Twenty people round one long table above the cafe this Christmas, with the food made in our kitchen downstairs and carried up the stairs to you.
The room upstairs has its own door off the street and its own toilet, so your party comes straight up off the street and settles in. There is a main room and a breakout room, and we set the layout before you arrive: one long table for a Christmas lunch, or smaller tables for a team breakfast. The celebrations page has the occasions it takes, and the event space page has the room itself.
The room upstairs, from the doorway.
What we can bring up
Everything to eat comes from the kitchen downstairs: breakfast, sandwiches, a buffet, afternoon tea, or a cake if it is that sort of day. A celebration cake needs a week's notice to be sure of it, so add one when you book rather than the week before.
The festive scone is the one to ask about. In past years it has been on from November to January, and December is when it sells most, so ask about it when you plan the food for a December party.
When you can have it
The room is a daytime room. There are three slots: half eight to half eleven, twelve to four, or half eight to four for the whole day. That makes it a Christmas breakfast before work, a long lunch, or an afternoon tea that runs on until it gets dark outside. If you want it outside those hours, ring and ask, and we will give you a straight answer.
Over Christmas itself we close early on Christmas Eve, and we are shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The room takes one group at a time, so each December date goes to whoever books it first.
Who it suits
A small office having its Christmas lunch together. A club or a committee holding its last meeting of the year round a proper table. A family who want afternoon tea for everyone in one room, from the grandparents to the youngest. A group of up to 20 who would rather have the room to themselves than share the cafe on a December Saturday.
The room is upstairs, and we have not had step-free access confirmed, so if anyone in your group needs it, ring 01845 523869 before you book and we will describe the way in properly.
Two Christmas ideas we are still thinking about
Rosa is looking at a lunch offer around Christmas, and has floated a one-off bistro evening downstairs in the cafe, which would be the first time we have opened after four for anything. Both are ideas, not plans. Neither has a date, so this is an early word rather than an announcement.
How the booking works
Send us the date, the number of people and what you would like to eat. We check the diary and email you back, and the payment link for the fifty-pound deposit comes in that email. Nothing is charged until we have said yes, and the deposit comes off your bill on the day. Our post on booking the room has the cancellation terms in full.
The room and the food are quoted together, so the price depends on the party you are planning. Send us the details and we will come back to you with a date and a price.
