A popular cafe in County Durham has scooped a VisitEngland award for going the extra mile when it comes to providing diners with the “very best experience” in the area.

Café Bowes which is located inside the famous Bowes Museum received the coveted Quality Food & Drink Award following its assessment as part of the Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme which celebrates excellence within the visitor attraction sector.

It's the ninth year that the scheme has been running and the cafe in Barnard Castle is the only attraction in the county to receive the food and drink accolade.

The assessor praised the museum's comfortable dining experience and ambience stating that the bespoke window seats add an element of luxury. 

The Northern Echo: Will you be visiting Café Bowes to try their tasty goods and delicious sweet treats?Will you be visiting Café Bowes to try their tasty goods and delicious sweet treats? (Image: The Bowes Museum)

Café Bowes receives VisitEngland award for food and drink

The VisitEngland judge said they thought the range of food was excellent and served in good time to a high standard, with hot flavoursome coffee, very fresh scones, delicious cottage pie with a generous portion of extremely tender beef, moist and tasty cakes and that the offering in Café Bowes suited the grandeur of The Bowes Museum's building.

David Nicholls, enterprises manager at The Bowes Museum, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Café Bowes has been recognised by VisitEngland for its fantastic quality food and drink. 

“We have a great catering team who are passionate about what they do and our chefs work with amazing quality produce from lots of local suppliers. 

“The seasonality and provenance of the menu is very important to us.”

On Tripadvisor, Café Bowes is also highly praised with a current rating of 4/5 out of 369 reviews.

One visitor said: “The quality of the food and service is second to none. There’s a good choice of food for everyone, including vegans.

“We had a light lunch of delicious spicy parsnip soup served with a warm roll and butter, but there were many substantial meals available as well as cakes, sandwiches and afternoon tea. Would definitely recommend. You don’t need to pay to go into the museum if you don’t want to, entrance to the cafe is free.”

Another commented: “Lovely cafe in Bowes Museum. Enjoyed drinks and ice cream on our visit. Friendly staff. Good cake selection with gluten-free options.”

When is Café Bowes inside The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle open?

Café Bowes is open from 10am to 5pm, with last orders taken at 4.20pm. Entry to Café Bowes is free.