The Vineyard in the Valley Cafe in Canterbury

absolutely stunning location for our sunny autumn pre-wedding breakfast. peaceful. great energy from the staff. delicious food. wish I lived closer!

Absolutely lovely place! We visited today to see what it would be like as we were looking for a place for our family to get together when we scatter our mum's ashes at the nearby crematorium. She would have loved it here as it supports adults with learning disabilities and her son has Downs Syndrome. It was a very peaceful place and very welcoming, even for dogs 🐕We all enjoyed the reasonably priced food and will definitely be coming back 😊 Keep up the good work! 👍

We love this place but service can be a little hit and miss if it’s busy, as it was today. Lots of reserved tables but very few staff to service them. We took our two young grandchildren who wanted milk and a piece of toast, our order was a cup of tea. The tea and milk arrived eventually without the toast, but when I asked the person in charge where it was, she said others had ordered food before us ie full meals so it wasn’t yet our turn. A little forward planning by management and some lessons in flexibility wouldn’t go amiss.

I had a lovely sausage and egg sandwich the eggs were fresh and the sausages were butchers sausages which were delicious

Very disappointed with the quality of the food. The beans were definitely Asda price and the rest seemed to be as well. I had higher expectations especially as it’s next to the vineyard. Won’t return.

We visit here every time we are down this way. It has a great spirit about it, and a wonderful concept.

Popped in. Enjoyed an amble round the garden centre, very reasonably priced, then had lunch. Soup, jacket potatoes, panini, all with fresh salad. Lovely service. Too full for cake but looked a great selection. Really enjoyed our visit, what a special place.

A beautiful setting with the green grapes glistening in the background as you sit in the sun for an al fresco brunch. The interior is beautifully decorated too if the weather isn’t as good as it was this morning. The bacon and sausage was juicy, thick cut, quality produce, sourced locally and the eggs were a delight too. Enjoyed the lattes also. Enjoy!

BEST EVER AFTERNOON TEA!!! Being gluten free and pending coletic. Eating out is a challenge however Jen - the manger- and the rest of the lovely staff went above and upon outstanding service. Being my mother birthday, we treated her to high tea along with my grandparents. Best lemon cake ever had!! Lemon polenta cake which was gluten and dairy free. My mum tired and couldn’t tell the difference. The food all cooked on site, fresh I honestly cannot rate them high enough Fifth Trust enough 5*

Popped in whilst out for a cycle ride, opted for the big breakfast with a latte. Sat outside overlooking the vineyard and thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast lovely quality food cooked to perfection.

So nice to be back at our favourite breakfast venue. Good luck with the summer Excellent food and service.

Popped in for coffee and cake and was pleasantly surprised. We had to wait a while because they were short staffed, but the staff were very friendly and apologetic which makes a big difference. The food and drinks were excellent and we would definitely recommend. Coupled with the adjacent garden centre it makes an excellent venue.

Nipped in here after visiting the garden centre for a spot of lunch. I opted for apple crumble and ice cream which was absolutely fantastic and was enviously eyed up by my companion over the top of her “very nice” mushroom and pepper frittata. Nice bit of cake for afters. Really enjoyed our visit.

Phoned for availability and asked to book a table. Told tables available inside and no need to book. On arrival with a baby too, we were told no tables available as reserved. Tried to support local business and just wasted our time.

Great place, lovely concept, interesting shop and splendid tables to have tea and cakes at. Worth visiting.

Today we certainly wasn’t disappointed. Four of us had cooked breakfast with coffee’s. The breakfast was amazing, good food nicely served and lovely hot coffee all devoured sitting out in the open air. Compliments to the chef and all the waiting staff!

El lugar tiene mucho potencial pero hoy a la hora del almuerzo éramos los únicos clientes. El menú consta de unos cuatro bocadillos diferentes, agradezco un menú reducido pero vamos. Preguntamos si podían hacer un sándwich de salchicha, pero no pudieron debido a que ya no estaban a las 11 am, pero no hay otros clientes que seguramente hagan algún esfuerzo. Conseguimos un sándwich de tocino que claramente no estaba recién hecho. Ha ido mucho cuesta abajo y simplemente no vale la pena mucho más cafés agradables en la zona que cocinan alimentos frescos. Sin clientes, está claro lo malo que es.

