal on Fridays.

Booked a festive lunch a few weeks ago this is only the second tine we had visited The table was decorated lovely crackers wine glasses if you took your own wine The atmosphere was very festive the food was gorgeous .the staff were very nice and friendly a little break in between course's was spot on never felt rushed it was a lovely afternoon so thanks to all happy Christmas 🎄 see you in the new year xx

A special event was put on by the cake shack for children and adults to have breakfast with Santa. The boys cost included, pancakes with lots of toppings, a drink of choice and an age appropriate gift off Santa. We as adults chose from the menu. They were, as you would expect busy, but the staff were so effiecient, each person knew what they were doing, they worked like a well oiled machine. The atmosphere was great. On leaving I thanked and complimented the team. Praise where praise is due. I have been to the cake shack many times and will definitely return. Thank you.

What a fab place, followed on social media for a while but thought give it a try as had a bit of time. Bit strange looking for the first time but what a shock ( even though seen pics ) don't be put off by the long lane. At 12.15 already 20 people in having lunch, and me and me little sis orderd ours, ( i work in catering, thats got nothing to do with my post, but you see 4/5 staff working, they ready ) It was fab our Large Brekfst was !! But also the felling in the venue was great , warming , busy and nice xx and the people kept coming so and only be a good thing and have a good reputation xx keep up the good work, see you all soon xx

Ok, a bit of a basic start up with (very smart IKEA furniture) and budget food. But in the end very good meals at a very acceptable price. As always the best accolade is to note how many diners there always seem to be when we have been. Also the local 'word on the street' is muttering - "Have you tried the Cake Shack ? You really should" Recommended

We booked via email (stating a gluten free afternoon tea and normal) and received a reply saying we were booked in. Heard so many good reports about the place. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. Order taken, the gluten free options were limited (even with advance notice) no gf quiche or scotch egg, I was offered a vegetarian sausage instead. I opted for lighter afternoon tea (stated 4 sandwiches, with 2 choices of fillings) as they only had 2 choices of gf cake. Compared with my mum’s afternoon tea, mine was disappointing: gf had been frozen (which I understand) as it defrosted the crusts became soggy/wet (not sure which bread you used- there are some really nice warburtons gf breads). Only 3 sandwiches arrived on my platter. The crisps and salad were nice. The one cake I had was really nice, served slightly warm the apple/caramel slice. No scones offered on either afternoon tea.

As good as ever cakes are excellent very busy so booking recommended to avoid disappointment you will not be disappointed

My daughter is a frequent visitor, and asked us to accompany them, I am so glad we did. The food was delicious, well presented, and good value for money. We all had something different, but all six meals arrived together, the staff were very amenable, all in all a great Sunday morning. Thank You

Hidden gem set in a lovely location. Great cakes and a decent menu. My only criticism is that we visiting on a lovely morning and sat outside as we had been walking and had dogs with us. It’s lovely but the tables are placed close to each other, personally I think it’s really rude to eat your food and then immediately light up a roll up when the table next to you has just had their own food delivered. Maybe there could be a couple of smoking tables set apart from the others?

A little gem of a place that only those in the know would ever find as its well away from the main road. Visited as part of a group for a birthday celebration. The menu is comprehensive without being to complicated. Our food arrived quite quickly and was lovely and hot. We also found it very good value for money.

Been a few times now,never disappointed. Last few times on a Friday when there is a offer ie. meal,drink,slice of cake @ £12.50.Really good value. My friend ordered the gammon,came with 2 steaks,2 eggs,chips and peas. We (2) had ciabbatas again good value and tasty. Cake slices we took home to eat later and were as you'd expect,very nice. From our visits we can see it gets very busy,best to book a table in case. No complaints from us or friends will certainly visit again and always recommending to others. Not open every day,check their Facebook page etc.

After reading all the press hype about The Cake Shack we were really looking forward to trying it out as there are few decent cake places in Newcastle. Unfortunately we were really disappointed, beautiful outdoor seating area is the only positive about our visit. We were the only customers there yet our wait to order and then receive drinks and cakes was far too long. It left us wondering how they would ever cope with more than one table of customers. When we ordered the staff member wasn’t very friendly and appeared disinterested, she made us feel unwelcome. Eventually we ordered and sat at our outside table but it took over 30 minutes to get 4 drinks and slices of cake. Despite ordering 4 drinks we only received 3 so I went in and spoke to the server about this. She said she didn’t know we had ordered 4 drinks despite us ordering with her and said we hadn’t paid for 4 drinks. She was completely uninterested and made no apology whatsoever for her mistake and said if I paid she would bring the drink out. We sat for over an hour and this drink never arrived. The cake (sponge) was dry and hard and needed a drink to help swallow it. As I never received my hot drink I couldn’t finish my cake. There was no one to complain to as the server was alone so we left disappointed and will not return. It is such a shame because despite the long drive the setting is beautiful but the service was terrible and cake quality poor.

Always had good food at a reasonable price, all cakes are home baked and are scrumbo . You do have to wait for your meals as everything is cooked to order so is as fresh as it could be and it also depends on what day you go as it can be very busy at weekends. Better value on a Wednesday for pensioners who get a 20% discount highly recommended

The food is lovely but be prepared to wait quite a while even in less busy periods. Some staff need more training but others are delightful. The first time I went all the mustard sachets were 4 months past their sell by date and inedible....

Went for afternoon tea. Lovely fresh sandwiches, selection of savouries and lots of cake. Had to choose 2 cakes we were so full we brought one of them home with us.lots of cups of tea. Very nice inside lots of seating. Service was very good...

Oh dear. There is so much I like about the Cake Shack, but in the end I cannot get past my lunch was disappointing. My friend had been before and enjoyed it, so he took me. I tried the oatcakes. No. They were so greasy,...