Everything the owners of The Newt touch seems to turn into something beautiful, and The Creamery Station Café in Castle Cary is no exception. It’s another architectural masterpiece, where the building’s Somerset cheese-making heritage has been lovingly preserved while giving it a stylish new lease of life for the 21st century.
Situated right beside the railway line at Castle Cary train station, this former 1912 milk factory has been thoughtfully restored into a unique trackside café, restaurant, farm shop, and working creamery. With a nod to its rich past, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the early 1900s as you take the tiled stairs down into the cosy, atmospheric café and restaurant. Retro hand painted posters line the red-brick walls, setting the scene of an old train station, right before you spot the leather carriage-style seats that form snug dining booths.
It’s a wonderful place to visit before catching your train to London or Cornwall, or even just to rock up with friends as we did. And unlike The Newt, The Creamery isn’t for members only. Here everyone is welcome… even if it has ruffled a few local feathers!
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A Cafe With Retro Train Station Charm
Think retro train station vibes from the Golden Age of Travel, perfectly blended with modern touches for an overall eclectic design, and you’ll have a pretty good picture of what to expect at The Creamery Station Café in Castle cary. It’s full of character and charm, yet still polished with those nice modern contemporary details. My favourite kind of juxtaposition between old and new. And I’m here for every ounce of it.
Inside The Creamery station cafe you’ll find deep red brick walls, tanned leather train carriage style booths you can sink into, black Crittall doors, curved Victorian brick archways and glossy subway tiles that wrap around the bar in the same green tone as The Great Western Railway logo. The slanted roof with illuminated exposed wooden rafters adds a warm industrial feel, but in a sophisticated way. It’s beautifully designed and unmistakably “Newt” in style (if you’ve visited The Newt you’ll know exactly what I mean) but it’s something the owners, Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos do incredibly well.
We visited in the evening when the cafe was softly lit with hurricane lamp style LED table lights, and warm accent lighting. Whilst the working creamery next door was illumined too, and could be seen through the large glass walls and archways. If you visit during the day, you’ll be able to see the cheesemakers dressed head-to-toe in white, crafting cheese from the Newt’s very own Buffalo milk. I love that they have kept this element of the buildings history alive. Although the machinery has been replaced with modern equivalents, its exactly what this building was built to do in 1912. Back then local Somerset farmers would deliver churns of milk here to be turned into cheese, then it would be loaded onto the trains out the front and delivered to the London markets.
I loved the cluster of dangling glass milk bottles near the open kitchen, like some artsy-abstract chandelier paying homage to the buildings past. And theres also the amazing four-sided fireplace that takes centre stage soaring up through the towering factory chimney stack that protrudes into the skyline. It wasn’t lit when we visited, but I can imagine it’s magical in the winter.
Overall, it’s a beautiful restaurant that feels fancy without being traditionally fancy. If you know what I mean! It’s more boutique than formal.
What’s The Food Menu Like at The Creamery?
The menu at The Creamery is admittedly small, but what they do offer is absolutely delicious. Plus it’s all created using produce from The Newt’s own gardens and butchery, so I would imagine its the sort of menu that gets switched up frequently to work with seasonal produce.
We all ended up going for The Creamery’s smash burger, which was juicy and seasoned to perfection. It came with a side of crunchy coleslaw and fries, which were crisp on the outside, nicely salted and wonderfully fluffy on the inside. Exactly how fries should be!
Other dishes were available too like steak, smoked haddock chowder, roasted pumpkin and mushroom burger.
As for desserts there’s a small selection of puddings along with several flavours of creamy buffalo milk gelato. Three of us chose the milk and honey gelato, while James ordered the chocolate choux buns that were stuffed with vanilla Hangop (a traditional Dutch dessert) which were incredible. Although my gelato was sweet and delicious, I’m actually a little sad that I didn’t order the same as James! Thankfully he’s the best sort of fiance who shares his food with me!
There’s also the option to book an extra special afternoon tea, which you can enjoy on board The Maid of Somerset, a traditional pullman carriage thats now parked in The Creamery’s garden. This needs to be pre-booked, so if that sort of thing tickles your fancy, you can prebook here.
Drinks Menu – Wine, Cocktails and Somerset Cyders
You might not recognise any of the alcoholic drinks on the menu, and none of which are on tap. Instead, everything is served in tall glass bottles and was either produced at The Newt, or at their sister estate in South Africa, called Babylonstoren.
They have a selection of Babylonstoren wines (the prices might make your eyes water) cocktails (I had a mimosa) beers and ciders, or cyders as they call it, which came in sweet, medium or dry varieties.
There’s also a great range of hot drinks available from the sleek barista coffee bar, so you can enjoy a nice warming cup of tea or coffee.
Is The Service Good at The Creamery?
