The Orchard Tea Garden in South Cambridgeshire

Beautiful place to have a coffee or a bite

I visited this venue many years ago. I enjoyed spending time in the garden with friends (who were living in Ely at the time). We had 🫖 tea and 🍰 cakes near to the ✍️🪑philosophers garden (Ludwig Wittengenstein, for instance) I was reminded of this venue just this morning re: ageing society (the Dame Sheila Hancock interview by Anita Rani on 📺 BBC1 TV - My Life at Christmas - although she talked more about the 🪚Carpenter Arms pub and her attendance at a variety of religious/belief meetings including, finally in her later years, settling for 'non-traditional' Quakerism). There was plenty of parking and space for a walk when I visited

Very excited to pop in and have a toasty and cream scones after reading great reviews. Sadly the service fell WAY short to basically ruin the experience. No hint of any customer service by the young lady on the till. Inflexible with regard to timing of our lunch. Made it very clear there was no table service! Appreciate it was probably the end of a long day, but keep it going until the doors close! In summary .. good food, tainted by poor service. 😞

Great place and good breakfast .

A magical setting in the woods overlooking the meadow. The Red velvet cake was really nice. The coffee was perfect. Really enjoyed the atmosphere of this place.

We went here today with our dog for lunch and it was absolutely lovely. Staff really nice and friendly, scones were delicious - cranberry and cinnamon. Then had a lovely walk along river. What's not to like? Recommended.

I haven’t visited in 10 years or so since my mum used to work there. But went for some breakfast today and the menu was shocking, hardly no variety at all. We would’ve gone somewhere else but we had already paid £10.50 for parking which was a rip off for how bad the menu choice was! The food we had was great though, so the 2 stars is for the chef, but wouldn’t go back.

Absolutely lovely place for lunch/afternoon tea. We had the most delicious scones there today - Cranberry and Cinnamon - wonderful, such a treat. Had a lovely walk afterwards down by river with our dog. Total gem.

The Orchard _used_ to be one of our favourite places to go, but recently not so much. Since the change of ownership the menu has drastically reduced in variety, especially far fewer warm food options than in years past. Staff are friendly and the garden seating is as nice as always, we used to be content to put up with the huge queues but with the increased costs, limited choice menu and now overly strict parking automated parking cameras that has recently given me a £170 "fine" for the last time I ATTEMPTED to park. Normally you park up, queue up for food, and put your number plate in the terminal at the till. On this occasion it was very busy, I parked after waiting about 10 minutes for another car to turn around. Got out of the car and joined the queue. Within 2-3 minutes it was clear that they were not serving a lot of food and the queue was moving very slowly so I gave up, got in the car and left. For this I'm now sent a debt collectors letter (no doubt automatically due to ANPR) asking for £170.

A serene tea garden to enjoy your tea and breakfast.

We walked by the Orchard in the early afternoon for a quick bite. Ordered some scones, tea, apple juice. It was ok. Not the best scone I had, but still delicious, especially with the spreads available. The ambiance is nice, a throwback to a bygone era; very relaxing.

Well I’ve been to the orchard tea rooms a few times, but was really disappointed this time. The whole place looked run down and a bit delapidated,; and outside there multiple uncleared tables and litter on the floor. Food wise, there was next to no variety of cake, and the slice of coffee cake I had was stale. I think my friend’s scone was a bit better; but really not what I’d expected. Feels like it’s hanging onto a name, but doing nothing to build up reputation by actually serving quality produce. Parking was fine, using the touchscreen at the checkout; but the massive notices all over the car park felt a bit mercenary…

Booked for a Saturday afternoon tea treat for mother-in-law's birthday was placed in a freezing cold room, food was not nice at all - lad that served us rushed through telling us what was on the afternoon tea stand when it arrived - we had no clue what we were eating at all! need ingredients/allergens and descriptions of what food is served, so we at least could tell what was served Felt like we were just shoved in a cold unwelcoming café and charged 36 pounds each for the inconvenience! Will not be returning

Always lovely here. Delicious food, a very nice walk from Cambridge.

