Butlers Retreat, Chingford, London

Our strawberry and meringue sundae with toasted almonds....

School’s out... so Sundaes are in! (Whilst stocks of home-made nut brittle last...)

Not too hot, not too cold, dappled sunlight under the trees, another chilled summer’s day at Butler’s Retreat

Looking good Butlers! I always thought it was white already... Open as usual tomorrow, work pretty much done

Great job Rosie Shrimplin getting round 26 miles in the hottest ever marathon, running for a great cause - she raised over £4K for Mind, thanks to all the Butlers Retreat customers who contributed. Rosie - I can’t quite believe you are working tomorrow?!?

Who said lollies are just for kids??!
And it’s Friday......just saying.......

Forget daffodils, this is still hot chocolate season! Mention this post and and get free cream and marshmallows topping on your hot choc - today only

Just 2 weeks to go until Mother's Day...why not treat yours to a Larder-style Afternoon Tea, expect an array of homemade goodies, from freshly-baked scones with clotted cream & jam, to rustic sandwiches on daily-baked bread. Email us to book: eat@larderlondon.co.uk

Walthamstow Wetlands offers a venue with a difference...bright & beautiful spaces combined with stunning views over the Wetlands just a few minutes from Central London! As the in-house caterer we're very proud to offer a range of menus designed to suit you, from formal dining to casual gatherings, just take a look: https://larderlondon.co.uk/private-hire/< br>

Last chance to buy tickets for our Coffee Tasting session with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee in Central Park this Sunday...https://larderlondon.co.uk/whats -on/category/whats-on/

Last minute Valentines Day gift?! Don't worry we've got you covered...we offer gift vouchers for our Larder-style Afternoon Teas (available at Butlers Retreat, Bethnal Green & William Morris Gallery), expect an array of homemade goodies, from freshly-baked scones with clotted cream & jam, to rustic sandwiches on daily-baked bread, perfectly complemented by our speciality tea menu. Email us to book: eat@larderlondon.co.uk

Just over a week to go until our Union Hand-Roasted Coffee Coffee Tasting in Central Park...snap your tickets up today: https://larderlondon.co.uk/whats-on/categ ory/whats-on/

No February blues for you...from toe-tapping live music with the Irene Serra Trio in Wanstead to Coffee Tasting in Central Park we've got plenty to keep you busy! Book tickets here: https://larderlondon.co.uk/whats-on/categ ory/whats-on/

Our February opening hours start tomorrow...9am-4pm Mon-Fri (kitchen closes 3.30pm) Sat & Sun 9am-5pm (kitchen closes 4pm): https://larderlondon.co.uk/the-larder-at- butlers-retreat/

Tickets are now on sale for our February Late Night Larder in Wanstead! We'll be hosting the fabulous Irene Serra Trio...Expect an upbeat mix of genres from jazz to pop, funk to Brazilian. With all members of the trio used to playing in some of London’s top music venues, from Ronnie Scott’s to the 606 Club, you can be sure they’ll be showcasing some serious talent! https://larderlondon.co.uk/whats-on/categ ory/whats-on/

Tickets are selling FAST for our Coffee Tasting with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee on 18th Feb in Central Park...did we mention it includes a bag of beans to take away? https://larderlondon.co.uk/whats-on/categ ory/whats-on/

We're very pleased & proud that Butlers Retreat's Rosie Shrimplin will be running the London-Marathon on behalf of Mind. At the Larder we're supporting Rosie 100% and we'd love you to do the same, Butlers customers can add an optional £3 donation to their bill and we will match all customer donations this weekend up to a total of £100! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ro sie-shrimplin1

The William Morris Gallery will be closed for floorboard renovation 31st Jan-20th Feb but don't worry we'll still be open in the tearoom as usual (Weds-Sun 10am-4.30pm) for a coffee-shop only service (tea/coffee/soft drinks & gorgeous cake selection!)

Lovely place to stop off for a bite to eat after a walk in the forest. Great choice of wholesome quality food. There was a constant stream of customers while we were there but the service was swift as there were plenty of staff serving and clearing up. Great coffee and desserts too.

This was my first time visiting and a group of us went for my friends surprise baby shower and the staff was very helpful and had an reserved table upstairs for us and kept asking if we needed any drinks etc...

He had a afternoon tea Buffet which was amazing food and so much of it! My friend was amazed by it all!

I would definitely recommend the Pre paid afternoon tea! It was lovely!

Nice place for refreshments after an Epping Forest stroll. Food good and tasty 😋 Staff very pleasant and a nice relaxing atmosphere.

As a location to sit and have a cup of tea is one of the best in Greater London, the outside seating area has the best views across Chingford Plain.

I have never actually eaten here as the food is far too expensive. I have had tea and coffee here many times, although equally pricey but as I said before the outside space is worth it.

The staff have always been very pleasant, but be warned this place gets really, really busy, and if you arrive at lunchtime in summer you can easily be waiting for 10 to 15 minutes at the end of a queue that stretches outside.

Expensive soft drinks.. Lots of litter in the garden...

Wasn't overly impressed. Only one vegan option so I had that. Listed as butter bean and tofu hotpot but should have been called chickpea hotpot imo. I don't eat chickpeas as they disagree with me - which they did! It had maybe 2 butterbeans and 3 tiny cubes of tofu, a couple of kidney beans and the rest were chickpeas! Also contained celery, tomato? and was topped with slices of potato. The salad was nice at first but the bottom part was drowned in oil. My napkin was placed on the plate under the dish with the hotpot and was unusable as it was also oil soaked. Think I'll bring a sandwich next time I go for a walk in the forest and just have a drink here.

Very disappointing lunch here today - huge wait for food; when the children's spaghetti arrived it was frankly disgusting, not tuna meatballs as promised or described on the menu but tuna mush mixed with spaghetti. They also disliked their rocky road cake because it was full of nuts (when has Rocky Road ever had nuts in it - in addition there was no nut warning, not great for anyone with a nut allergy!) and my earl grey tea was frankly, tasteless - so weak, I might as well have had just hot water and milk. Had to request/remind them of my tea order twice and finally went to fetch it myself. After paying almost £20 and waiting so long I was hugely disappointed. Will not be returning or recommending.

Terrible, rude service. The brownie was lovely but I can't tell you whether the coffee is any good because it never arrived. When I queried why it hadn't arrived I was told that the waitress couldn't find me (even though I was sitting exactly where I said I would be, with the numbered spoon on the table in front of me - I even asked the waitress whether she was looking for me when she was walking around with a single coffee but she said "No").

Apparently it was my fault the waitress couldn't see the number. No apology but at least I did get my money back.

Shame on the staff at Butler's Retreat! I am 8 months pregnant and diabetic and went there to have lunch with my family. I asked for something to eat that did not contain carbs (like an egg or some bacon) and they refused to serve it claiming it was not part of the lunch menu but only served until 11.30am. In the end I watched my family have their lunch of pasta while I was drinking a cup of tea and starving. The staff did their best to be unhelpful and I am speechless!