Elveden Estate Cafe Restaurant

Situated on the edge of a 10,000 acre working farm, the Elveden Estate Cafe Restaurant offers the ultimate in fresh local produce.

The Elveden Estate in Norfolk is a working arable farm, extending over 10,000 acres, and specialising in the production of vegetables and cereals such as barley, wheat and rye. As well as providing over 40,000 tonnes of onions and potatoes to UK supermarkets and wholesalers every year, the farm also produces incredible food and drink, from the famous Elvedenilli chutney and Elveden hand-cutchips to jams and runny honey from the Estate’s own bees. Indeed, the Estate has employed its very own development chef, who last year created over 30 different Elveden branded products to sell in the Elveden Estate Food Shop as well as in other local shops. Unsurprisingly, the Cafe Restaurant at Elveden is extremely popular, as more and more of us discover the restaurant that brings a whole new meaning to ‘fresh, local produce’. “We have visitors of all ages and occupations,” explains Frances Armstrong, marketing and PR manager at Elveden Estate. “From business people who come for a breakfast meeting to use our free Wi-Fi to tourists staying at the nearby Center Parcs, there is always a lively atmosphere from breakfast right through until the afternoon.” The breakfast, lunch and main menus at Elveden all make use of the delicious variety of products available at the Elveden Food Shop. The much-loved Elvedenilli fine cut chutney, for example, is made with the farm’s carrots, onions and parsnips and goes perfectly with the Elveden Ploughman’s, which also uses Suffolk Cheddar and Elveden pickled onions. One of the most popular dishes on the menu, the Elveden Handmade Burger, is made with local beef, Elveden hand-cut restaurant’s wine list.
For the main course, we tried the poached Scottish salmon with buttered new potatoes, mixed salad and lemon and basil butter sauce. There are also daily specials at the Elveden Cafe Restaurant; on the day of our visit these included a carrot and fennel seed soup and a tempting blackberry fool. For dessert, there are five options from the saintly fresh local strawberries to the indulgent Elveden sundae. We went for the chocolate delice, which was made with Tuile biscuit, homemade pistachio ice cream and coffee syrup.
As well as serving breakfast, coffee and cakes, sandwiches and main meals throughout the week, the Elveden Cafe Restaurant regularly hosts special events such as its very popular steak night, murder mystery evening and Rolls Royce rally. This month, the Estate will host a special comedy night on 24th September and Al Fresco Theatre on Sunday, 29th August – please see www.elveden.com for chips and homemade cherry tomato and red onion relish.
On the day of our visit, we enjoyed a threecourse meal from the Cafe Restaurant’s new summer menu, feauturing a huge variety of seasonal dishes which can be enjoyed either in the restaurant or outside in the picturesque courtyard. Firstly, we tried the beautifully presented chicken and boiled ham terrine, which was served with poached leeks and gherkins, Elvedenilli chutney and rosemary and garlic bruschetta. We also enjoyed the homemade Foccacia bread with olives, sun dried tomatoes and Feta cheese, which is served with a rosemary oil and horseradish vinegar dip. This meal is available on the light bites menu, which also features a dish of sliced charcuterie, a Greek-style platter of pitta bread with hummus, tzatziki and olives, and the traditional Elveden Ploughman’s. These dishes are ideal for light summer dining and are best accompanied with a glass of carefully selected wine from the further details.
Guests at the Elveden Cafe Restaurant often choose to spend a morning or afternoon browsing the courtyard shops, which include a children’s shop, book shop, gift shop and home and garden shop. Many people also visit to enjoy a walk on the Estate or to use the popular Elveden horse course. Easily accessible by road, and close to the towns of Thetford, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds, the Elveden Estate is a beautiful, peaceful place to escape to for a few hours. Of course, no visit is complete without a trip to the Food Shop to pick up a jar of Elvedenilli or a box of seasonal vegetables to take home.

Elveden Estate
Elveden, Norfolk
IP24 3TQ
Tel:01842 898068