Katherine MacAlister enjoys healthy food that tastes good at the hallowed organic farm-shop cafe

Peering between the farm buildings we were totally at a loss as to where to go.

I’d followed the Sat Nav directions which took me up through Bladon and then left through Cassington, into Worton, and guessed that the large farm/business park, was where the hallowed organic farm-shop cafe might be. But then the trail went cold. Eventually a farm worker took pity on me and directed me between two huge corrugated farm buildings, where, in the distance, we could see a large shed with smoke billowing from its chimney.

In the bleak mid-winter the farm wasn’t a pretty sight, all the produce dead and bare, the grey earth waiting for spring to come and invigorate its growth, transformed I’m sure in the upcoming months into a kaleidoscope of colour.

As we neared, I realised that the shed was actually a beautiful little clapper-boarded wooden building, painted a tasteful shade of grey, and inside an Aladdin's cave of deliciousness, piled high with weird and wonderful vegetables and enticing looking breads, cheeses, jams and pickles, that stirred my seasonal inertia.

At the back of the shop was a door leading through into a tiny cafe which smelled divine, a mystic blend of herbs and spices hitting you as soon as you walked in. There were no menus, but a blackboard on the wall announced the day’s dishes.

As the chefs include Slovakian and Japanese, the food is reliably eclectic and judging by the farmer who appeared, all twinkly eyes, woolly hat and wellies, the place is utterly eccentric. Crammed with cookbooks, wooden tables, plants and customers, the cafe is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes and almost always fully booked. They never advertise, and their fame and fortune is based purely on word-of-mouth, and yet people flock here in their droves. We were there early and nabbed the only available table by the skin of our teeth, because throughout our lunch people were continually turned away.

There were four lunch specials – a smoked haddock and sweetcorn chowder, a very Scandinavian potato, dill, beetroot and sprat platter with rye bread, spaghetti vongole and a warm roast vegetable salad with seeds, nuts and herbs, all for £8.50.

As anticipated, the food was as unexpected as we’d hoped, the organic shop’s produce providing the main staples, the fish having arrived from Cornwall that morning. The chowder was out of this world, complete with delicious chunks of fish and sliced boiled eggs floating in a fragrant thick broth. The veg salad was another eye-opener, the dressing having a really distinctive tang to it that I couldn’t place. When I asked I discovered that the vinaigrette was made using a raspberry vinegar bottled onsite. And that’s the difference here, not just that everything tastes so good, or that the produce is mainly home-grown, but because they go that extra mile to make everything as authentic as possible. It’s simple food done properly.

For dessert the banana bavarois (£3.50) sounded too good to miss and came in a small glass, like a mousse.

The bill for two came to £31.50 including tea, although the cafe has a licence if you fancy a glass of wine with your meal, and the price included a loaf of bread from the farm shop (I defy anyone to leave without purchasing some of the delicious produce on offer). Add in the pop-up dinners/concerts in its greenhouses and I’ll be back as often as possible. Healthy food that tastes good, how about that!

Worton Organic Garden, Worton, Oxfordshire.
wortonorganicgarden.com/cafe.html