We went having read about it and was dad to find Rupert Brooks museum was no longer open. There were some information boards in garden. Unfortunately we were not impressed with the food considering the price and will not visit again. Maybe just unlucky

On the 17th of August 2024, I visited [Tea Garden Name] with the intention of enjoying some time there, but the experience turned out to be anything but pleasant. When we arrived, the place was overcrowded, and we were stuck in a long queue for 20-30 minutes. Despite this long wait, we never even made it to the entrance, which is apparently where the parking log system is located. We decided to leave due to the excessive crowd and the slow-moving line. What made the situation even worse was that I received a parking charge notice a few days later, even though I never had the chance to register my vehicle due to the queue. When I contacted the tea garden’s manager for help, they were unable to offer any assistance or resolve the issue with the parking ticket. I was left with no clear way to appeal the charge through them or get any meaningful support. The overall experience was frustrating and disappointing, both in terms of the long wait time and the unresolved issue with the parking charge. I certainly wouldn’t recommend visiting during busy periods, and it’s disappointing that the management couldn’t offer any help with the parking issue either.

Great place but the queue was enormous! So gave up due to the very long waiting time... Must be fabulous to sit outside in the garden in summer time!

This place real letdown is the horrible noise. We were looking for a place to relax and drink our tea, but we were really frustrated by the noise and the staff constantly moving chairs and tables, so noisy and unprofessional.

Just lovely to sit among fruit trees and enjoy the weather

The location and atmosphere of the garden are magical and the staff are very friendly. Regrettably, the cafe seems to rest on it's location's laurels. It was the first soup I had in my life that was so dilute that it tasted of tap water. It could not even be made palatable with 2 bags of salt. The cutlery had caked-in food residues on it, and the outdoor tables had clearly not been cleaned in months. Considering the intended shabby chique effect, it only achieves to look empoworished, which is sadly not reflected in the extortionate food prices. Shame, this place could so easily be made to be exceptional.

It's a bit shabby and run down. I ordered the Ploughmans, the bread was lack lustre, not the crusty type that I was expecting. It was not worth the price that they charged. On the plus side, I had a scone later, which was delicious.

Very pleasant time with family.

Been wanting to go there for years: not disappointed.

I’ve always loved this place for the unique setting and seating. Traditional orchard under fruit trees, sitting in deck chairs and outside seats. When we went last Tuesday the choices were so limited it was disappointing. I am currently dieting and was trying to make a good food choice of soup or salad. There was no soup (because it’s the summer menu!) and the no salad choice. I hoped to see an easy egg option but no and no baked potatoes at that time? We were not late it was 12.30 My Hubbie had a cream and jam scone and grandson a large slice of cake.

Verryyyy yummy scones! Big and filling with options of jam, butter and clotted cream. The garden is lovely and particularly nice to sit in in spring as the trees have blossomed. You have to get your own food with trays available but this is not a problem :) Really nice place overall!!

Cozy outdoor place, but crowded on weekends.

After fasting bloods at Addenbrookes I thought I would drive here for a relaxing late breakfast. It's meant to be served until 11.30. I arrived at 11.05. Not a single breakfast item was available. None of the cooked. No toast. No croissants or pain au chocolate. I ordered a scone with Jam and butter, earl grey and mooched in to the Orchard. Honestly wish I had gone with Addenbrookes toast. There was a dog constantly barking. Owner kept stroking it made no attempt to quieten it. Kids were fine playing and laughing. Then I was hit by cigarette smoke.....two tables. Made me feel sick. An area is needed. I've emerged unsatisfied by the food and on edge. I thought this would be a relaxing place

