Eating and shopping at Dunster Castle and Watermill

Visitors using eco cups for hot drinks at Dunster Castle, Somerset — Visitors using eco cups for hot drinks at Dunster Castle | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

There are several places to enjoy a bite to eat and a drink during your visit to Dunster Castle and Watermill. The shops here are also brimming with items, enabling you to pick up a treat for yourself or the perfect gift for a friend. Find out more about what each outlet has to offer.

Eating and drinking

The Watermill Tearoom

Our newly refurbished tea-room is open daily, serving hot drinks, light refreshments and ice cream from 10am-5pm, and hot food from 12-2.30pm.

The tea-room sits opposite the working watermill in peaceful surroundings alongside the River Avill and at the entrance to the River Gardens.

Click here to download the Watermill Tearoom menu

The tea-garden

The tea-garden is a picturesque spot in which to enjoy a refreshing brew or indulge in a scone or a slice of homemade chocolate cake.

If you have specific dietary requirements or are visiting with children, please check the menus before reaching the till points.

Tenants' Hall pop-up refreshments

This pop-up café is open daily from 10am-4pm, serving hot and cold drinks, ice creams and light refreshments.

Tenants’ Hall has two wood-burning stoves make it a cosy spot for a break.

Picnics

There's a picnic area near to the main car park, with views over the surrounding parkland, up to the castle and out to the Bristol Channel. Alternatively, feel free to picnic in the castle grounds, on the green court or in the keep garden.

The Camellia House

The Camellia House is open at weekends and bank holidays 10am-4.45pm, serving hot and cold drinks, ice creams and light refreshments.

Tucked away on the South Terrace, The Camellia House is a sunny spot to enjoy a drink and a bite to eat.

Allergen information

Most of the food and drink served is prepared on site in our kitchen, using a wide range of ingredients. As a result, we can’t guarantee that any of our food and drink products are completely allergen free.

If you have an allergy or intolerance and would like ingredient information about the food and drink served, please ask the staff, who will be happy to help.

Always check when you visit

Visited before? We sometimes change our recipes to improve quality and flavour, including the ingredients. When you visit, please speak to one of our team to check the current allergen information for your favourite dish.

Thank you

Every cuppa or tasty treat you buy helps us to continue looking after places for everyone to enjoy.

Places to shop

The Stables Shop

The Stables Shop is the largest shop on site and is located in the atmospheric 17th-century stables and is filled with original gifts and local products. Browse through a range of local products including fine candles, soaps and toiletries, craft gin, cider brandy, honey and cider.

You can find tasty treats inspired by the places we care for, including blood orange marmalade and garlic pickle, as well as home and fashion accessories, books and stationery. Why not also pick up a bag of our wheat, rye or spelt flour, all milled on site at Dunster Working Watermill.

Top tip: get the most from your visit to Dunster with a souvenir guidebook. With colour photographs and reconstruction drawings, it's a great way to remember your trip and get a glimpse into the areas not usually open to the public.

Gatehouse Books

At the top of the hill from the stables, you'll find the second-hand bookshop, Gatehouse Books. Inside are all kinds of reading material, from classics and children's stories to holiday novels and non-fiction. You can pay using the donation box, which is repurposed from a Victorian safe, or pay by card in the Stables Shop. There’s also a board listing a selection of rare books. Just ask at the Stables Shop if you’d like to see any of these titles.

If you would like to donate your pre-loved books, please contact dunstercastle@nationaltrust.org.uk. We kindly ask that donations are in good condition. Regrettably, we can't accept Reader’s Digest books or magazines.

The working watermill shop

It's been proven that you can bake the perfect loaf with some organic Dunster Watermill flour. There's been a mill here since Domesday and we usually mill here every week. If flour doesn’t take your fancy, how about some Dunster Watermill porridge, or even a bag of muesli? The shop also stocks a range of other souvenirs and gifts and our selection of jams, curds, marmalades, local honey, confectionery, biscuits and rugs.