Eating and drinking at Stowe

On offer

Throughout the day there is a wide variety of food on the menu. You'll find breakfast served from 10am-12noon and hot snacks and lunch available from 12-3pm. Round off your day with coffee and cake before heading home - the cafe closes at 5pm and 4pm in winter months. 

Tasty treats and family friendly food

A fed family is a happy family and that makes for a great day out in the gardens. Sit down and relax in a comfortable environment and we’ll provide everything you need. On the menu all year round is a healthy children’s pick and mix picnic box or hot food available in children's portions.

You’ll find the baby station with a microwave, bottle warmer, plastic plates, bowls, cutlery, highchairs, bright wooden toys and books for your family to use. A short distance down the corridor, the baby change toilets are situated in the visitor welcome area. 

Let's talk cake!

There's no denying it, we're passionate about cake, great cake! Our bakers work behind the scenes to produce an array of soft cloud like delights, constantly stocking our display with mouth-watering options. The question is, will it be a traybake special such as flapjack or brownie, biscuit cookie, scrumptious sponge or a traditional scone? You'll find our menu regularly changes with new appearances and old favourites amongst specials.

Days out with the dogs

Stowe is a great place to bring your four-legged friend for walkies and when you're finished the cafe is the perfect place to refresh yourselves. You'll find the two cafe courtyard areas with tie up points and water bowls for your dog to take a rest whilst you pop into the cafe to purchase your refreshments. We welcome assistance dogs only inside the cafe. If you're by yourself, ask a member of our team to help you. For those chilly days, make use of the blankets to wrap up warm on the chairs outdoors. 

Here to help

If you have an allergy or intolerance, please let us know. Food made here in our busy kitchen is made using a wide range of ingredients. Whilst we do our best, we can’t guarantee that any of our dishes are totally allergen free. We’d love to help you with your choice by telling you about our ingredients. Visited before? Please speak to one of our team as ingredients sometimes change.

Seasonal menus

Coaching inns were once the hub of the local community, serving hearty food for the workers and visitors alike. The café within the New Inn is keeping this tradition up by regularly bringing you seasonal menus to choose from. 

Take a seat

Choose from a variety of places to sit and enjoy your refreshments at Stowe. There's plenty of room inside, whilst you'll find a courtyard to sit amongst the vibrant colours of the plant centre with a view of the Corinthian Arch to bask in the summer sun, in addition to a second courtyard surrounded by the old coaching inn with a covered area perfect for sheltering under. 

If you order hot food, you'll be given a tracking device to place on your table. This way our team will serve your food straight to your chosen place to sit - still hot from the kitchen. We'll happily pull tables together for larger groups for you to be together.

Bringing a group to the cafe

We love to see visitors exploring this special place that we look after and making that day an extra-bit special by providing you with fantastic food. Groups can choose from free-flowing service in the cafe to pre-booked set menus, afternoon teas and more. If you're looking to book a private party or event, there are multiple options available that we will endeavour to support you with. Bookings are available on request. Speak to the Groups Bookings team on 01280 817156 or send us an email to request an info pack. You can also find out more below.

The Farmhouse Garden

Just beyond the cafe courtyard at the New Inn visitor centre is the Farmhouse Garden. Visitors are welcome to open the gate and take a stroll around the vegetable and herb beds, den building area and seasonal flowers. Our gardens team maintain this area with the support of local community groups which in turn allows them to get involved and get active as part of developing our accessibility to Stowe and improving the wellbeing of our local community. 

With seasonal produce growing, our kitchen team are regularly using the garden for items on their menu, whilst working alongside our gardener to consider what we can grow and use ourselves. 

Somewhere you can trust

Since opening the New Inn visitor centre in 2012, we've proudly achieved and kept our level 5 Food Hygiene rating awarded by the Aylesbury Vale District Council (the best rating available). Behind the scenes we work with set guidelines to serve food made with care and a deep respect for high standards. We upheld our rating in our latest inspection - November 2019.

Did you know our menus are award winning? 

We’ve achieved a Bronze Food for Life Served Here award from the Soil Association, the UK’s leading food and farming charity. The  accreditation shows our supporters our commitment to serving great food which we know is an important part of a good day out.

We believe in serving fresh, local and honest food. Each year an inspector checks that our menus meet certain criteria. All our meat meets UK animal welfare standards and can be traced back to the farm. Menus are free from undesirable additives and trans fats, all eggs are free range and our trained chefs care about the provenance of their ingredients. Our freshly produced menus are prepared on site using carefully sourced, seasonal ingredients.