The Ploughman's lunch I'm afraid is not traditional enough. It doesn't have fresh bread (only longlife rye bread), grapes instead of apple, strange caramelised walnuts instead of pickled onions... Quite an odd mixture. Also we asked for no ham, but there was no real replacement for it. Instead the plate had a very large amount of chutney and walnuts taking up the remaining space. I really think you need to go back to basics on this and offer a vegetarian option as well. Additionally, the quiche with salad was £9 but comes on a small tea plate with a rudimentary leaf salad and no dressing. I expected more for this price, it's not much to ask to have a few new potatoes or coleslaw to balance the dish. The Caesar salad is very good however. The staff were friendly and polite so no complaints there, also the cakes and pastries looked decent. Some changes to improve the food offering / value for money, and I think this could be a decent place for lunch.

Lovely setting with the deck chairs in the orchard. The service was a little impersonal but quick and efficient. Coffee and cake was only average. The price was quite high. I'll be happy to return but only for the lovely setting. Aug 24 returned to the Orchard Tea Garden after quite a few years. We only had coffee and scone; The coffee was good, although it could have been a little hotter, but the scone was excellent.

Great place for afternoon tea. Iconic garden and the perfect stop for anyone taking the walk from Cambridge to Grantchester. Highly recommend!

Walked all the way from Cambridge through the fields along the river on a Sunday morning with my two grown children to have tea and breakfast. Got there 10 minutes before the 10am opening time after an hour and a half walk. Asked a young man who was folding napkins outside the tea house if I could quickly use the toilet before sitting down for breakfast. He said he had to check with the manager and came back to tell me the manager said no, I’d have to wait. I turned around and walked my 64 year old self back to Cambridge without staying for breakfast. Would never patronize any place that treats its customers like that.

Fantastic place for a relaxing, laid back to chill, eat and drink on a sunny day!

We had a great visit here with the family. I would highly recommend it and would be back in the future. It was my first time visit. Slightly expensive but very busy.

We had flat whites, avocado on toast and a raisin scone. The food was DELICIOUS, the coffee was great and the service was very friendly. The setting is lovely and we sat outside on deck chairs under the sun.

The whole place needs to be cleaned top to bottom. Outdoor tables are filthy. Long queues, either need more staff or staff that are more efficient. Asked for a spoon and told there weren't any!!! No action to get one or communicate with the kitchen that more were needed. Lovely location but not matched by the service or standard of cleanliness.

Beautiful tearoom with eating amongst the fruit trees in the orchard. Riverside walks nearby.

Always wanted to come here but so disappointed! Slow service, which meant they shut kitchen despite me queuing for 30 mins - then no chairs - and then not even the toilet doors have handles. Just sad to have had such a disappointing experience

Lovely sitting out amongst the trees and having the birds coming to visit. Very good food and helpful friendly service.

£8.20 for an ok coffee & a flapjack that tasted of sugar and little else is a bit over the top. Would be helpful to list the prices next to the cake descriptions too - if so I wouldn’t have bought it but I guess that’s the point

Food was extremely pricey for what it was and the scone was dry and hard. The outside seating was in a nice setting but unfortunately the choice of deck chairs made it extremely hard to sit at the table to eat food.

The staff need lessons in manners and customer service. Cakes and coffee tasty!

Wonderful country place, with beach chairs under the trees. Excellent and filling scones with cream and jam. Place with a long history of illustrious habitues

A lovely garden for lunch, with a family and dog friendly atmosphere. We had a good meal with a good selection of food and drinks. The rye bread ploughman’s was delicious with well selected cheese and ham. Drinks were a little warm and sadly were not served with ice.

Great taste scones and lovely coffee

How awesome is it to have a nice tea with some scones in an orchard? Totally! Such a nice vibe.

The best is the environment, being surrounded by fruit trees and nature. We went to eat and the food was good but a little expensive for what we had. It's self-service

Superb tea room on the banks of the Cam. I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon tea in the orchard.

