I first came upon the Cosy Club on our family holiday to York, and found it so charming and so comfortable looking…cosy if you will. It is the same in the Cosy Club in the Centre:MK, I love the way it is decorated and I enjoyed sitting on the sofa whilst we had a drink. It is also the least chain-like of chain restaurants in my opinion.
Cosy Club (Milton Keynes)
I have visited a few times, and on this occasion we went as a family for brunch. It was busy but not uncomfortably so. Our server was excellent, so bubbly, efficient and kind to my kids.
The kids love pancakes and told me that they were delicious. They ordered pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. The bacon was streaky which can be fatty but in this case it was quite crispy.
I don’t get to eat out quite as often now due to a health condition, so this was a lovely treat. I am very limited in what I can order, but they were very good at discussing my options, and they checked the ingredients various times for me, which was reassuring. My mum ordered the full English breakfast (classic breakfast) and my husband chose the vegetarian breakfast.
My mum did not like her potato hash to start with as it was a little undercooked, but they brought out a new one and she enjoyed it. My husband liked the avocado and pea mint crush on the garden brunch, this is a nice addition to a vegetarian breakfast. The prices are good and they serve breakfast until 12noon. Also, last year I went gluten-free for 5 months and they do an excellent gluten-free breakfast here.
In summary, though you have to pay for parking the decor and the delicious food make it worth it, particular if you plan to do some shopping.
I recently visited this amazing restaurant on the lake (twice), the first was with work and it was so good I just had to go back again, so I went back with a friend. It was every bit as good the second time.
The Italian Sul Lago (Review)
There is plenty of (free) parking and what a location! As soon as you walk through the door you are greeted by flowers all around the entrance walls, it’s a lovely welcome, and then there is a giant blossomed tree in the middle of the room, chandeliers dotted across the ceiling and the best bit…floor to ceiling windows and that beautiful view of Furzton Lake. Milton Keynes is a very pretty City, so green and verdant but we are not really known for our magnificent vistas, there are no mountains or even large hills, there are no beaches or beautiful seas or many old buildings but we do a great job with nature. We have more parks and lakes in Milton Keynes then almost anywhere, and this restaurant is perfectly situated and has taken advantage of the lake views.
If the weather is on your side you can sit outside at one of the tables and enjoy the view…although…I was disappointed that they do not have a bar, so that means you cannot order a drink and sit outside. I felt a bit silly (at first) waiting for my colleagues without a drink, but it was still nice, the weather was warm and the sun was bouncing off the lake, it felt very restful.
Now over to the food, my friend ordered lasagne and garlic dough balls and I ordered a lasagne with a side of garlic bread with cheese. The garlic bread was huge, so big in fact that it could have been my starter (or main meal, come to think of it), and it was delicious, garlic bread is not often that memorable, once you’ve eaten one garlic bread you’ve kind of had them all, but this appeared to be hand-made and cooked in a pizza oven (I believe), and though by the end of the meal I couldn’t finish it all, I really, really wanted to.
The lasagne, oh the lasagne, I ordered it on my first visit and it was so good I had to order it again, and wow it was every bit as good as I remembered. I can honestly say that this is the best lasagne I have ever had, bar none. I have even been to Italy 3 times and I still cannot remember having one this good in the home-land. My only minor (very minor) improvement that I would make, is a slightly bigger or more varied salad. It came with a side of cress, but a wider variety of leaves or even better a side of vegetables would have been perfect, because I am not a big salad fan anyway. I could have ordered a side of broccoli (as it was on the menu), but alas I felt that the side dishes were too expensive. I know that costs have increased but £7 for a side of broccoli is excessive, I think, and not really in keeping with the rest of the menu. The lasagne was only £16, I would have expected £7 broccoli at a place that sold a £25 lasagne.
For dessert I ordered ice cream because I am on a low acid diet, and therefore cannot eat chocolate, I would have loved the chocolate brownie. However, the ice cream (strawberry and cream) was very nice but I think they could have made it look a bit more special though. I had dessert envy because my friend’s dessert looked so appetising. Even a sprig of mint on my ice cream would have made a difference, though I would have loved a biscuit or a wafer with it.