Estoy muy decepcionado de haber escuchado cosas realmente buenas sobre este lugar. Mi amigo y yo fuimos el sábado por la mañana a tomar un desayuno caliente. El desayuno salió bastante rápido, pero realmente no fue lo que esperábamos. La salchicha era muy pequeña (2 pulgadas) y el tomate no estaba cocido en absoluto. La tostada ni siquiera era tostada, era pan. Pedimos un té y un Latte. El café con leche estaba apenas tibio. Realmente no valió la pena el dinero, pero sentí que era por una buena causa (la caridad), así que no me importó pagar los 8. 50 para el desayuno. No volvería.

I went twice this year 2019 for Christmas Lunch (as I did last year). Both visits were delightful. Delicious food - lovingly presented in the fine setting of the barn overlooking the vineyard in the Elham valley. One group I took was for twenty and other was just four of us. Both were waited on merrily and efficiently and all the food arrived hot on time and was excellent quality. (We did pre-order which probably helps.) Excellent value and we all enjoyed it.To those who have not tried this cafe, I would say give it a go and remember that some of the adult staff have learning difficulties and are using newly-taught skills to cook and serve your food which might mean you have to wait a little longer and that something goes a bit askew but that is life and if you do not like it please eat elsewhere in future and do not publish a negative review which does not help anyone or reflect the majority view.

Desayunamos aquí hace unos dos meses, y no estábamos contentos con el tiempo que llevó cocinar y servir el desayuno; el pedido se tomó rápidamente, pero pasaron 45 minutos antes de que el desayuno fuera entregado a la mesa. En esa ocasión, el desayuno en sí era sabroso y bien preparado. Nos retrasó la demora en conseguir la comida. Como nos gusta visitar la guardería y salir a desayunar la mayoría de los sábados, decidimos darle una segunda oportunidad. Llegamos temprano, solo había otra mesa, y esta vez el desayuno tardó 35 minutos en llegar. Fue muy decepcionante: los champiñones, el tocino y la mitad de la salchicha (nunca he visto una salchicha tan pequeña) estaban demasiado cocidos. La salchicha obviamente había estado sentada en algún lugar manteniéndose caliente ya que era duro como una roca por un lado. La tostada estaba hecha de lo que parecía ser pan comprado en la tienda, que apenas estaba tostado. Las camareras parecían pasar el tiempo charlando en la cocina, que era lo mismo que la ocasión anterior. Si es así de malo cuando está tranquilo, debe ser horrible cuando está ocupado. No volveremos

Si estás en el área y es una mañana soleada y quieres un lugar para desayunar, no busques más. Fui con mi familia hace unas semanas cuando visité a Barham para el desayuno. Tenía el inglés completo y quedé impresionado con la calidad de los ingredientes (ingredientes locales de origen agrícola). El entorno es increíble, te sientes afuera mirando hacia el viñedo. Incluso mis hijos lo disfrutaron. Definitivamente vale la pena visitarlo, supongo que el almuerzo es igual de bueno.

Popped in for a quick lunch. Nicely welcomed, order taken. Food lovely, beautifully presented ploughman’s let down by sliced bread. Otherwise delightful and great quality, Well done

we really wanted to try this place while staying in the area, unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. we arrived just as they stopped serving so were unable to visit on this occasion. I wanted to stop by regardless to leave a review anyway because the set up of the place looks superb. Clean place, friendly staff and in a beautiful setting. Word of mouth tells me it’s a good place to eat and I am all for supporting adults with learning disabilities having equal opportunities to work. Well done all and sorry I was unable to sample your food on this occasion, but on looks and friendliness alone you get top scores from me!

Second visit in less than a month! What can I say this place is a must!

