The Courtyard Cafe is situated just off the main street running through Ashby de la Zouch. It is…read moreaccessed by a small covered walkway into the courtyard that gives the cafe its name. This would be a wonderful place to sit in the summer because it is a bit a sun trap. The courtyard is fairly large and the walls are adorned with old food signs like Brooke Bond tea. Inside the spacious nature continues, with tables of varying sizes, both upstairs and downstairs; it never feels cramped like some cafes can feel. Menu wise, very comprehensive, from breakfasts to lunches and more formal dinners. Prices seem initially on the high side for the food, but when you see what you get for your money, you'll see why. We've only dined there for breakfast, and are yet to try the delightful cakes on offer or the tempting looking lunches. However, the breakfasts fare is very impressive, from a full English Breakfast, to generous sausage and egg cobs, to my personal favourite - the scrambled eggs on toast. Too often scrambled eggs can be tasteless, but at the Courtyard Cafe they are a real triumph, full of flavour and a portion to fit even the heartiest of appetites. Haven't hit on a decent hot drink to go with it yet though, the coffee is very weak and flavourless, still it will be fun trying when the food is this good!

Hicks Lodge is a cycling and walking complex run by the National Forest and the Forestry…read moreCommission, on the outskirts of Moira. A paid car park (£1 an hour or £3 for all day) forms the start of most of the walks or cycle tracks. There are forest paths with short and long loops, as well as a circular 1.2 mile walk through open countryside, passed the many planted trees and at the apex, a lake frequented by many birds, including some very noisy Canada geese! A very pleasant early morning walk with the autumn dew, still on the trees. Hicks Lodge becomes much busier later, especially with cyclists. Hicks Lodge also has a rustic looking adventure playground for the children and an expansive bicycle hire area. This is associated with a busy cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating. All the cakes are homemade, having tried the Millionaires Shortbread and scones, I can heartily recommend them. As I can with the coffee, strong and flavoursome. This is one of our favourite places, as we strive to get a little fitter!

Still in its "growing" phase but a lovely walk around a lake which will become part of a lush…read morewoodland in a few years. The café is great and it's handy if you want to hire bikes but don't forget to head off the circular route towards Donisthorpe to hear the larks singing!

The Honey Pot Tea Rooms is part of an area that contains woodland walks, fishing ponds, a tiny gift…read moreshop and doll's house shop, amongst other things. Popular with walkers and cyclists alike, the Honey Pot Tea Rooms food is hearty fare. Toasties, jacket potatoes, home-made cakes, sandwiches and a range of breakfasts, including the Fisherman's breakfast, which contains all the classic cooked breakfast ingredients, along with giant doorstep toast! Tasty food at a decent price, the whole tea rooms is characteristically lemon yellow, with outdoor seating too, for those brave enough to withstand the English summer!

Nice little coffee shop for just a cup of coffee, breakfast or a snack - before the real reason for…read moreyour visit - the hardware store in which it is housed. Since it is small they do not have the scope of a B&Q or Wickes but they are (in my opinion) a small-ish cross between those stores and Range. They have a pretty wide variety of kitchen goodies and appliances for example. Staff could be friendlier but for those who do not want to drive into Burton (15 minutes) for hardware, or go to Costa for coffee this makes a nice change

We often go to Massey's for breakfast at the weekend. The cafe is spotlessly clean and the staff…read morefriendly, with free wifi if you need it. I would recommend the crumpets or the sausage and bacon sandwiches, the cakes are good too. There isn't a vast amount of choice on the menu but everything we have ever tried we have enjoyed. The cafe area, although not very big is never crowded so it has never been a problem to find a seat. Give it a go!

Probably the worst breakfast experience. Low quality…read more Staff/owners friendly enough; however, food takes forever to be cooked and isn't of a high enough standard... Should have waited to go to another place.

Really friendly service. Very clean. The food was nice and reasonably priced. Seating outside and…read moreinside although most indoor seating is upstairs. Limited space inside downstairs. When my partner asked for his food to be served without the salad, they offered him crisps instead. My only complaint being that they served it with salad anyway and mine didn't come with everything it said it came with on the menu.

Set in the art and crafts Ferrers Centre at Staunton Harold, the Staunton Stables is a popular tea…read moreroom, especially at lunch time. It has a bright interior, with the occasional picture on the wall to add a splash of colour. There is even a piano, which I'm sure is used at times to regale the customers with a song. The tables are a good mix of occasional tables for two, along with round tables for a larger group. The tea rooms have a good atmosphere, busy but friendly. Also, if you sit in the main part your sense of smell is treated to aromas pervading from the kitchen. The menus is fairly comprehensive, ranging from reasonably priced home-made cakes like lemon shortbread, coffee cake and chocolate crisp to name but a few, to a good variety of hot dishes. These include toasties, teacakes, jacket potatoes, chilli etc, as well as daily specials; a little on the pricey side though in comparison to the cakes. Drinks again have a good range from various types of tea and coffee, to cold drinks like J20. All in all a good tea rooms, with enough variety to satisfy the need for a snack or a meal of greater substance. There is outside seating too, in the picturesque courtyard of the Ferrers Centre, flanked by colourful border flowers.

The tea rooms at Staunton Harold are always busy. Good home cooked food, served in a friendly…read moreatmosphere. The toasties are particularly good. Decent slices of bread toasted the old fashioned way, instead of being buttered the wrong side and then squished flat in one of those toastie machines. They serve meals generally along the shepherds pie, chilli con carne style, but it's all great quality, reasonably priced and full of flavour. There are outside tables as well, so on nice days you can sit in the courtyard, enjoy the various sculptures that are dotted around, and for those budding Kasparov's, play with the enormous chess set (and for those Harry Potter fans out there.. OK, it's not THAT big!). Or you can just people watch as others stroll around the courtyard, which is lined with small shops and galleries that attract a healthy number of visitors. There's even a smithy there if you are in need of a wrought iron gate, or desperate for that perfect weathervane. There is a small shop in one corner that sells mainly childrens toys, and it's fab. I'll find out its name and review it seperately, but it's on the right as you walk into the courtyard from the main entrance. On its own, the tearooms are probably not worth a special trip, but if you have a spare afternoon, Staunton Harold itself, with its craft shops, galleries, garden centre and fish shop (sorry, I have no idea what a purveyor of fish related products is called, an aquarist?) is worth a visit, and you can always take in some top notch tea room style nosh while you're there!

The Lakeside Bistro is situated just off the main road as you drive from Moira to Netherseal. The…read morecar park is a good size, due to the fact that it also supplies a fishing lake, as well as the restaurant. This provides a picturesque backdrop to the restaurant, which overlooks the majority of the lake. The Lakeside Bistro is a popular place and as it is not huge in size, it's a good idea to book, even during the week. The staff are warm and friendly, which adds to its popularity, some people have a meal here every weekend! The menu has expanded of late for Sunday lunches, offering other dishes, as well as the always popular roast dinners; with the Venison Pie being my particular favourite. Most of the dinners come in two portion sizes too, standard and for slightly less money, a portion with diners with a smaller appetite. The food won't break through any culinary boundaries for inventiveness, but it is tasty straightforward food at a reasonable price.