Finally I have experienced mixed levels of service. My first visit service was very good and friendly, even though we were a big group, my most recent visit however the waitress was not personable or warm, which is a shame.
Overall, despite a few very minor aspects that I would change, I had a fantastic time on both visits, and I simply cannot wait to go back. The food and the location are impeccable, this could very well be one of the best restaurants in Milton Keynes.
Cakes….really giant, tasty, homemade, moist cakes (End of review)…Ha ha not really but that does sum it up in 7 words.
We recently went on holiday to Cornwall, and this was one of the best places we ate at. As soon as I saw the pictures of the cakes I was so there. I mean, look at this monster…
Lakeside Cabin Cafe (Review)
I usually find that size doesn’t matter 😉 and in terms of cake the bigger is not usually the better, more times than not a cake is either large or delicious, but not usually both. At the Lakeside Cabin Cafe the cake I had was both extra large and more importantly extra delicious.
Going back to the beginning though, we arrived early for lunch and was lucky to find it pretty quiet. The inside of the cafe is quite small, but they have a small covered outdoor area and then a larger garden area over-looking the lake. The weather was a perfect 21-degrees-C with a clear blue sky, so it was a pleasure to sit outside on the picnic benches.
We ordered our giant cakes with a side of lunch, and whilst we waited we went over to the lake for a little walk, it was very pleasant. I had soup, my husband had a salad and the kids had toasted sandwiches. The salad had a strange mix of flavours (according to H) but I loved my soup, the bread and the soup were both pleasingly thick.
But to be honest it is a surprise that I even remember the soup because my brain was wiped of everything after I tasted that cake. I chose the double chocolate with fresh cream cake; to be honest, I wanted to live inside it.
The downside of the cafe, I suspect because of the cake, it became very busy very quickly and the staff were not able to keep up, though they were so nice. There were only two people working that afternoon, and it was not enough, we did have to wait a long time. Now it was worth the wait, trust me, but it did eat into one of our beach days on the way to St Ives.
My suggestion to you is: get the cake to take-away if it appears busy, and my small suggestion to the owners is due to the price I would have liked a half portion for half the price, because the portion sizes were giant and I could not eat it all – though I did try. But who is complaining really, you’ve seen the cake right?
I have to be completely honest and say that during Covid we had a bad experience here, but we decided to give this lovely-looking pub another chance and boy am I glad that we did.
The Carrington Arms (Review)
In fact, I have now been here twice for brunch in the same month, that is how much I enjoyed it. At first sight it looks very impressive, a large pub, with a large, modern conservatory, with ample parking and next to a play park and fields. Inside it is respectfully decorated using the original features of the very old building.
We came here for Mothers’ Day brunch, and though it was busy, they were not overrun, making mistakes and running out of stock like most places do on special days. I was very pleased by the wide variety of gluten-free options; which included a GF full-english breakfast (including toast). Not only that, but it tasted good, even the toasted bap tasted good and I think we all know (those of us with an intolerance or Coeliac disease) how rubbish most gluten-free food tastes. The bread was delicious and did not fall to pieces.
My whole family had a lovely “normal” muggles brunch too (i.e. not gluten free). My kids both had the Biscoff pancakes (I was not jealous!), they provide a kids portion (2 pancakes) which my 6 year old had, and an adults portion (4 pancakes), which my 11 year old enjoyed. In fact, my son said that they were the best pancakes that he has ever had! I was surprised that he thought they were better than The Pancake Parlour, as they would have been my choice for best pancakes in the area, however, I am not able to try these as I am currently on a gluten-free diet, so I will defer to his 11-year old-biscoff-loving-pancake-eating expertise on this one.
My husband had salmon and scrambled eggs, he said that our brunch felt like an experience and as though we were being taken care of. When I returned a few weeks later with a dear friend we had eggs and bacon on toast and a full-English breakfast. Everyone said that they thoroughly enjoyed their meals. My friend said that she was surprised to see Woburn bacon on the menu, as it is quite special; which it indeed was. In fact, the bacon was particularly memorable, absolutely delicious and so perfectly cooked. We also commented on the price, it was a good price for such a delicious breakfast at such a beautiful pub; it was also generous, and I did not feel hungry. The Anchor (for example), an equally beautiful village pub is quite stingy with its portion sizes.
