The Tea Junction — Restaurant in Staffordshire Moorlands

We walked the Manifold Valley Way and stopped on the way back for tea and cake. Seeing as this is a 'tearoom' I assumed the tea would be served in a teapot or at the least a cup of mug but it was served in cardboard cups. The sugar and milk were at the entrance which was a pain since the cups were flimsy and I ended up scalding my hand when the lid came straight off when I tried to lift the cups again. I then had to take these to the table and go back to get the cake as no tray was provided. It felt more like a service station than a tearoom. We had the Clementine cake and the Blueberry and lemon, both which looked good but sadly had not much taste and the lemon and blueberry seemed underbaked. The cake was served on paper plates also, making it difficult to take it to the table. After reading other reviews, maybe this was because we sat outside but underwhelmed is what I can say...

I got a tipoff from a shopkeeper in Hartington that rather than paying for the NP carpark, I could grab tea and cakes from the tearoom and park for free - sure enough there's a sign saying 'spend a penny with me and park for free'! I got a takeaway cup of tea for my thermos and set off along the Manifold Trail, assured that I was welcome to park as long as I liked. Three hours of walking later I rewarded myself with a lovely slice of Banana and Pistachio cake, and a hot chocolate (made in a machine but perfectly passable). There's a small giftshop with postcards and local crafts which is worth perusing too. Service was friendly, and it strikes me as a great deal to be able to park for free in exchange for a drink and snack that I probably would...

Handy stop for a brew and a quick bite if you're coming out of isolation and shaking off the cabin fever by taking a trip to the Staffordshire/ Derbyshire Peak District. The menu is based around sandwiches ( hot and cold), with a few inside and several outside tables due to the current restrictions. Loads of attractive looking cakes on offer but went for the healthy option - a bacon and cheese sandwich with a cappuccino. The bacon was well cooked and the cheese nice and stringy so a top class sandwich with thick bread. Good car parking and handy clean loos in the adjacent visitor centre. If you want to burn off the calories you can walk or cycle the 8 miles to Waterhouses on the trail which starts/...