Very poor customer service. Expensive food. Overflowing toilets. Dirty tables. We arrived as a large hiking group and were confronted by a young chap who I assume was the manager who seemed reluctant to serve us at first. He advised that we must call in advance if we wanted to eat/drink there in future. Petty behaviour them commenced towards us, such as serving our group their tea in paper cups when everyone else got a metal tea pot and a china cup, only offering wooden knifes instead of metal ones etc...Being a diverse bunch of people we clearly didn't fit with their local clientele hence the rude treatment.

Lovely location, tables uncleared for afternoon tea and in general outside. Rude overstretched staff and limited menu.

It was a lovely garden where you could eat but there was a huge queue, and they had failed to tell everyone in the line that they had no cakes left, and the kitchen was shut. Lady at the desk was rude to us and the people before , it is very expensive

Nice garden, lovely in the shade

Go early, it is very popular . Parking is also very limited, so get there early . It's a lovely place to visit and weather dependent. If it's raining, the space inside is very limited also. A bit pricey for the food and drinks and be prepared for a long wait been served on busy days.

Went here for brunch. Ordered avocado toast and at £10.50 expected a nice plate full but instead was served a tiny slice of toast cut in two with minimal toppings. Poached egg was overcooked as well. Setting is lovely but food could be better.

Wonderful place! I highly recommend the scones and the lemon grass and ginger tea🫖

Nice apple tree orchard garden setting to enjoy your scones and tea, plus a variety of other treats. The upgrading of the tiny male rest room and toilets is long overdue. They wouldn't pass serious inspection. The focus clearly appears to be on sales and not on the patron's creature comforts.

Very Small portions compared with previous visits- toasted sandwiches were OK but avocado on toast was very tiny plate as was the quiche. We’ve been several times before and never been disappointed but this time poor value for money sadly.

Lovely spacious orchard garden and delicious scones- what more could you ask for?

Really cute garden, it’s one field away from a river path where you can go for a walk. Their cake was very nice, not too sweet. The toasties are okay. It can be difficult to get seats outside on a weekend if it’s sunny

The food was in fact quite tasty if slightly expensive. The coffee was 'orrible - bitter and the froth bubbled as if it was baking powder. Chairs rickety, tables too low and wobbly but extremely busy at 10.05 on a Friday morning so presumably a fave for many. Lovely atmosphere.

Disappointing visit overall. It's a lovely setting, but the food was poor (one piece of dried out mackerel, a handful of pea shoots without dressing, and rye bread but we had to ask for the butter). £31 for two of these, with a cup of tea, is not great value. Staff seem unenthusiastic to be there?? This is a much loved Cambridge Institution, I know a large number of customers are tourists who won't be frequent returners, but come on ..... you can do better?

Beautiful place and scones, gorgeous atmosphere, experience marred only by the truly dreadful toilet facilities that have been in need of attention for years. There is a notice saying they are due for a refurb but that has been up some time. This is a hugely popular place and needs more than one functioning ladies toilet - especially when you consider the gallons of tea served!

Beautiful garden, delicious scones.

Expensive, but environment is lovely

My guests went there the food was acceptable but pricey. They brought home 3 clotted cream scones. On opening the cream it was half full of white water and off which is a good indication of re frozen food products. I emailed them about 4 times and eventually I got a £3 refund (just for 3 tubs of clotted cream.Not the most pleasant people I have dealt with. Hopefully a trading standards visit will change their attitude to food storage.

Met some friends here for the afternoon and the location didn't disappoint, went for a walk along the river after lunch. Arrive early for a good spot on busy days. Mixed reviews on the food, my toastie was lovely but a friends ploughman's a complete letdown. Same with the cakes, my scone and cream delicious but a friends coffee cake was dry. Half hour wait in long queue for coffee. Only one toilet working. Overall a rustic but lovely experience as the setting, staff and atmosphere make up for the other bits. Will definitely be back.

