Tucked away in the Suffolk countryside, Thornham Walks makes for an easy, family-friendly day out. With 12 miles of well-marked woodland trails, a walled garden, independent shops, fishing lakes, a playground to keep younger visitors happy, and even an area designed around the characters from The Magic Faraway Tree, it’s a fantastic place to while away a few hours.
Conveniently located right by the main car park and next to the children’s playground is The Forge café. There’s plenty of outdoor seating for warmer days, meaning kids can burn off some energy in the play area while you wait for your order, and two cosy rooms indoors. We chose to sit in the space with the service counter, which had a charming, slightly old-fashioned tearoom feel.
The menu covers all the bases you’d expect from a café like this, with sandwiches, paninis, savoury bakes such as cheese scones and sausage rolls, plus a kids’ menu and a couple of hot food options. While we were waiting, we watched the team do a roaring trade in milkshakes and smoothies, each one made fresh to order, with the smoothies using real frozen fruit.
It was fairly busy when we visited The Forge at Thornham Walks, and that meant our food took a little while to arrive. When it did, though, my brie, bacon and cranberry panini (£8.50) was decent enough: nicely filled and served with a generous portion of crisps, along with some salad and coleslaw on the side.
The kids’ burger (£3.50) and adult double cheese and bacon burger (£9.75) were both polished off quickly and arrived piping hot, although if we’re being honest, we’ve had better quality patties for a lower price elsewhere.
The team at The Forge at Thornham Walks were clearly under pressure during our visit, which did show in a few areas. Empty tables were left uncleared for a long time, and there seemed to be a bit of confusion with order slips behind the counter. That said, the team were friendly and helpful throughout, which always goes a long way.
One thing we didn’t try was the cake, which all looked incredible displayed behind the counter. The Biscoff rocky road in particular caught our eye…
Overall, The Forge is a handy, family-friendly stop when visiting Thornham Walks. It might not be perfect during peak times, but its location, convenience and varied menu mean we’d happily return – even if only for that slice of rocky road – when we next visit.