We booked a table for 6:30pm and were shown to our table right away. I was pleased to see that it was a train style booth, as I had put a special request in when booking a reservation.
Before sitting down our waitress offered to take our coats, which was nice (although we did almost take home someone else’s coat when we left. Thankfully we realised straight away and returned it to the waitress, as we could have just carried it to the car and not realised until too late) Once seated, our waitress handed us small card menu’s and let us know that there was only 1 steak left, then gave us some time to take a look at the remaining options on the menu.
10 minutes later the waitress was back to take our order, and she also explained the differences between the cyders to help us make the right decision. Service was speedy and our drinks were out 5 minutes later, with our food following behind 15 minutes after that.
Read about: The Newt in Somerset: Exclusive Gardens and Hidden Wonders
Browse The Trackside Farm Shop
As you enter The Creamery, theres a lovely farm shop upstairs on the right. Much like the farm shop at The Newt, it’s stocked with Babylonstoren wines, the Newt’s own produce and butchery cuts, along with pantry staples like nuts, sauces and jams (I highly reccomend their lemon & ginger curd) Theres also some homey bits like candles and more.
The farm shop is open Monday-Sunday from 9am-5pm. Sadly it was closed during my visit, but from the glimpses through the glass it looked every bit as beautiful as the one at The Newt.
Admire The Working Creamery in Action
Downstairs, behind a huge glass wall is the working creamery and cheese maturation racks. If you visit during the day, you can watch the cheesemakers busy in action, with a sign out front letting you know what’s being made that day. On our visit it was mozzarella, gouda and feta.
Where is The Creamery in Somerset?
The Creamery sits just steps behind Castle Cary train station platform, on the outskirts of Castle Cary in Somerset. You can walk here from the town centre, but it’s across fields rather than the roadside, as the main road isn’t safe for pedestrians.
The address is: The Creamery Station Wharf Castle Cary Somerset BA7 7PE
Do You Need to Prebook a Table?
If you want to be sure of getting a table, yes, pre-book.
We visited early at 6:30pm and it was fairly quiet, but by 7:30pm the restaurant was busier. I think you would have still managed to get a table that night, but to avoid disappointment I would pre-book if possible.
There is a grab-and-go option during the daytime, so even if you can’t get a reservation you can still pick up a coffee, sandwich, or one of their delicious looking cruffins.
The Creamery Opening Times
Evening meals or suppers as they call it are available Thursday-Saturday between 5:30-8:30pm, and I’m tempted to visit again on a Sunday for a Creamery roast dinner which is served between 12-4pm. It’s also worth knowing that children under 12 eat for £5 between 5:30-6:30pm Thursday-Sunday, and it’s also dog friendly.
Grab & Go
Monday – Friday: 7am–5pm
Saturday – Sunday: 8am–5pm
Brunch (Mon–Sat): 8:30am–3pm (Sun): 8:30am–10:30am
Lunch (Mon–Sat): 12pm–3pm All-Day Roasts (Sun): 12pm–4pm
Parking at Castle Cary Train Station
It’s a shame that theres no free car parking here for restaurant guests, instead you will need to park in the main train station carpark. We parked in the East carpark which is the larger, newer one (but you can park either side of The Creamery) It’s pay and display and i’m not sure if the ticket machine was glitching when we visited, but it was painfully slow and failed on our first attempt! Heads up, it asks for your vehicle registration, so make sure you know it otherwise you’ll be stomping back over to your car to learn it.
Best Places to Stay Near The Creamery
Castle Cary would be your closest option, closely followed by Bruton – which has become a trendy little hotspot recently, quite different from when I was a teenager. If luxury is your thing (and money is no object), you could stay at The Newt, which was voted the Best Boutique Hotel in the world in 2023.
Read about: Glastonbury Tor Walk: Revel in Somerset’s Scenic Views
Things to do Nearby
Of course, The Newt in Bruton is just down the road. Which is owned by the same owners, so you can expect the same beautiful finishes there. To visit the Newt gardens you’ll need an annual membership, as day tickets are no longer sold. If you’d like to know more, check out my article on The Newt. It’s a gorgeous place with manicured gardens, a deer park, Roman villa, grotto, and more. It’s also home to a hotel and spa, though I haven’t stayed there myself, so I can’t comment what it’s like.
Final Thoughts
The history inside these walls goes all the way back to 1912, and I’m so glad the building was restored to continue its journey, instead of being knocked down for a modern structure instead. What was once an old milk factory is now a boutique cafe and restaurant for everyone to enjoy. Whether it’s a quick coffee and pastry to grab and go before catching your train, or time to sit and enjoy a delicious meal in a gorgeous surrounding. We really enjoyed our meal here, and think The Creamery is well worth a visit. I’m excited to return, hopefully for a roast dinner next time.
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