The Old Bakery — Restaurant in Tewkesbury

We decided to take a drive out from the Midlands and looked up good coffee shops in the area—this one came up with promising reviews. Upon arrival, we asked for a table for two and were told, “Not sure if there’s any available, but have a look.” We found a spot outside in the garden area and sat down. After some time with no service, we managed to locate a couple of menus ourselves.

Eventually, a young staff member came over and took our order. We chose to share the Ploughman’s Board. The menu indicated we could select our cheeses, so we approached a staff member to make our choices. However, we were told all three cheeses were included.

Half of our drinks arrived first, with the remaining drink coming around 10 minutes later. The Ploughman’s Board followed after roughly 30 minutes. When it arrived, we were informed there was no pork pie available.

The actual platter consisted of:

Three half-slices of bread (the menu described it as “chunky bread”) A very small piece of Brie and two small portions of Cheddar (we were expecting a good wedge of each cheese, and Stilton was missing) A small bowl of tiny pickled onions A small serving of pickle Two slices of ham This was priced at £18, which felt excessive given the portion size and missing items. The server simply stated, “Sorry, we don’t have any pork pie,” without offering alternatives. When we asked if there were any other options, like sausage rolls, we were told, “No, we’ve been really busy.” We also had to ask another staff member for butter and some plates.

If key items are out of stock, it would be far more professional to inform customers before bringing out the dish, not after. We found the portion sizes underwhelming and the overall service lacking. We had originally planned to stay for coffee and cake, but decided to go elsewhere.

When paying, we offered our feedback politely, but the young staff member had to repeatedly go to the kitchen to try to get the owner to come out and speak with us. Unfortunately, it felt like the feedback wasn’t...

We popped into The Old Bakery today as we were walking past and noticed it had opened again with new owners. We received a really warm welcome (even with a dramatic toddler in tow), the staff were all friendly and keen to please, and the cakes, milkshakes and the tea were all delicious. It’s also a really cosy, inviting environment. We’ll definitely be going back. And to the reviewer who left a one star review, even if you were disappointed with the experience, why be so mean to a new independent local business as soon as you step out the door on the first day...

This is an excellent place to stop off for a casual drink, with a great beer and wine list, or a light meal/snack. We had delicious ginger and sweet potato soup, hot and perfectly seasoned with normal and gf bread. We followed it up with a scrumptious charcuterie. What makes it particularly good is the very friendly welcome from the owners coupled with clientele who were also chatty and friendly. This is a very homely, hospitable and warming venue which creates a friendly atmosphere on a cold night. We had a great evening and left...