I had told daughter about the cakes at Ampleforth Abbey after our last visit, so when we were planning a weekend in Helmsley, this seemed a good place to stop for something to eat. After our glowing comments it had a lot to live up to – it did.
It was a cold and rather damp day in early February so we decided on soup and a cake. Soup is £4.50 and was butter squash and leek, served in a generous size bowl with a hunk of rustic brown bread and a pat of butter. It was piping hot, thick and very tasty. We followed this with the Ampleforth apple cake at £3.95. They were generous size portions and as good as I remembered. It didn’t really need the clotted cream with it, which was sheer greed.
We had intended to use the cafe at Rievaulx Abbey before coming home, but this was shut as part of a major refurbishment. So, guess where we headed to – Appleforth Abbey again. This time it was leek and potato soup, again very tasty. Daughter chose the carrot and walnut cake. This had plenty of chunks of walnut in the moist sponge and a thick layer of frosting decorated with a small confectionary carrot. I went for the blackberry and apple gluten free crumble. It didn’t look as attractive but more than made up for this in taste. There was a thin pastry base with a layer of stewed apple. The ‘crumble’ was a ground almond sponge mix with blackberries scattered through it. These cut the sweetness and gave it a bite. It was excellent.
The tea room is popular with visitors to the abbey as well as walkers and cyclists. It also caters for booked groups. It provides good honest food and is reasonably priced. They also do hot meals from £7.75, a range of sandwiches from £5.45 and salads from £7.75. Add a big bowl of chunky crispy chips for £2. Definitely a place to revisit.