The scones here are very delicious. The atmosphere is very good. Suitable for cold weather and sipping warm tea. This place is really awesome.

A great advantage of the garden are the walks one can take, no problem to find maps. Beware if you come during the weekend, and expect long queues for food, which is rather versatile - to suit different tastes. The atmosphere is nice, one can always find a more secluded corner, and this is a plus. You will do well to consider a picnic there.

Beautiful setting but couldn’t find a table not covered in bird crap the staff just said we don’t have time to wipe the tables. A basic requirement surely? Quite disappointed

Fantastic place, delicious cake and coffee. I recommend

Looking a bit shabby … Went during a lunchtime this week … - no current scones (were in the oven) - no soup - poor selection of cold drinks (no non alcoholic beer available) - Confusion among staff as to where to pick up food when ready - glasses, cutlery ‘round the back’ … none available (in the wash) - even deck chairs and tables need the occasional clean - trays building up on kitchen racks - parasols in the cream tea area would be helpful ‘no shade’ - no warm welcome from unhappy looking and not smartly dressed staff Not impressed and must try harder…

Very nice place to relax and take some sun in the Orchard. The food is good, but the portion are so small compared to what you pay. One main is not enough. Cakes are very good and are a must to fill at least partially full. The local (bottled) Apple juice is amazing.

Disinterested staff, can’t be bothered attitude

Not sure how this 'ploughmans' is worth £14.50. The 'bread' was like trying to eat carpet tiles, so I went over to ask for some white bread. After a lengthy wait, by which time my partner had finished her lunch, I was presented with two pieces of toast, for a ploughman's? Very poor overall. Won't be making that mistake again.

Beautiful spot to unwind and relax after a walk along the river. Very nice coffee and the cakes looked delicious. We had a late lunch, so only toasted sandwiches left, find but not exciting !

This is very much style over substance. The garden is lovely, but the food is poor, and portion sizes are tiny. The tables are covered in bird poo as are a lot of the deck chairs. Such a shame as we've been wanting to come here for ages, and it's a complete letdown.

Unfortunately I asked for oat milk for my tea. I did not realise until it was too late they gave me cows milk.

🧝‍♂️🌸: 🌍🍑💜, the English Classic scones over centuries seems is here ya + English Sakura Views.... Queue is long long long ....😅🤗😘

Toilets can be taken better care of.

Very bad hygiene… shame as the setting is so lovely. They won’t wipe the tables chairs which are covered to birds p**, nobody is checking the toilets, so if you come late those also will be super dirty

Great place, many famous visitors.

Figs allowed and good walking fields and river. Very popular place.

Amazing place! Amazing tea! amazing scones! What else do you need?

Super good scones! Really nice garden.

Stunning! A must if you’re in Cambridge. Great for families and the food is delicious. The Q for food is well worth it when you’re settle and enjoying the view and sunshine!

Food was not great but the orchard is enchanting. Eggs were over cooked, bacon cold and watery, nothing really tasted good apart from cheese toastie. Service was kind and quick. Atmosphere was amazing apart from the bird poo on the tables. We get that it happens but no cleaning products available even upon request. We will be back regardless.

Lovely garden, with delicious food! The quiche portion could be a bit bigger as for the price, but all in all a great experience! Standing in the long queue is worth it!

Absolutely delightful location with a beautiful yard.

Nice setting. Grassy area for children to run around in. Deckchairs not the most comfortable seating arrangement. We had scones which were OK if a little dry. Service was efficient.

1st time experience, wonderful setting, delicious scones, can't wait to go back

Lovely garden to sit in. Cakes look good but poorly made, coffee not great either. Toilet closed for end of day clean while customer's still there.

What a great location. Sitting out in the Orchard on deck chairs. So relaxing. And great food and drinks to go with it.

It’s very nice place for sunny day, but food is not grate (French toast is just a toast) and coffee is absolutely horrible.

Come with friends for a delicious, homemade afternoon tea!

