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Finding somewhere with baby changing, highchairs, things to keep a toddler occupied and something other than chicken nuggets or fish fingers on the children’s menu can be a bit of a struggle, but the Cuerden View Cafe at Cuerden Valley Park seemed to tick all the boxes. Despite a 90 minute ‘nap’ drive taking in Pleasington, Ramsgreave and Samlesbury Bottoms, we arrived at Cuerden Valley Park with the little one still in the land of nod, so it was a bit later than planned when we wandered down to the cafe and rang the bell to be seated.
A lovely smiley lady welcomed us in and after confirming inside or outside seating, walked us through the cafe, with its beautiful view of the park. Sadly, the café’s obvious popularity meant we were seated in the corner area without the view, but it did come with nearby doggies for our 21 month old, B, to point and smile at.
Breakfast is available until 11.45am with the lunch menu available from 12noon whilst there is also a doggy menu for your furry friends. The varied drinks menu includes hot drinks, juices, smoothies, beer, wine, and spirits.
Prepared with colouring book and crayons, my Husband Simon and I were free to browse the menu. B is on and off with sandwiches, but we thought we’d try the Little Owls Lunch Box (£6.75), which came with a choice of ham, cheese, tuna or jam sandwich, milkshake or juice, crisps, jelly, and a biscuit. Simon picked the Chicken and Honey Mustard Mayo Wrap (£9.45) from the specials menu with an Americano and I wanted the Cumberland Sausage Patty with melted Lancashire Cheese, Fried Egg, and Chilli Jam on a Toasted Muffin with 2 Hash Browns, also on the specials menu. However, the devastating news was many others before me had also wanted the sausage delight and there were none left. My heart had been set on it so I needed a few minutes to recover and pick something else. I went for the Signature Cuerden Club (£9.45), which was served on toasted Romana Bread and an Iced Butterscotch Latte.
We didn’t have to wait long until the drinks and B’s little lunch box arrived and were told her cheese sandwich would arrive with ours, so out came the Pom-Bears of distraction. Shortly after, mine and Simon’s arrived but we were missing the cheese sandwich and after a short wait it still hadn’t appeared, so I went over to the counter, and I saw it on the pass. The poor lonely sandwich waited for another few minutes whilst I stood in the queue to retrieve it but just as I got to the counter, a server rescued it and headed towards our table. All sandwiches accounted for, we tucked in.
Simon’s wrap was well filled with fresh chicken and crisp salad and was perfectly mayo’d giving it a sweet finish with a slight mustardy kick. The toasted romana bread made the Signature Cuerden Club better than any toasted club sandwich I’ve tasted before, and it was also filled with generous amounts of tender chicken and bacon. Admittedly the Cumberland sausage was still on my mind, but this was a very tasty alternative. B decided today wasn’t a sandwich day and instead opted for pieces of Mummy and Daddy’s chicken and side salads, but did enjoy her crisps and a quarter of a p-p-p-Penguin.
Late lunch meant no dessert as I could hear my Mum’s voice in my head telling me I’d ruin my tea. The selection of cakes and bakes looked incredible and as with my previous review at Roots Cafe, I need to return for a sweet treat and another one of those iced butterscotch attes, which was delicious.
The bill came to £32.70 so was reasonably priced for the quality and portions we received. As well as the missing cheese sandwich, the service could’ve been a little more attentive as nobody came to check on us during our lunch, however it wouldn’t put me off going back, especially with that selection of cakes including Coffee Renoirs the size of your head. It is also worth knowing that if you just fancy a brew, there is a little trailer outside selling drinks to save you going in the cafe, and there’s an outdoor seating area too. It’s definitely not just a walk in the park at Cuerden Valley.
Have you been to Cuerden View Cafe? Tried the Cumberland Sausage Spesh? Comment below.
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