El lugar estaba lleno al 25% y tenía aproximadamente 6 empleados y, sin embargo, demoró más de 30 minutos para 2 porciones de huevo escalfado en pan tostado, e incluso después solo me quejé. Cuando finalmente llegó la comida, el pan se cortó en una rebanada comprada (hubiera esperado pan crujiente, tipo panadería de un lugar como este) y, a petición mía, los huevos estaban blandos, pero casi no estaban cocidos ya que no toda la clara de huevo había desaparecido. El blanco por lo que todavía era jalea como consistencia. Este lugar tiene mucho potencial ya que se encuentra en un entorno hermoso, pero necesita nuevos camareros y un nuevo chef, preferiblemente uno que pueda al menos tener las habilidades necesarias para escalfar un huevo.

In a beautiful spot and very lovely to be nestled in the vineyard but the service was v slow and the food v disappointing. Not worth the money.

Such a lovely place to visit, situated within lovely peaceful surroundings. The staff were very polite and helpful. Highly recommend the high tea such good value for money. I definitely will be returning again in the very near future.

Wonderful setting for a refresher on way home after a long cycle ride. Good service and great location looking over the vineyard and Elham Valley.

I love this place. Amazing setting. Fabulous coffee cake. Amazing food smells. Great service. Happy people. But as warned in numerous reviews the coffee is just dreadful. Why don't you do something about it? Get a barista to train your staff and buy decent beans. Ordering an extra espresso for our cappuccinos (more chino than cap) turned them from undrinkable to bland.

Love coming here veggie breakfast has Halloumi, staff always welcoming and love the fact it’s part of the Fifth Trust with learning difficulties at work which makes it a even more warming place and the setting is stunning.

We went the teashop after my father's funeral last week. There were 28 of us and on arrival everything was well organised with a glass of their delicious sparkling wine waiting for us. The food was delicious, plentiful and varied (including vegan options) with plenty of tea and coffee. The surroundings are really beautiful and we felt well looked after. The options on the lunch time menu looked good and many people said they would visit again and some of our party bought bottles of the locally grown wine as they enjoyed it so much. Highly recommended

I visited this secret countryside gem of a cafe, just outside the rural village of Elham (but not *that* rural - there are 2 pubs and a hotel in the village!) on a sunny half term weekday. Whenever I visit Canterbury, from my home in London, I usually try and call in here. The staff and owners are always very friendly, and the food homemade and home grown! You can walk around the beautiful vineyard, visit the garden centre and the arts and crafts buildings and take in the sweet country air of the valley. Many of the staff are young people with learning difficulties from a charity offering support to those who need to take on working responsibilities within a safe and supportive environment, which the vineyard offers in clear sight to all visitors (a group of enthusiastic young workers were helping in the vineyard, supervised by a member of staff, when I arrived and clearly having a lot of fun, but also taking their responsibilities very seriously too). A young, quiet but friendly, woman took our order in the cafe. She had just started working here and struggled a little on taking the order down. We didn't mind at all. It's not that kind of place. That's partly why I go here as a regular, for the relaxed and supportive vibe. She was helped by the cafe owner, who was calm, took everything in her stride, and as friendly as it's possible to be, in an unforced and genuine way. The member of staff being helped quickly adapted to her role, and was attentive and professional, bringing out our food orders with care, and a smile. The food was outstanding. My ham, egg and fried potatoes couldn't be bettered anywhere (imo!) - the potatoes were cooked to perfection, crispy, real and earthy (in a good way - not shop processed and bland). The ham was thick cut, crumbly and full of flavour. And the egg, presumably local, was vibrantly yellow and done the way I love, not too runny, not too hard. Just perfect. The small selection of salad on the plate was unusual: The lettuce was speckled with bright orange markings (not sure I've seen this variety before) and wonderfully sweet, and a sprinkling of chopped wild garlic a lovely surprise. The cafe was popular, with all ages (hot chocolate for the kids a real hit on one table!) and there were free biscuits for the dogs that came in (with owners!). Coffee was rich and addictive. I recommend this cafe, and it's one of my favourite places to visit in Kent on a day out from the hustle and bustle of London!

