We stumbled across a countryside treat off the beaten track.

Eastern Daily Press: Quiche at Creake Abbey Cafe. Photo: Emily Revell.Quiche at Creake Abbey Cafe. Photo: Emily Revell. (Image: Emily Revell.)

Food

Creake Abbey Cafe reminds me of the kind of place my mother, grandmother and I used to go when I was a child. Although it has something more to it than one might expect - I was not only surprised at the volume of dishes but their fresh take on cafe favourites - you'd be forgiven for thinking Creake Abbey Cafe would be serving basic jacket potatoes and mediocre cheese scones, but boy would you be wrong. The two soups on offer that day demonstrate Creake Abbey's originality - both exciting and inviting - sweet potato, chilli and coconut or courgette and brie.

MORE: The Dining Rooms, Norwich, restaurant review: 'The new menu is heaven'I could not resist having (and I am in no way proud) the cheese platter - all to myself. It was huge, and we had a fellow customer come up to our table in awe to tell us how much she wished she had ordered it too. It was made up of five extremely generous wedges of artisinal cheese, fig relish, olives and fresh bread. The cheese arrived with little flags in indicating what they were - a very nice touch.

The La Tur was new to me and is now top of my list, slightly melted it was full-flavoured, explosive and pungent - but in a good way. The Norfolk White Lady very enjoyable but through no fault of its own one of the weaker on the board; a gorgeous cheese but very mild compared to the La Tur. The Westcombe Cheddar was exceptional, ripe and robust - complementing the fig relish flawlessly. The Colston Bassett was earthy and sharp yet maintained a creamy texture. I'm not a cheese expert, but I can safely say this is one of the best boards I've had. Extra bread was brought out straight away and there was enough to accompany the majority of the cheese - rarely happens elsewhere.

Eastern Daily Press: View at Creake Abbey cafe. Photo: Emily Revell.View at Creake Abbey cafe. Photo: Emily Revell. (Image: Emily Revell.)

MORE: The Golden Fleece, Wells-next-the-Sea, restaurant review: 'More than worth the wait'My mum went for the butternut squash and goats' cheese quiche, served with a Moroccan chickpea salad. I'm not a huge fan of quiche and wouldn't order one but this was divine and I was slightly envious. It didn't taste of egg at all andwas creamy and light. The butternut squash was strong and bold, balanced with a delicate note of soft goats' cheese. The pastry was flakey and creamy.

Drink

Your basic cafe selection plus wine! It was early in the day so we had coffee and sparkling water.

Ambience

Eastern Daily Press: Cannoli Creake Abbey Farmshop. Photo: Emily Revell.Cannoli Creake Abbey Farmshop. Photo: Emily Revell. (Image: Emily Revell.)

Inside is large and open with high ceilings. There is plenty of seating both inside and outside, taking in spectacular views of the countryside. The cafe is offset from the farmshop filled with local produce - including homemade pistachio filled cannoli! They have monthly Saturday farmers' markets and it's the perfect place to idle away a few hours.

Loos

Nice and clean.

MORE: The Black Horse, Norwich, restaurant review: 'This place needs to be raved about'Parking

Eastern Daily Press: Specials Board at Creake Abbey Cafe. Photo: Creake Abbey.Specials Board at Creake Abbey Cafe. Photo: Creake Abbey. (Image: Emily Revell.)

There was plenty of parking and we attended on a busy bank holiday with attendants to help.

Location

If you are up near Wells-next-the-Sea or Burnham Market then Creake Abbey is pretty easy to find, but for Norwich folk it's a little out of the way.

Price

The cheese platter was £11.95 and the quiche around £7. Overall it's on the steeper side for a cafe but the larger mains were no more than £12 which is more than reasonable considering the quality and quantity.

Highlight

Eating beautiful food outside in the sunshine, taking in the view.

In summary

Creake Abbey cafe is definitely worth a visit, the food was fantastic, the choice was diverse and they have a wonderful special boards. It's ideal for families that want to enjoy a hearty meal while the kids run free and for anyone looking to escape to the countryside. Oh, and they have oodles of homemade cake!

This is an independent review.

To see all of our food reviews click here.