A reported £12 million has been spent on redeveloping Chiswick House, including £1.4 million on a new cafe extension. If you want to feel like you’re on the set of a period drama – one that contains a grand neo-Palladian building dating back to the 18th century – whilst walking around a magical setting of rolling grounds and gardens, then a day trip here is one that will transport you to a different era in a flash.

The Venue
Just minutes away from the picturesque setting of Chiswick House, with its lush grounds, contented swans and relaxed air, is the incessant drone of traffic along the Great West Road and Hogarth Roundabout. It’s all the more impressive, then, that once you sit outside at the newly constructed cafe for a spot of coffee and cake, you feel like you’re miles away.

The new cafe, designed by the much-lauded architect Caruso St John, sits in the shadow of the historically significant main building, and even though it is fashioned out of flat, white stone and swathes of glass, it doesn’t feel at odds. In fact, it is very tastefully done.

The Atmosphere
Serene, tranquil and calm, the cafe gives day-trippers a chance to refuel and, with lots of facilities on site for kids and dog owners, this demographic are visible wherever you look.

The Food
Toasted sandwiches, soups, stews and cakes are all on the menu. Breakfast is served from 8.30am to 11.30am, with soups and stews served from 11.30am to 3.30pm. Food represents very good value for money – the stew, meat or vegetable, is just £5 a pop. It’s served in a rustic oven-proof pot and contains a very generous amount of succulent, slow-cooked beef. A fat wedge of floury wholemeal bread is served on the side and, although this is useful for mopping up, some spuds – noticeable by their absence – would be more pleasing to stew purists. Overall, even though the stew’s sweetness becomes a little intense, for £5, it is a bargain. Especially when you consider that they could easily take advantage of the remote location.

Calorific cakes are displayed in the cafe’s glass counter, and the Victoria sponge looks so enticing it’s difficult to pass up. Although its mix of jam, sponge and clotted cream is hard to get wrong, the cake is a little dry. Alternatively, a chocolate and hazelnut brownie is crunchy and gooey in all the right places and is great with a cup of coffee.

The Drink
Regular coffees only cost £1.50 across the board, with larger versions costing no more than £2. Pots of fair-trade tea are just £1.85, too. The fruit juices also point to the undoubted experienced hand governing the use of suppliers, with Belvoir prominent amongst the selections.

The Last Word
Good quality, well priced food and drink in a fairytale setting means a day out at Chiswick House is well worth the effort. And seeing as it’s available for weddings, this is the reception venue dreams are made of.

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