Had tea and cake here befor attending a funeral at the crematorium. Very welcoming, proper tea and sympathy, and delicious cake.

I scanned the other reviews before submitting my own. They seem generally very positive, with a few less enthusiastic. I hesitate to be critical because of the way this place is run but I did visit on a Saturday when it seems (from reading other reviews) that the staff with learning difficulties are not working.

The staff were helpful and attentive. I had to visit the storage units in Barham Business Park just opposite, so it was nice to have a snack just across the road, while phoning people. A bit better than standing about in the heat beside the storage unit!

We visited on 31st July for breakfast. We were greeted with a big smile and hello. The device was very good, and the food was tasty too. Good English breakfast with fresh ingredients (proper sausages!) Beautiful location too, would highly recommend.

I can't say enough good things about this lovely place. Visited for the Christmas Fair and again it was delightful. It's always a pleasure to meet individuals, peruse the workshops and have lunch. The setting is serene and peaceful. Well worth visiting!

Today I visited the Vineyard Cafe for the first time with my Mum for a light lunch. We live about 40 minutes away and it was well worth the trip.

I was visiting the area at the weekend down from Durham and decided to take the dog for a walk in the beautiful Elham Valley. I saw the Vineyard Cafe and decided it would be the perfect place to stop for lunch.

Popped here are a lovely 2 hours walk in the woods, the coffee was weak. Thought I was drinking hot milk! I didn't complain as already sent my cheese scone back as they heated it up for no reason. Wasn't asked if wanted heated and never in my life have I been served a hot microwaved scone! Appalling!

Some of the reviews left here really are unacceptable; this really is a very pleasant place to go. It's very clean (top scores on food hygiene), the food is home-made and the staff are extremely friendly. They employ adults with learning difficulties, who work Monday to Friday. They don't work at the weekends, but surely they are allowed days off like everyone else!? And yes, that comment was aimed at the reviewer who left a negative review because there were no adults with learning disabilies when they visited on a Saturday! Seriously, visit and make your own mind up.

A very friendly restaurant, good for coffee, a light lunch or a Sunday roast! Really good choice of freshly prepared food . Sit outside when the weather is good!

I know this place operates under a trust but it's still a commercial venture. You take the money, you offer the service and quality...that's how it goes. Took an age to get served and seeing how disorganised things were we decided just to go for the soup, which turned out to be a bowl of chip shop curry sauce as far as I could tell. Bread was just two slices of sliced white. Rubbish really. The tea room experience was poor. Wine produced there is simply badly presented and excessively expensive, verging on the ridiculous! The site itself is untidy and not well kept. We found walking around uncomfortable because of all the comings and goings from the workshops (people and vehicles) There is simply no way one could visit in order to watch people going about their crafts. Won't be going here again and will give it a wide birth. If you want customers to follow and support your trust stop taking the pish out of them.

No adults with learning difficulties serving?

Rather than go to a pub for lunch we went to the vineyard. Lovely setting and venue. Staff were very friendly, food was very good and reasonably priced. Would recommend a vist.

What a fantastic place this is, we popped in for a coffee and ended up having the most delicious cheese scones served by Tim who was wonderful. Do go and look at the kitchen, wood work room and pottery shed as they are so inspiring. Why are there not more places like this?

We've visited The Vineyard several times for lunch - most recently in April.

Great food lovely service and caters for us non meat eaters ! Lovely vineyard to look over with a nursery to pick up some bits also they do home made jam n chutney which are delicious

Had one of the best vegetarian breakfast here , staff were lovely , great service and great cause . Defiantly recommend and will be visiting again soon for sure .

Well we went today and had a throughly nice lunch, in a very nice settings. All the staff were very pleasant,friendly and attentive.

We had a delicious lunch. The food is all home cooked, well presented and very tasty. The service was first class, waitresses were polite and cheery. We sat outside in the sunshine admiring the surrounding view's of this beautiful location.

The frindliness on our arrival and throughout the evening was wonderful as this was for a special 40th Birthday celebration. Delicious food, especially from the desert Trolly. Thank you for a wonderful evening. We will definately book again on our next visit to Kent.

