The Retreat Animal Rescue & Cafe

Visited with my family. Heartened to see animals being cared for and a strong emphasis on veganism. The café food was delicious too!

Genuinely lovely rescue sanctuary that helps understand more about why it's important to be kind to all animals. They have a second hand shop, food and cabins to stay in and volunteer at. The volunteers are super lovely!

What an amazing experience! I absolutely loved seeing all the happy animals, meeting Billy and the wounderful farm crew, and being able to buy delicious food products (and more!) from the shop without needing to check the labels – a little vegan paradise! The farm is full of kindness and love - you can truly see and feel it from the moment you step in Billy is truly inspiring, and the entire visit felt so uplifting and heart warming. perfectly reflecting the motto 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' I loved every single moment. highly recommend!

Highly recommend visiting this place, staff are welcoming and friendly. The charity shop has so many unusual things and reasonably priced. Plenty of animal to see and the cafe is a must visit for the food - all vegan and tastes great.

Absolutely great cafe! There's so much to choose from and it was all delicious vegan food! Really reasonable prices and so tasty.The team was all so friendly and accommodating, had some great chats with them! I couldn't recommend the place enough. It was so clean and tidy too. I can't wait to go back again

Absolutely love it here. Everyone is so friendly; animals everywhere looking very happy and well cared-for. The food and drinks in the cafe are delicious, with plenty of choice.

We traveled here after having seen overwhelmingly positive reviews on a vegan Facebook group. The car park seemed to be full but then a kind visitor informed us about the overflow carpark behind the gravel one which was helpful (but a sign would have been more helpful!) There are quite literally scores of chickens and a few ducks and geese roaming around all over the place so I would suggest anyone with bird phobias avoid here but otherwise it is nice to see them roaming so freely. There is an arts and crafts shop which sells some interesting and quite quirky or unusual artworks and the money is towards the upkeep of the animals. There are also 2 thrift/charity shops which sell quite a lot of new things (particularly clothes) as well as secondhand stuff like games/puzzles, books, bric-a-brac etc. The menu is fully vegan which was a big draw and appealed to us and the portions are very generous. The food was served piping hot and the service was welcoming and kind. We both found the "beefy" vegan patties a bit oily but the amount of chips and salad served with them more than made up for it. The prices are fair for the quantity and quality. They also serve wraps, full English breakfasts and additional sides like onion rings etc. The drinks are refrigerated and fairly priced. They furthermore sell desserts like banana splits and ice cream. They house a variety of typical farmyard animals like they have a cow that was born without one of her hooves, and loads of pigs and ponies/horses all of whom have very spacious and well-supplied enclosures/paddocks. They also have quite a lot of rescued seagulls and pigeons/doves which is quite unusual but noble and praiseworthy. The undoubted highlight for me were the cats that were just chilling and giving at a crossroads between all the paddocks and the fluffy ginger one was particularly friendly and adorable. The overall vibe of the entire place was laid-back and welcoming whilst also teaching visitors about animal rights and empathy for all beings.

I do not go here often enough and was delighted to introduce my friend to this wonderful place who shared in my joy of being there. I love that it's simple, like walking around someones back garden. It has a true sense of calm with the knowledge that all the animals: fur, feather or other are all known, loved and cared for. We stayed for lunch which was lovely and very generous portions. So generous I didn't have room for the amazing looking cakes- which means I'll have to return soon. It's a real plus for me not to have to check ingredients or ask for a special menu as it is entirely vegan. Cool little shops, loved the crafty corner and Jennings Pantry- wow! I need to visit the Retreat more, there is something very special about it where it all feels safe and comfortable. Every one smiles at you, because the ultimate message is to be kind. To all. Fur, feathers, hooves and feet. Thank you to all of you at The Retreat who do so much for the voiceless.