Today’s lunch was at the Harley Cafe @harley_cafe on the Welbeck Estate @welbeckestate renowned for their excellent use of the fresh produce from the estate and a well deserved awardee of the Great Food Club Cafe of the year in 2023
Many of the ingredients they use to cook up their breakfasts and lunches are available from the Welbeck Farm Shop across the courtyard @welbeckfarmshop so when we come to visit the shop we like to check out the cafe for a bit of inspiration beforehand
I usually come here for breakfast, if we get here early enough, before picking up my meats and eggs from the shop but today for a change we came in for a spot of lunch
LUNCH MENU
The menu is a bit posher and fancier than the sort of cafe I often end up dining at but that was fine as today was my birthday and I was in hoping for a treat or two
Initially I was drawn towards the Sauteed mushrooms on toast from the Favourites section of the menu but I was reminded that I always order that as I did last time I blogged about lunch at the cafe (read more here) so I drew my gaze elsewhere pondering the Bacon Chop with wedges and an egg, the Welbeck quiche and the Welsh Rarebit before finally settling on the Spanish Eggs
My dining companion also veered around considering the Lamb Curry, and the Duck Confit Cassoulet on the Specials Board before picking out the Venison Cobbler from the Mains
SPANISH EGGS
I had ordered the SPANISH EGGS which were priced up at £13. I had seen the girl on the table next to me enjoying a bowlful and they just looked so good I had to have some too.
Listed on the menu as “Roasted Farm shop Chorizo, cherry tomatoes and red onion served on a bed of dill yoghurt topped with Cacklebean poached eggs and toasted Welbeck sourdough” it sounded ace already
This was fabulous stuff full of fantastic flavour with a combination of sweet tangy chorizo sausage and fresh lemony tartness of dill in a cool creamy yoghurt.
Slices of crusty sourdough toast served alongside soft golden yolk eggs were great for dipping and combined with the mixture of sweet roasted tomato and soft thinly sliced red onion there was a cacophony of flavours vying for my attention as I worked my way through the dish ❤️🤩
In and amongst the pile of goodness were lots of little cubes of chorizo which gave a nice little meaty sweet bite in every other mouthful. The chewy sourdough was great for mopping up all the sauce and for wiping the bowl clean the end
I loved this dish and would order it again and again, the taste sensation reminded me of bowls of shakshuka but elevated and taken up to a different level.
VENISON COBBLER
The other dish we had ordered was the VENISON COBBLER which came in at a hefty £17 and turned out to be a really big hearty dishful
The menu described this as “slow braised shoulder of Welbeck wild venison, with roasted root vegetables, roasting gravy topped with homemade horseradish and Parmesan cheese scones”
While thought that the meat was going to be in chunks or bigger bits but it turned out to be a bowl packed full of shredded slow cooked meaty venison in a very thick sauce. Tender root vegetables alongside the soft crumbly cobbler scones and a rich gravy, it was a winner.
Although it was a quite a simple and humble looking dish it was all very flavourful, it was kind of old school food cooked just how I remember my gran did or I imagine she did. Food for Happy memories on a cool day 🥳and definitely very filling
WEDGES FOR THE WIN
I also had ordered a portion of their ‘fresh thick cut seasoned wedges’ for £4.50 to go with my Spanish Eggs but I really didn’t need them in the end the dish was big enough.
Have no fear they did not got to waste and we enjoyed sharing them and used them for mopping up the gravy and roasted tomato sauces from each dish and they were perfect for both tasks 😎
If I was just after a snack I would happily settle for a bowl of these
LATTE
While we were here scoffing lunch many people seemed to just be here for the Coffee and Cakes and I joined them as I waited for my meal sipping on a Cheeky Latte as I was feeling a little posher than usual and I had already had plenty of Tea earlier 😜and a glass of tap water never quite hits the spot when its cold out
I love visiting the Welbeck Estate and eating in the Harley Cafe is always a highlight of the trip. It can be very busy and sometimes you have to wait for a table for a while. We ended up sharing a table as it was full inside but that turned out pretty well as we had a nice chat with the lady about all things food and many random TV shows that we were all bingeing
The Harley Cafe is located on the Welbeck Estate next to the Harley Gallery and in the same courtyard as the Welbeck Farm Shop who run the place. It is also next door to the NottsCutt garden centre and the big car park can be used to visit all four places.
The official address is
The Courtyard at Welbeck, A60 Mansfield Road
Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
S80 3LW
Check them out on their Instagram Profile