We went for tea and cake on a Saturday afternoon. It was laughably bad. There were 3 staff and 3 tables occupied. Presentation of the cakes and other food was very poor. It took at least 10 minutes to get a tiny pot, half filled with warm -not hot- water. The cakes were ok but delivered another 5 minutes after that. Every table, literally every table, was decorated with dead flowers. We had to ask to have our table wiped clean and cleared of dirty crockery. Many of the other tables had dirty crockery left in them and were in need of cleaning..... Clearly there is a major staff morale problem. We were there at 3pm on Saturday 11 March and won't go again. It's a shame as the setting is very nice and the cafe serves an admirable good cause.

The food was excellent, all home cooked. It is ideal for just coffee and cake, lunch or a cream tea. It looks out onto the Vineyard itself and is lovely in the summer out on the terrace.

Today I had the Christmas lunch of mushroom Wellington, roast parsnips, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, Brussel sprouts, carrots, cabbage, Yorkshire pudding, followed by Christmas pudding and cream. All beautifully served by charmng staff and perfectly cooked at such a reasonable price.

This used to be a pretty little place set in the heart of the Elham Valley but no more. Recently it has become more of an industrial site, it has lost its character completely. Set in an area of natural outstanding beauty, its in the wrong place. I think it needs relocating to the outskirts of town where it would fit in.

First time I have managed to visit on a weekday and was pleasantly surprised by the food on offer. I had the bubble and squeak with roast pork and a fried egg from the specials board and my wife had the pumpkin soup with lovely bread. Both of us had the local apple juice. Then a huge piece of cake each and a hot drink.

If you need a good honest english breakfast at a reasonable price in a relaxing atmosphere then this is it. It is based in a lovely timber framed building and is nestled within the gardens of a vineyard with good parking. James Stewart

Excellent range of snacks, lunches and afternoon tea. Very friendly staff. Great views over vineyard. Well worth a visit.

This is the perfect spot for a great breakfast, especially at the weekends - the full english is very filling

Lovely little tea rooms with a great view over the vineyard, its very reasonable in price and there is a really nice selection of cakes etc. Its lovely to be able to sit outside and just enjoy the view.

Visited here to go to the garden centre and ended up having a delightful lunch! Consisting of tea, coffee and Brie and grape sandwiches and ham and mustard sandwiches, delicious. Beautiful views too. Also visited the woodwork shop and the pottery shop whilst there. Dedicated staff and happy workers!

Excellent service from the staff, food was served nicely with salad and was good quality Choice of menu was very good including vegetarian.

Lovely gathering here today with family and friends. Wonderful sandwiches, cakes, sausage rolls, quiche etc. with cups of tea and coffee. Beautiful scenery and tables outside to enjoy the good weather. Plus a very nice garden centre with some fab hanging baskets at very reasonable prices. Go and see for yourself

Love this little place. Everyone eager to please. Wonderful home made cakes. Lovely to sit in the vineyard on warm sunny days,you can buy the little artistic gifts made on site . Garden centre has a good selection of plants.

I don't know how many times we have passed this lovely little place, called in today on our way home from Folkestone, `for a cuppa` but their menu looked very tasty and we decided to `stop for lunch`, enjoyed their Ham egg and bubble very much and the lasagne was lovely, do call in it is well worth the visit, we shall be going back for more, and to try their `cream tea`

We've visited Elham Valley tea room and the plant nursery several times and it's always a very special experience. The food is always very good and the staff are

Lovely home-made savoury dishes and cakes. My wife had an excellent goats cheese tart with salad and I had a filled baked potato. Pine furniture and relaxed atmosphere. Served by young adults with learning difficulties who were marvellous. Artwork on the wall for sale also by the students. Vineyard (£15.50 for its own wine) and quality garden centre also on site. Will revisit for afternoon tea soon.

