Family-friendly café in East Devon
Outdoor play area
Indoor and outdoor seating (some covered)
Fairy trail
Animals
Farm Shop
Weston, near Honiton (EX14 3NZ)
Dogs welcome on leads in the café (downstairs) but not in the playpark or fairy trail
Ahh, a café designed with a relaxed, family-friendly experience in mind - that’s what we like!
Heron Farm, near Honiton, has generated quite a buzz locally following its feature on Channel 4’s Grand Designs when the plough-shaped buildings were first built in 2017, and is now open to the public as a brand new farm shop and café set within its own vineyard and orchard. It’s already become a popular destination thanks to the delicious breakfast, lunch and snacks menu and all of the extra bonuses that cater so well for the family market.
Inside, there's a log burner roaring in the winter months, with seating split across the ground floor and a mezzanine. Outside, there’s a large covered terrace with more tables, and a beautiful courtyard garden – lots of options and plenty of space to spread out.
I visited on a child-free day and had coffee and the best bacon sandwich I’ve had in a long time (the things dreams are made of, right?), but Heron Farm will be a sure-fire hit with the kids, who will love the outdoor play area and fairy trail. The play equipment is fully fenced (hoorah) and will suit crawlers up to age 9 ish as a rough guide – and the fairy garden, with its hidden fairy houses and wooden sculptures, will be a fun bonus for the little ones. Picnic benches are dotted around the play area, so café food (and maybe an ice cream in the summer?) can be consumed while you keep an eye.
There are also some friendly animals to meet while you’re there – pygmy goats and sheep roam the cider orchards (chiefly to mow the grass but I’m told they love to meet guests!), and the resident chickens.
Visit on Tuesdays to Sundays (closed on a Monday), for breakfast 9-11; drinks, cakes, ice cream, cream teas, lunch served 12.00 – 3.30, and for the grownups a great range of their own wines, cider, and gin!
There’s plenty of free parking (complete with charging port for electric vehicles), and the garden, café and play areas are all buggy friendly, with accessible toilets, and handy additional handwashing facilities outside.
Heron Farm is in the hamlet of Weston, just a mile or so from Honiton – just a few yards up the road from the country pub The Otter Inn.
Keep up to date with Heron Farm’s special offers and events via their Facebook page, and here’s a link to their latest menu!