Church Farm Ardeley Reviews Summary

Cafe and Food

Pros:

• "The cafe does amazing food and the best coffee."
• "The chef went out of his way to cook dairy free for our granddaughter who is dairy intolerant."
• "The shop has interesting special food items."
• "Nice cafe and farm shop near the entrance."
• "The cafe food was good."
• "Cafe food had a great selection and the farm shop had a brilliant selection of local produce."
• "We used the cafe and shop, great staff, lovely coffee and everything you need."

Cons:

• "The portions were small and expensive."
• "The cafe which has very limited menu and does not seem to cater for vegetarians or any food intolerances."
• "The cafe was understaffed, on a very hot day, and definitely overpriced."
• "Although horrendous service is the cafe, over an hour wait for eggs on toast and waited 40minutes for a cold drink and a coffee."
• "The cafe was slightly expensive."
• "We waited such a long time and when we opened the kids packs, there was only half an apple and half a cheese sandwich."
• "Prices are a bit steep in the shop and cafe."

Camping and Accommodation

Pros:

• "Good number of facilities on the fields e.g. toilets and showers."
• "We camped here as a big group and really is lovely place, with a lot of thought and care put into everything."
• "The compost toilet was absolutely fine, didn’t smell at all and was clean, well stocked and easy to use."
• "Clean toilets and shower facilities, plenty of water taps."
• "The hot gas showers were great!"
• "Lovely woodland camping with your own pitches spaced throughout the woods."
• "The campsite facilities were basic but mostly clean."

Cons:

• "The toilets and shower facilities are very basic / agricultural."
• "The toilet flooded and lack of baby changing facilities will be a problem."
• "For a group pitch we paid over £800 for Fri - Sunday (£165 per large area)."
• "It’s an expensive campsite with costs for additional extras. It’s £12.50 just for permission to have a fire."
• "The only field in a huge site that was allowed for camping was very small and way too full."
• "Unfortunately my tent pitch was under a flight path which was mildly annoying."
• "The ground was a little hard and tough to get tent pegs all the way into the ground."

Activities and Entertainment

Pros:

• "The highlight for the family was the goat walking on Saturday morning."
• "We also went for a tractor ride around the farm which the kids really enjoyed too."
• "Perfect place for young people, and there grandparents, to wander around and see how animals are kept on a free-range farm."
• "The farm animals were great for the kids, and the amenities were good."
• "The egg collecting, tractor ride and goat walking were wonderful."
• "Great place for kids."
• "The farm itself is brilliant for kids, we didn't leave the campsite and there was plenty for us to do and see."

Cons:

• "I wished there were more activities to book around the farm."
• "All the stuffed toys located about are just weird and the kids play areas are grim."
• "animals surrounded by barbed wire and electric fences so children not able to get up close."
• "Feeding animals was putting food from a bag down a plastic pipe (literally money down a drain - and minimum £5 spend) animals surrounded by barbed wire and electric fences so children not able to get up close."
• "A tenner to feed the chickens and collect some eggs felt a bit excessive too."
• "We struggled to kill half a day here (without spending a lot more money)."
• "There’s quite a limited selection of animals to see, no actual playground (no slide, swings etc…)."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff were very friendly but allowed us space, so it really did feel more like a wild camping experience."
• "The staff were fantastic and everything was reasonably priced."
• "Such a lovely little farm, and the staff were so kind and helpful."
• "Thanks also to the friendly staff we met, would highly recommend."
• "The staff are brilliant, really engaging and invested in what they’re doing which is lovely to see."
• "The staff were extremely helpful and for much of the time went about their work almost invisibly, allowing us to simply enjoy our time."
• "Staff were very friendly."

Cons:

• "And many of the staff were unhelpful and ‘prickly’."
• "The guy serving behind the counter didn't say a word during the ordering process, no greeting, smile, thank you etc."
• "It gets so busy here that the staff can’t cope."
• "When I gave feedback to a woman in the shop it was pretty obvious she wasn't interested."
• "Although showers clean, kids wouldn’t use them because they are so exposed at the top."
• "The pub Gnocchi was terrible and we sent it back."
• "The 'trail' was just walking around the farm."