Northney Farm Tea Rooms have finally put Hayling Island on the culinary map. Small but perfectly formed, the tea rooms are definitely worth a detour if you are holidaying on Hayling or passing through for any other reason.

On our visit, I had perfectly cooked bacon, eggs and mushrooms with an exceptional flat white. I couldn’t fault either. To make it even better, all of the produce served at Northney is sourced from within and around the Hampshire region. If you’re there for lunch, try the burgers made from award-winning Three Harbours Beef, a company that source meat from local harbours in Pagham, Chichester, Langstone and along the coastal plain. All cheese comes from Dorset based Loosehanger Farmhouse Cheeses made from milk from Ayrshire cows, like those that are resident at Northney Farm. And the coffee is courtesy of Southampton-based Mozzo, well known for their ethical practices.

We took a couple of tubs of Northney Farm’s homemade ice-cream home with us. The breadth of flavours will keep you choosing for a while. Again those Ayrshire cows have been busy – the ice-cream is made from milk of the herd that you can see roaming around the farm.

To me, the Tea Rooms are perfect for a lazy Sunday morning grazing over breakfast, whilst gazing at the beauty of the farm and the surrounding landscape. When coming from the mainland, turn left down Northney Road to find this wonderful little stop, and after you’ve had your fill continue on through the quintessentially English village of Northney (usually bypassed in favour of the direct route onto Hayling). Simply splendid.

Image courtesy of Northney Farm