As it was a lovely day, we didn't fancy a roast dinner. The pubs don't seem to do ploughman's on a Sunday. So we thought we'd try this, what a pleasant surprise. Really nice cheese, homemade chutneys, all had on a sunny terrace ! Will definitely be returning and next time we'll try the cream tea.

This place is really picturesque and has a lovely garden centre. I come back regularly as I live locally and have eaten here a few times. It's a perfect place for tea and cake as well as plant shopping! All for a brilliant cause too.

Popped in for afternoon tea and opted for a cream tea each. Good choice. The scones were delicious and huge. Being a pair of self appointed amateur Scone Aficionado’s we thought the scones were some of the best we have had. Home made blackcurrant jam and a dollop of clotted cream served with a large pot of tea, delicious. (Had bigger dollops of cream before now but adequate).

I had visited back in summer and saw they did Sunday lunch , so I planned to return in the future for a treat . Today was the day , I am am really disappointed , poor service , poor food, mainly cold completly overcooked , cold lumpy gravy . considering there were up to three poeple in the kitchen it was one of the most slow disjointed services I have had ever.

We have already been to the vineyard Tea shop during the summer for Tea and cake which was excellent.

Undecided to give 3 or 4 blobs. Went for 4 as very good value. We dined here with friends on Sunday 7 September 2014. Not a bad Sunday roast but have had a lot better. What won it over for me was the beautiful setting by the vineyard and in a beautiful scenic valley.

Looking for a nice place to have a lunchtime coffee and sandwich, I came across this oasis in the Elham valley. The weather was beautiful and the food great.Even though I only had a sandwich, it was lovely, fresh and full of filling. The young waitress's were so polite and helpful. My coffee was good and hot, and was served in a lovely cafetiere. There was a large selection of cakes and pastries plus a daily over 60's 2 course lunch. For a weekend it wasn't very busy, but it deserved to be. You can enjoy a meal or a cream tea while helping support a wonderful charity. Well worth a visit.

Lovely tea-room in the middle of rural Kent, right next to a vineyard - so idyllic! Lovely for a cream tea or coffee and cake - been for many years now and never been disappointed.

Called in for lunch after finding the Tiger at Stowting and local Black Robin both closed.

My sister and I had a delicious Sunday roast , turkey with all the trimmings , just like a Christmas dinner , even had a home made Yorkshire with it . Everything was cooked perfectly , a very smart young man served us , excellent and friendly .

We were taken to The Elham Valley Vineyard as part of a day trip on a vintage coach. It was the perfect place for a light lunch and our party had either cottage pie and vegetables or quiche and salad followed by strawberries and cream. The food was very nice and the staff were so friendly and helpful. After lunch you can visit the small garden centre which sells a good selection of quality plants at very reasonable prices.

we went for Sunday lunch for Father's Day - had to pre book but this is expected. Three courses £15 two courses £12 - when we arrived our table was ready and we were lucky enough to see the next tables main course arrive which enabled us not to order starters!! Good choice of prawn cocktail or pate with granary toast - mains were roast beef or chicken or nut roast - these arrived on huge square plates with roast potatoes - the ABSOLUTE BEST I HAVE EVER TASTED!, roast parsnips and yorkshire pudding. Vegetables arrived in seperate dishes to help yourself - cabbage, peas, sweetcorn and carrots and then leaks in cheese sauce! Two huge jugs of gravy with dishes of horseradish and cranberry for the chicken. This all washed down with locally made cider and apple juice for the driver. Deserts choice were chocolate fudge cake or lemon cheesecake - cheesecake was opted for and was absolutly delicous. All served by lovely polite youngsters with the ladies in the kitchen working non stop - well worth the visit - normal prices for Sunday are £9.50 for two courses - this is extremely good value for money!! We will be back!! Thank you

Tucked away just south-east of Barham near Canterbury, this is a super tea-room with a good garden centre attached. Cream teas are magnificent! Lunch is good too but takes a while to arrive. Great service and good value. Cafe and garden centre are partly staffed by adults with learning difficulties, and this is a great venture for them too as they obviously enjoy working here. We always visit when in the area.

Brilliant tearoom in the picturesque Elham Valley.