Excellent scone with quality brand ingredients

The place was filthy. Tables covered in dirty china, old food, dirty tablecloths. The floors could not have been swept in ages & not washed recently that’s for certain! Waste bins in the toilets were also overflowing. It was a quiet midweek visit. Food debris was seen throughout the dining areas. Absolutely disgusted by what we experienced. Ordered drinks & once we found a table (which we cleaned ourselves) & then saw the state of the place - immediately regretted it. The place was so bad it made us all feel very uneasy about any hygiene standards being adhered to. It was generally disgusting overall. Some dogs were having a field day hoovering up under various tables- as so much food debris was left all over the floors in both areas of seating! The tables were covered in old food, with most tables having dirty plates etc left on them. No one was clearing or cleaning tables. One table had a reserved sign - it was surrounded by other tables that had not been cleared in some time going by the old dried food on plates/ dirty tablecloths & dirty teacups etc & there were many. Staff were not busy - just lazy. Only one young server (lad) came into the seating area with hot drinks, but failed to take any crockery away as he returned to the kitchen! The so called female ‘manager’ would be sacked if employed by us. Teas were served from scum lined metal pots that may have been put through a dishwasher (at some point) but had evidently not been cleaned thoroughly in a long time - going by the state of the scum inside. We witnessed a rude staff response when a polite complaint was made by one person ahead of our own group. Sarcasm is not necessary, nor professional esp as the girl with dark hair, was very rude to the lady when she politely requested a replacement clean pot! No wonder she got called out for it when the so called ‘Manager’ was even ruder to her for responding to the girls overheard sarcasm - I wanted to applaud the lady who stood up to this so called ‘manager’. She called the customer rude?!! No she responded to rudeness. We left shortly afterwards - not a pleasant experience & we will not be returning either. Staff training required & more so good management is obv missing. Cleaning would be a good starting point.

A lovely garden area in which to enjoy a break with a toastie, cake or cuppa. Lots of seating outdoors though chairs can be wet of course if the weather is anything other than dry. Parking is limited to 2 hours for customers but make sure your reg number is entered into the system by the tills to avoid a penalty charge, though when we visited we were advised that the cameras were not operational that day, so check.

We return with pleasure to this magical place steeped in history in Cambridge.

Visited with 5 friends on a sunny Sunday in mid-March. The ordering system is ridiculous and the high price of a small teapot and £4 for one scone with jam and cream is completely unjustified, especially on a student budget as we are and as many in Cambridge are. We did not order sandwiches or any proper lunch foods due to the high prices. If sitting outside, you have to go up and queue at a door to a table at the entrance to the dining room, and order at this table. There is no signage for this anywhere! When you get to this table to order, it is your first chance to look at a menu, so obviously that slows the ordering process a lot. We waited for at least 15 minutes to even order, as customers in front of us were indecisive: fine, but clearly indicative that two ordering stations and earlier access to menus would be an improvement. You then take a buzzer to your table to notify you when to come and collect your order. Two pots of tea, a scone and a slice of cake took 20 minutes to prepare. You have to take your tray back to the main building when you have finished. There were also no signs for toilets at all, and it was impossible to find a staff member to ask for their whereabouts. The Tea Garden was hosting what I assume was a large school trip at the time of our visit, and their queue to get into one of the smaller dining rooms was totally obstructing the narrow corridor leading to the loos that I eventually found. The large orchard/garden does have plenty of tables a nice distance from one another with deckchairs, most full as it was the weekend! Overall: very poor system for ordering, no real 'service', confusing signs if any, high prices and very limited parking options. But nice atmosphere in the orchard if it is a sunny day.

Rarely provide 5 stars but this is a place which worth to have. The scone! and also other food and drink is perfect, on the other hand sit under the blossoming apple trees in an idillyc garden, in an atmosphere where poets, writers, philosophers enjoyed the same place and were inspired. Walking here along the river is a must.g

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