ST ANN’S WELL CAFE

St Ann’s Road

Great Malvern

Worcestershire

WR14 4RF

Tel: 01684 560285

stannswell.co.uk

IN my opinion there is nothing more beautiful than a sunny autumn day – except perhaps being in Malvern on a sunny autumn day.

And we were lucky enough to experience the best of the season’s weather when we paid a visit to St Ann’s Well Cafe, nestled on the eastern slope of the Malvern Hills.

There is something very enchanting about the area at this time of year – the colours of the trees, falling leaves, swollen streams trickling down the hills – so it was great to see that the cafe boasts a well-designed outside seating area.

The building dates back to 1813 and, along with the setting, could almost have featured in an enchanting fairytale.

Inside, there were a few more tables which would have provided welcome shelter to people on colder days and the menu included a selection of baguettes, soups and pasties.

We ordered a bowl of carrot and coriander soup and a leek and potato soup (both £3.95) which came, after a bit of a wait, with a big basket of bread and butter – perfect.

Served piping hot, the carrot and coriander soup had a lovely creamy sweetness to it, but the leek and potato was bland in comparison and could have done with more of a hearty leek flavour.

A cheese and chutney baguette (£2.40) was a fresh granary baguette stuffed full of filling, including a nice sharp cheese which nicely balanced the sweetness of the chutney.

Cut in half so it was much easier to handle, it was perhaps a smaller portion than I had expected.

There was a good selection of cakes, all but one home-made, and we chose the chocolate fudge cake, apple and almond cake and carrot cake (cakes cost between £1.50 and £2.50 each).

The good sized portions may have been a challenge for some but luckily our prior walk along the hills had worked up our appetites.

The apple and almond was the nicest of the three, boasting fresh slices of apple, chewy almonds and a delicate spice which all worked perfectly together, while the vegan chocolate cake was quickly finished off.

Our waitress, a young woman, was polite and attentive and it was a shame there was a bit of a fuss from another member of staff over the receipt.

If you are making the most of the season and taking to the Malvern Hills for a walk, St Ann’s Well Cafe makes a great stop to rest your feet, enjoy some food and take in the splendid views.

HOW IT RATED

Food 3

Ambience 4

Value for Money 4

Service 3