The kids enjoyed playing in the park afterwards (a great way to burn off one of the pancakes), surprisingly the minuscule zip-line was way more fun than either of my kids imagined when they looked upon it. Never judge a book by its cover.
My only small gripe is that during Covid they instituted a booking policy which means that you have to enter your card details before you are able to make a booking, not only that but if you fail to show-up they will charge you £30 per person. I am not the kind of person who would simply not show up (though what if you needed to cancel for an emergency at the last minute?) I always call to cancel if I need to, however, £30 per person is excessive, especially as 2 of the party were children and we did not even spend £30 on them when we went out for dinner, let alone brunch. In fact when I went with my friend our entire bill was £30 total, so the fact that I would be charged £60 for not cancelling is extreme and disproportionate, especially for brunch. This rule came at a time when everyone was excited to go out for meals again once we emerged from the lockdowns during Covid. It is now 2023, it has been a few years, I honestly think they need to remove that card booking from their system now. They should definitely not charge a cancellation fee for brunch/breakfast or reduce the charge per person.
That little moan aside, I loved it and will definitely be returning again. I think the outside will be very nice in the summer, as they have a lovely conservatory and garden (including a giant chess set).
My husband happened upon a great coffee shop whilst he was out in the Bedford area. It seemed to have everything a family could need in a coffee shop and so therefore taking the opportunity one Saturday morning to take the kids there, off we scooted over to Bedford (Denham). It took about 25 minutes to get there from Milton Keynes; which is not bad for a good coffee shop – it would have to be worth it though…
The inside was spacious, tastefully decorated with comfy seating (yes always a pre-requisite for me). They had a great menu (including pizza), not just a standard coffee shop menu, but which also included cocktails and other late night beverages; as they do indeed open late – another rarity and much welcome in my household. Most importantly for us though were the capacious grounds on which the cafe sits. Opposite and able to be seen from the window is a large park, on another side is a mugger (an enclosed football pitch), and on the other side a large field.
The photos above were indeed taken from the window where I was happily sipping my tea and perusing a novel, whilst being able to watch my children play. They ran in and out about every 10 minutes or so, took a sip of their hot chocolate and then ran out to play again – it was a very civilised morning, one that many a parent dream of.
We were there at brunch time, so I had tea and toast, but I could not resist the halloween cupcakes on display – and they did not disappoint any of us – they were delicious. My husband has also been in the evening, and though they closed early that night, because he was the only customer, he said it was a quiet and congenial place to meet a friend and/or read a book (though probably not at the same time).
I live quite close to the Red House, so I have been a few times for a drink, which I can highly recommend, it is one of my favourite places for a hot chocolate, though I must warn you it more of a dessert. However, this time we decided to try a roast dinner; as we haven’t had a roast in a long time. Firstly, have to say how nicely decorated and how warm and inviting the Red House is; and I love all their nooks and crannies, every corner you turn there is somewhere else to sit, it’s like a rabbits warren.
We Brits do love our roast dinners right? When we arrived I was surprised to learn that the roast dinner was a carvery, help yourself kind of deal, which I must admit made me a bit nervous, as I was worried it might turn out to be toby carvery style.
The good news was that though it was a help yourself carvery it still tasted absolutely delicious; the food is not left out too long, so doesn’t end up being dry and tasteless. They have a small carvery area so they only let up two tables at a time – so no long queues.
The beef was cut thinly and was flavourful and moist. The roast potatoes were just how I like them – well cooked, browned but still fluffy on the inside; they had mash which I love as part of my roast, the yorkshire puddings were huge and fluffy and the vegetables were tasty, not boiled of all flavour. There were a lot of vegetable to choose from, though I personally would have liked some peas and brocolli. That being said they had: cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, leeks, roasted parsnips two types of carrots (boiled/steamed and roasted).
