What to do on a wet and windy lunchtime staying in a Caravan on the Caravan and Motorhome New Forest Centenary Club Site. The plan was to get the tepanyaki out and have the sausage, eggs and bacon sizzling. Without an awning or a canopy we have a lunchtime dilemma. Ordinarily we would have an alternative option but as we are going home tomorrow the store cupboard and fridge are quite bare.
A fellow caravanning friend, Carl, suggested earlier in the week that whilst we were here we should pay The Old Station Tearooms in Holmsley a visit. With this being highly recommended and hunger pains continuing to rumble as the rain blew at the caravan sideways, off we went.
Only a 3 mile drive away it took no time at all on the quiet lanes. The Station house is still in keeping with times gone by when steam trains provided the main form of transportation to the country. With a lifetime of around a hundred or so years the Station has a history involving some quite prominent figures of the past. The Station, like many others, sadly closed in the 1960s but has been reinvented into the wonderful Tearooms that it is today.
In keeping with its historical past there is a wealth of paraphernalia dating back through the steam rail timeline adorning the inside and outside of the building. With an outdoor undercover seating area, perfect if you’ve got the dog with you in any weather or sit on a nicer day to eat in the garden with plenty of space for the little ones to move around. Today, because of the weather we took shelter inside.
On entry you are welcome by the sight of a cabinet displaying scrummy looking cakes and scones. Greeted by a lovely lady we are shown to a table in a relatively quiet dining area. Wet coats removed, cup of tea ordered, time to peruse the menu and specials board. With a choice varying from lighter bites, soups and sandwiches, to dishes a little more hearty for such a miserable day, steak and kidney pie and ham, egg and chips. All reasonably priced we opted for some wet weather comfort food, faggots, mash and cabbage. Expecting supermarket style faggots what actually turned up certainly wasn’t your everyday run of the mill cafe food.
In another establishment this would have been given a more flowery description on the menu, braised faggots nestled on a bed of mash, shredded cabbage and pea garnish with homemade gravy, and would also have carried a price tag to go with the posh description. Beautifully presented, delivered by a lovely waitress all for the price of £8.95 each. The food was hot, freshly prepared and really tasty. A step back in time with a wholesome meal, would we like dessert? A cake from the cabinet? After that meal? Not this time, perfect though for a pit stop, afternoon tea or reasonably priced excellent meal that definitely saw off those hunger pains. As we go to pay we weave our way through a now busy dining area, music playing softly in the background, quiet hum of voices and the rattle of cutlery. A lovely escape from a wet and miserable day.
Back now to the caravan to put my feet up, read and book and doze the afternoon away with a full tum.
