Ginger beer and banana cake at the Bivouac Cafe near Masham
Hidden near the folly of Druids Temple just outside Masham, Bivouac Cafe looks as if it’s straight from the pages of Living Etc – all eclectic tables, painted chairs, vintage cabinets and some very cool installation lighting recycled from old bits of agricultural machinery. It’s exactly how I’d like my house to look (if I lived in a massive barn).
Upstairs is a cosy mezzanine level with a wood burning stove, board games, books and a piano (with Alice in Wonderland style label, saying ‘Play me’), but for me, the best place has to be the family den downstairs. Complete with small table for children, a fantastic apothecary chest filled with train tracks, puzzles and all manner of fabulous things to keep the ankle biters entertained, the den is a great place for me to enjoy an enormous latte and a chapter of my book, safe in the knowledge that the kids aren’t disturbing anyone.
The food is delicious and seasonal; lots of scrumptious looking cakes (the banana cake is particularly good) and a selection of lovely pates, salads, tarts and burgers. The bar serves microbrewery beer. I can highly recommend the ginger beer, so good that, much to his disappointment, I stole half my husband’s pint.