Housed within the historic stables and cart house at Hestercombe’s Visitor Centre, The Stables is a casual restaurant open daily for brunch, lunch and afternoon tea.
The dining room at The Stables stays true to its roots with high ceilings and intricate woodwork, but there are also welcome touches of comfort such as navy blue banquette seating and tables dressed with vases of fresh flowers. The Stables is also home to a stylish, glass-covered courtyard that is ideal for a spot of alfresco dining, particularly on warmer days.
As for the menu, you can expect a seasonally changing offering which champions sustainable produce, with ingredients sourced locally whenever possible. The Stables’ menu kicks off at brunch, where you can find a selection of sweet and savoury dishes - think a toasted bagel filled with smoked bacon, black pudding, roasted cherry tomatoes and a fried egg or banana bread loaded with vegan vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce and toasted pecans. On weekends, you can enjoy your brunch alongside free-flowing Prosecco, Mimosas or Bellinis.
Come lunchtime, the menu expands to include a range of ingredient-led, globe-trotting dishes. Keep things traditional with the likes of slow-roasted pork belly topped with wild garlic aioli on a bed of Cornish new potatoes or go for something a little more exotic, such as Moroccan spiced vegan kebabs with handmade flatbread, rainbow salad, tabbouleh, minted chilli jelly and a cucumber raita. For little ones, there is sausage roll served with hand-cut chips and vegetable sticks.
Round off your meal with tempting desserts such as peanut butter cookies or come for afternoon tea instead, where you will find the usual mix of sweets and savouries. A garden admission fee is not required to eat at The Stables, but if you haven’t explored the on-site gardens before, you’d be silly to miss out on them.