It was a perfectly lovely roast dinner for £15, I think being a carvery it should probably cost a little less, as this is how much made to order roast dinners cost in some places. However, food costs are so high right now it is hard to know what is a good deal anymore.
My husband had the vegetarian option with sausages on the side (just to confuse the chef), he loved his roast too and he is fussier than me when we eat out.
The desserts were especially pleasing, probably the best was my dads cookie dough, which arrived in a mini frying pan; the cookie was soft and delicious. I had a biscoff cheesecake which was delightfully creamy, my daughter enjoyed her first banana split and my son had a brownie sundae. My husband was saddened by the icecream flavours on offer; they only had the three standard flavours (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) which is surprisingly retro and disappointing. He therefore opted for a latte instead. The waitress did say they would have more exciting icecream flavours in the summer, so all is not lost.
Since the weather is starting to warm up, I would definitely recommend the new outdoor seating area, which is covered and lit with twinkly lights, there are heaters and more importantly, they have the standard wooden picnic table seating BUT it is covered with padded leather seating – it is so comfortable! They also have a BBQ area and an outdoor bar, so definitely a lovely option for spring and summer.
While it is a little nippy I would highly recommend their hot chocolate, as I said before, it is more like a dessert; it is served in a pint glass, had a big chunk of brownie in it; plus it tastes super delicious.
I like to occasionally mix-up the monotony and occasional loneliness of working from home (which I have been doing for 2 years now thanks to Covid-19), by sometimes treating myself to a more lively working location. The New Day Cafe is perfect for this for many reasons:
It is centrally located (CMK)
It has great (free) wifi
It has plugs and booths to work at
It has snazzy looking furnture
They make an amazing hot-chocolate
Although one could work at any cafe in MK (in theory) this one has a work-vibe, perhaps because it is at the bottom of an office block. I often see other people on their laptops too, so I don’t feel self-conscious. It is definitely not a place to take the kids as it is not really aimed at them and would be distracting to those who are working, but I don’t mind, my kids have loads of cafes they can eat in.
Another perk for those who love light – this place has floor-to-ceiling windows, so it gets a tremendous amount of light.
The food menu here is limited in choice but they offer just enough breakfast and lunch options for its clientele. I love their breakfast baps (bacon and hash browns) and cookies. They do have a great drink selection and one of the best hot chocolates in town because it is Biscoff flavour, it is absolutely delicious. It can get pretty busy in the mornings so I recommend giving it a try later in the day.
So if you are looking for places to work or study, this is a great option.
At the weekend I took my kids and my mum to Stony for a bit of light shopping and a nice breakfast. Stony has a lot of great eateries, and this is another that I have never tried before. For anyone who is confused, it used to be called “The Coffee Bean”.
How to describe the breakfast? The food tasted like diner-style, tasty, basic but delicious with a low price but, they have the benefit of being in a great location on Stony Stratford high street, and it does not look like a diner; in fact it looks and feels pretty special inside as it used to be a chemist and it looks like it dates back at least 100 years. It has beautiful original apothecary drawers that hold herbs and medicines; retaining most of its features/shelving makes it very warm and appealing. And for an extra bonus, we found a load of hand-written messages on napkins inside the drawers (yes my little one was being nosey). She found pictures and wishes and notes, it was so lovely.
It was busy (being Saturday morning) but we managed to find a seat inside; although they also have a large outdoor area, which is heated as an added benefit and they have blankets; so no need to worry if it’s too busy inside.
The price point was very good value, surprisingly so for Stony. Mum and I had the early bird breakfast special (which is served between 8am-11am) which is a 6 piece breakfast, although technically it was really a 7 piece if you count each hashbrown, but really 8 piece if you include the toast; and unlimited tea or coffee. So a “6” piece breakfast with tea and toast for £6.50, now you really cannot go wrong for that price; and my eggs were runny, as I requested. They also offer 4, 8 and 10 piece breakfasts – I love being able to choose, because I am fussy! They had a lot of options that you don’t get everywhere like black pudding, fried toast and the option of fresh or cooked tomatoes.
