Cockpit Farm Tearooms - Otley

Cockpit Farm Tearooms

Weston Lane

Weston

Nr Otley 

Leeds

LS21 2HS

Date Visited : 1 November 2014

Price: £6.50 or £12.00 for 2

There are a lot of great little teashops in Otley but if you fancy a nice stroll this one is about a mile or so walk from the river.  We usually park up on the Chevin and walk down.  It’s quite a trek but you can park in Otley town centre and walk from there instead – or if you’d prefer to scrap the walk altogether and just head for the cakes, then there is plenty of parking at the tearoom.

The gardens outside the cafe

From the town centre the walk is rather pleasant – it’s mostly flat so you can actually enjoy it rather than battling to breathe while climbing mountainous hills. So if you do opt for the scenic route, just head over the bridge by the river (with Wharfemeadows Park on your right) and follow the path which veers off to the left towards some houses and follow it to the main road. From here turn left and keep walking until you reach an iron gate which leads into a field with some sheep. Head right to the top and take a left after you’ve gone through the gate. About 100m from here you’ll find yourself in the small village of Weston and the tearoom is just off the first road on your right hand side.

Inside the tearoom is quite small so you may have to wait for a table on busier days, but when the weather is warmer (it happens occasionally) there are some tables and benches on the grass outside which make the perfect picnicking spot.  Of course, if you dine indoors you can enjoy the tearooms’ quaint little oddities.  Masses of handmade gifts, including cards, mugs, jewellery, bags, books and all sorts of unusual gifts adorn the walls here – clearly an overspill from the tiny gift shop by the till.

The menu mainly consists of light bites, ranging from toasted teacakes and hot and cold sandwiches, to light salads and homemade soups.  And afternoon tea, of course.  Everything is very reasonably priced with the afternoon tea being the dearest thing on the menu.

The afternoon tea comes with just the one selection of sandwich filling from a choice of cheese and pickle, houmous and salad, tuna and mayonnaise, ham, or smoked salmon and cream cheese.  Being as adventurous as ever, I opted for plain old ham.

Ham Sandwiches

My daughter had the tuna mayo Panini and my husband chose the gluten free cheese and pickle sandwich with salad.  There isn’t a huge choice of gluten free food but they do serve sandwiches and in the winter they have homemade gluten free soup and a roll.  Unfortunately there weren’t any gluten free cakes which was a bit disappointing. The pudding is the best bit of the meal, right?!

Tuna Mayo Panini

Gluten Free Cheese and Pickle Sandwich

The afternoon tea came with the classic fruit scone served with strawberry jam and clotted cream – but sadly no additional cakes – and my daughter chose a slice of lemon drizzle from the cake selection on the counter.

All in all this is a really nice café with good food, very friendly staff and it’s a lovely place to sit out in the garden, especially if you have pets with you.  Plus it’s great for days out as it is only a stone’s throw away from Otley, so it’s ideal if you fancy a nice walk.

Ratings:                        Gluten Free:

Tea: 8/10                             

Sandwiches:  7/10                Sandwiches:  7/10

Cakes: 7/10

Scones: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Would I return?   Yes we’ve been several times