The Woodyard Coffee Shop in Central Bedfordshire

Since our local cafe Harpers closed at Pepperstock, we've missed having somewhere to drop in for coffee or a light lunch. Right on cue, The Woodyard, just off the A1081 on the Luton Hoo Estate, is filling the gap. It's an attractively converted workshop, all timber framed and tastefully furnished. Under the new management of Viv and her team, it's bubbling with enthusiasm and great food. My scrambled egg on toast was delicious and the £6-95 price tag seemed very reasonable. I'll be back!

My fiancee works on the estate & it's been a regular thing to go & have lunch / breakfast meal whenever we can. Not realising that the cafe has been taken over, we ordered the full breakfast which normally comprises of 2 of everything, 2 x toast & wonderful service. What actually got was the equivalent to a half breakfast 1 x of everything & a higher price when paying.... its a shame that such a popular cafe to estate employees & locals are now gonna have to either pay for laa dee da food or eat elsewhere. For us we're not gonna bother as its priced us out & this place is best in the hotel grounds rather than the walled garden side.

Met a friend here for breakfast. I had the vegetarian breakfast and my friend had the full English breakfast, we both enjoyed our food. The lady that served us was very helpful and the atmosphere very relaxed. The location is stunning, being in the middle of the Luton Hoo estate Parking absolutely no problem. Will definitely use this place again.

Under new management. Prices of cakes increased by £1 in one week to £6.95. This was for slice of banana cake not even something fancy ! Prices of cakes seem to be ‘invented’ at time of purchase. Nice cappuccino Slow service

An amazing Sunday Lunch with excellent food and wine. The service was exceptional and very accommodating. Thoroughly recommend as a wonderful experience. Well done to all !

I went to the Woodyard cafe following a tour of the Luton Hoo walled garden along with 9 other ladies for lunch. We booked for all 10 of us for lunch having been told there were vegan options. Also this is stated on their website and menu. I am vegan and when I asked what the vegan options were the server said there weren’t any and just walked off! In the end all I could have was a scone!! Additionally we waited over 20 minutes for our drinks order to arrive and 50 minutes for the food to arrive. There was no apology for the wait even though we had chased up our order. When then food eventually arrived my scone didn’t .. the man who brought the food to the table said “l’m not the scone department” Absolutely appalling service and several in the group didn’t particularly think their food was very good. Will never go again and certainly wouldn’t recommend.

Had a great lunch at the Woodyard today. My husband requires a gluten free diet which can sometimes mean a highly restricted choice. The server was really helpful and suggested the Halloumi salad, which looked - and tasted - delicious. I had the Quiche Lorraine which was also really tasty. accompanied by a lovely salad. Can thoroughly recommend.

I love this place. It’s deep in the grounds of Luton Hoo but it’s easy to find and parking is not a problem. I meet a friend here every Tuesday for breakfast, the food is excellent and is at a reasonable price.

Took my wife to The Woodyard today for an impromptu coffee & a bite to eat. Things have changed since we last visited; now there are many more tables & chairs, obviously to cater for more customers, but the replacement furniture is lightweight, plasticky & a bit feeble. Somehow the atmosphere has suffered too, which is a shame, as this was always a terrific little hideaway café. Then there was the attitude of the girl slouching across the counter – not even a thank-you as I ordered & paid, but at least this surliness wasn't reserved for me alone, as I overheard another lady being treated to a grumpy & pointed attitude as she ordered. To the girl in question, I would say this: if you don't like working with the public, get a job elsewhere that isn't customer facing. It's tough, but you can't go through life thinking the world owes you a living – it doesn’t. Working in the hospitality industry means you need to adopt a smile most of the time, especially when you're dealing with people paying you for a service, and ultimately paying your wages. It's a real shame that it's changed like this, because café culture is largely about the atmosphere that people experience when they visit these places. On a brighter note, the menu looked really good – the cakes were excellent and my sausage bap was very enjoyable, brought to our table by a different girl who was much happier doing the customer-facing stuff, so it wasn't a complete let-down. However, I doubt we'll be back for a while...

Really accommodating staff rearranging seating for different sizes groups. Simple but tasty fare, e.g. Southern fried chicken burgers and a good selection of cakes, in a wooden building.

I wouldn't go again , we were served breakfast with burnt toast which I think is unacceptable. We also got charged £6.95 for beans on toast as a kids meal which I think is extortionate. Really disappointed as e had heard some really positive things about this place.