They have a great kids menu for lunch and mains; lots of good options. I would have liked an alternative for kids who don’t eat cooked breakfasts (like my fussy 5 year old), pancakes are a definite winner for kids – just for future reference (in case the Bean read this). My son had a kids cooked breakfast; and I ordered a toasted tea cake for my daughter; they were both very pleased.
Seating is a bit basic, but that doesn’t tend to bother other people like it does me, and it can be a bit of squish inside, particularly when full, but it felt warm and inviting and it seemed friendly and like they have a lot of regulars.
They also have a great selection of home-made pastries and cakes; the caramelised onion sausage roll was delicious. The cakes were nice, though a little on the sweet side for me.
Additional Information
Parking: Short and long stay car parks at O’dells yard and similar are nearby but a few minutes walk.
Booking: It appears they only take walk-ins.
Website:Facebook only, but appears to be kept up to date.
The Swan at Salford is a high-end country pub, it is tastefully decorated inside and out; with new outdoor furniture and a canopy, and super comfortable seating for dinner and in their pub/lounge. Salford is less than 10 minutes outside of Milton Keynes (depending on where you live), there are two main routes to get to it, either through Wavendon or through Broughton. This is not a place I get to eat at very often, but when I get the chance, it is always a delight.
I have a thing about comfy seats, and some of their seating is about as comfy as you can get. Along the windows on one side, they have what looks like a long blue leather sofa, sit there! It is so comfortable.
We didn’t order any starters, but for our mains, we had chicken parmesan, beef burger and steak and chips. My chicken was delicious but when I saw the steak, I instantly wished I had ordered that instead.
My mum had steak and chips and said it was absolutely delicious and my dad had a burger, he said that it was very tasty but too big – well if that is the only problem then we have no problem. The service was a little slow that night, but it appeared there was only one waitress, so that was understandable.
The desserts were particularly special. I had the molten chocolate cake and it was absolutely stunning. I was perfectly happy as larry eating my delicious lava cake until my mum gave me a piece of her cheese. She totally ruined my dessert; that cheese was put down everything and pay attention to me kinda cheese. That was I can barely form words kind of cheese. Wow. So the cheese board was amazing, but that cheese, in particular, is called “Blanche”. According to the menu, it is a multi-award-winning (you bet) soft goat’s cheese. I didn’t even think I was a big fan of goat’s cheese, but I am a convert. So if for nothing else, please do order the cheeseboard the next time you are anywhere near the village of Salford.
Now is my opportunity to recommend a whole bunch of great eateries that I have been enjoying all year (or for many years), many of which haven’t made it to a dedicated blog post. So if you want to know what and where you should be eating in 2022, look no further…
Take-Aways
Best Chinese take-away: Sam’s Chinese in Peartree Bridge, MK6 3BX (01908 695695)
Okay so the location has a lot to be desired, but Sam’s has been my go-to chinese take-away for the last couple of years. They are generous with their meat in their chow meins and I can recommend their curries, ribs and satay.
Absolutely delicious and authentic italian pizza, this is my husband’s favourite, he loves thin bases. I love the tomato and garlic bread in particular, as it is difficult to find that anywhere. I also appreciate that they seem to understand young children and offer plain pasta, my 5 year old is still in her plain pasta phase! The only downside I have found is that even though we live within 3 miles of the take-away, they will not deliver, even though it says they deliver within 3 miles.
You may have noticed if you have read more then one of my posts that I love brisket and Percy’s BBQ do a great brisket burger; in addition their gravy is outstanding and don’t get me started on their malt milkshake (which arrive in a cute bottle), so delicious. If you like malt, like I do, you should also try their malt icecream cookie dessert.
Nonna’s looks good inside and out and they have the slightly more elevated breakfast experience such as poached egss on sourdough; though be aware that service can be slow sometimes.
Definitely my first choice for a cream tea (and lunch), and if you have a tighter budget, teapots is definitely more cost-effective and the scones are worth every penny. They also have amazing homemade cakes.
If you want a more extravagant full afternoon tea experience and have a bigger budget, this is a delightful and beautiful french patisserie experience.
Best Dinner:
I have had a lot of great dinners this year, the Swan at Salford probably comes in second place, but my best meals of the year have been at…
Feeding the Kat 