Food review: The Creamery, Castle Cary train station

It’s Friday, the sun is shining, and I am walking the 3.5 miles to reach my nearest train station. It feels good to stretch the legs, breathe in the county’s fresh air and stop and admire the views along the way. Though hang on, as I glance at my watch, I best get a wriggle on because I’ve got a train to catch.

My final destination today is Castle Cary train station. It’s not often one looks forward to dining at a railway station, after all platforms are usually just a mecca of grab & go sandwiches and coffee on the run, but we like to do things differently here in Somerset, and today I am having lunch at the recently launched ‘The Creamery.’

The Creamery was built in 1912 and was originally owned by brothers G&C Prideaux. Known then as the ‘Milk Factory’ it was the here that local farmers would deliver their milk which would be made into cheese before being transported to London via the adjacent railway line. The buildings are a key piece of our Somerset heritage and having undergone restoration by the Newt’s innovative design team, they now celebrate our county’s rich history and instantly transport you back to the turn of the 20th century.

First things first, The Creamery is open to all. The Newt’s main hotel and gardens (a 10-minute drive away) may be membership only, but this trackside restaurant and farm shop is pitched as a new community hub for local residents, as well as a must-eat destination for travellers boarding and alighting from the London – Penzance line and Weymouth – Gloucester lines so everyone is welcome.

I’m excited to see the transformation, after all the buildings around the UK’s train stations can sometimes be a bit a little rough around the edges, but as the train pulls into Castle Cary, I can already see that the area has been ‘Newtified’. Yes, that is a new verb I’ve just created, and those familiar with the Newt’s innovative designs will know exactly what I mean – The Newt don’t hold back with their architectural renovations; the team’s attention to detail is second to none, and as the iconic red brick chimney reaches into the cloudless sky and beckons you across the brick-laid courtyard, it’s clear to see that Castle Cary train station has had a glorious Newt make over.

As you walk through the glass doors you’re faced with a decision, do you turn left and stock up on home grown produce in the farm shop, or do you turn right and make your way downstairs to the creamery and the restaurant beyond. My train home isn’t for 2.5 hours, and my belly is rumbling after my walk so I save the shopping experience for later and opt right. The stairwell is adorned with vintage pictures connected to the 1900’s era and as I make my way down each step, I can hear the nostalgic tones of classic songstresses from that time, their sultry voices transporting me back to the golden age of the Great British Railway.

The first welcome surprise is that before you even have the chance to be guided to a table, you can pause for a moment and see the working creamery in action. Master Cheesemaker, Margaretha Van Dam and her team, decked out top to toe in white are at work, showcasing their passion for artisanal cheesemaking. A blackboard tells me that today they are making Gouda which is not a surprise considering Margaretha’s Dutch heritage. The Newt’s long-term aim is to create a ‘House of Cheese’ and with cheese-making courses also on offer for the future, the Newt’s ethos of ‘presenting something beautiful, and then helping you to create it yourself’ is attained.

I’m shown to my table, leather carriage-style booth seating setting the restaurant stage which is further adorned with a chandelier of milk bottles, wooden pails and industrial pulley system detailing. The vibe plays on the industrial heritage of the building but feels welcoming and with glass doors leading out to a garden with further seating, it’s clear The Creamery is very much a year-round destination.

On to lunch. The menu makes its introduction ‘Welcome to The Creamery, a new dairy and restaurant serving hearty British food and a range of traditional soft cheese and yoghurt using fresh milk from the estates herd of water buffalo.’ How glorious for us all that the fields around Castle Cary and Bruton will be graced by the sighting of a 200 strong herd. Field to fork at its finest and it doesn’t take me long to opt for the Buffalo Set Menu where £29 will see three-courses of buffalious splendour delivered to my seat.

For starters, you are treated to a whole buffalo mozzarella freshly made by Margaretha a few metres away in the creamery. You can’t get any fresher than that and combined with olive oil from the Newt’s sister estate Babylonstoren in South Africa, and lemon zest from the Newt’s own lemons, you get that overwhelming urge to shrink yourself to the size of a Borrower and have a refreshing dip in your bowl. Next up, we have a Buffalo smash burger accompanied with Gouda (yes you guessed it, from the creamery) estate gherkin, tomato and slaw all grown and made here in Somerset. There’s fries on the side too but I’m already starting to get full so as crisp and delicious as they are I gorge on the tender buffalo burger and leave space for the finale – Buffalo Hangop. Hang on, Hangop? I quiz my attentive waiter who tells me that ‘its Dutch. It’s a type of strained yoghurt which results in a thicker consistency.’ Served with Somerset strawberries, berry compote and oat crumble the combined impression is a type of deconstructed chilled crumble and, it is absolutely sublime.

With an hour or so before my return train arrives, I waddle myself upstairs and head for the farm shop. To say I am full is an understatement and I even text my partner to say there’s one less for dinner this evening. They say never go food shopping when you’re hungry, well on the flip side, I’m afraid I didn’t do the farm shop justice at all as I was so stuffed from lunch. Had I turned left when I first arrived I am sure my tote bag would be filled with Hadspen House sausages, Goat’s cheese and pea tarts, a bounty of salted butter and yoghurt made on site, and even a bottle or two of Babylonstoren wine, but as it is all I want to do right now is sit down!

I head back to the gardens and find a quiet seat which overlooks the lawn and the pond. It’s quite the suntrap making it the perfect place to sit and enjoy a book whilst waiting for one’s train to arrive. As I admire the custom made wrought-iron gates (featuring a train and a cheesemaker), the mini railway track bed, and the well-stocked flowerbeds, I realise that I am, just like my surroundings, well and truly Newtified.

Good to Know:

Opening Times

Mon & Tues 12pm-3pm

Weds- Friday 12pm – 10pm

Saturday 8am – 10pm

Sunday 8am – 3pm

Travel there by train

London Paddington – Castle Cary

Bristol – Castle Cary

Exeter – Castle Cary

Weymouth – Castle Cary

Parking