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Extra Mile Books is a Bristol-based independent publisher. Need a gift for a foodie? Shop books now. Out now!

Home of #1 best-selling guides to British farm shops, independent cafés, coastal cafés, and memorable spots to eat near motorway and main-road junctions. http://www.centralbooks.com/extra-mile-the.html

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The journey is part of the adventure. Unless of course that journey involves soulless, expensive motorway service stations, bland food, restless children and a six-mile tailback. Motorway

services are boring – motorways are boring – but they’re a necessary and convenient evil when you need to break the journey, especially when travelling with kids and pets. The Extra Mile is an easy-to-navigate guide highlighting the best places to pause - within easy reach of arterial routes - for a more enjoyable and rewarding break. For us, that means good-quality local food from makers and growers, space for children and pets to let off steam, and attractive surroundings no more than 15 minutes’ drive from a junction. Eating and resting better and supporting local businesses without adding much to overall journey time.

26/09/2025

If you're in the area to visit the impressive land sculpture at Northumberlandia or the market town of Morpeth, pop into this super farm shop and café. It is largely supplied by the family farm, where home-grown is the buzzword. “If we don’t produce it we know someone local who does,” says farmer Ian. The shop is stocked with Northumberland produce, from cheeses, jams, fresh bread and farmhouse cakes to home-reared meat. The sausages are excellent; collect a cool box to take some on your trip.

The coffee shop serves honest, home-cooked breakfasts, pies of the day and fresh sandwiches. Kids' lunch boxes are available, and children love the play area with its sandpit, ride-on tractors and visitable animals. Catch Ian at the right time and you might even be able to feed the animals or look for some eggs.

If in a rush, order ahead and your groceries will be ready for you. EV chargers at the local fuel station make this a great place to fill up while you recharge. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor courtyard seating area.

😀 Moorhouse Farm Shop is one of the fab, independent places to eat in THE EXTRA MILE: DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO MOTORWAY SERVICES. Buy your copy there or, if they’re out of stock, visit https://theextramile.guide/shop/ today. (It’s also available via the usual suspects online.) 😀

24/09/2025

Legend has it that the Vikings landed on Portland when they first washed up on British shores. The Romans used it as a naval lookout, the Tudors built Portland Castle as a strategic sea defence, and the Spanish Armada battled in the waters just beyond. For a small peninsula, Portland packs a big historic punch. Today, it is
known for its excellent climbing routes, soaring lighthouse and the great, stretching arm of Chesil beach.

Guarding the entrance to the island is The Beehive, a great warehouse of a coffee
shop and bakery. It plies customers with flaky pastries, sausage rolls (made here with locally reared pork) and deep-dish cookies, served with smooth coffee and a smile. Dogs are treated as well as their owners. Don’t miss the traditional Portland dough buns: delicious little cakes that are complemented perfectly with a rich, Belgian hot chocolate.

😀 The Beehive is one of the awesome places in THE COASTAL CAFÉ GUIDE, which you can buy there, or from https://theextramile.guide/shop/, as well as your favourite online retailers. 😀

photos (c)

22/09/2025

At the Cotswolds’ northern fringe, Todenham Manor Farm is blessed with all the views. Soak them up from Herd Café’s safari tent, which is plied with moreish meals, cakes, and brownies. Its popularity with cyclists and horse-riders attests to the deliciousness: the Barefoot Bakery cakes and doughnuts are worth the walk or hack over. As this is a livestock farm, Todenham’s butchery is a big draw.

Animals are lovingly reared in an environment that nurtures the wider ecosystem. Flora and fauna are welcome guests in the ponds and banks of wild land that flourish among the pastures, and you might see the piggies and black Aberdeen Angus cows out in the fields. The meat is as good as Alfonso’s gelato, and you can buy it all to take home, from groceries and cold meats to crackers, dips, and veggies.

😀 Todenham Manor is one of the many places featured in THE FARM SHOP GUIDE. Grab your copy there or online at https://theextramile.guide/shop/, or your usual online bookshop. 😀

20/09/2025

If you prefer a chat-fuelled chow down to a formal meal, beeline for Bootleggers in Hopeman with its lush hanging baskets, wood panelling and wave mosaics. The epic views over the Moray Firth alone are worth the slight swing off the A96.

Owner Ruth thinks that food should be fun, admired and shared. Her approach is more 'family feast' than formal, and live music often accompanies the eating. Your wood-smoked food will land in the middle of the table ready to share. Think Shetland mussels and grass-fed beef steak, or sweet and smoky chicken with a local heritage tomato salad followed by lime cheesecake. The in-house Salty Dog Gin is distilled up the road in Forres.

Much of the fish is landed in Burghead - stroll the coast trail in search of caves, sea stacks, sandy beaches and Moray's famed dolphins or watch the lobster folk hauling their creels in the bay. Book ahead in winter as tables inside are in demand. Dogs are welcome outside and in the bar area.

😀Bootleggers is one of the fab, independent places to eat IN THE EXTRA MILE: DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO MOTORWAY SERVICES. Buy your copy there or, if they’re out of stock, visit https://theextramile.guide/shop/ today. (It’s also available via the usual suspects online.) 🌞

18/09/2025

Bright, cheery and strung with rainbow bunting, Duke Street Café in Cornwall's Newlyn is the quintessential village café. Its blue-panelled counter is piled high with tempting treats, encouraging you to linger over coffee.

Newlyn, a staging post on the coast path between Mousehole and Penzance, is also worth a visit for its boutiques and vibrant art galleries. Stamp off your boots and head inside to refuel on a hearty cooked breakfast or a slice of Duke Street’s incredible raspberry and pistachio cake (often fresh from the oven).

Local provenance means a lot here so you’ll get a real taste of Cornwall: most ingredients come from within a five-mile radius. Duke Street is at the heart of a traditional Cornish fishing village so the seafood is as fresh as it gets. The platter is predictably (but rightfully) recommended.

😀Duke Street Cafe is one of the awesome places IN THE COASTAL CAFÉ GUIDE, which you can buy there, or from https://theextramile.guide/shop/, as well as your favourite online retailers.😀

16/09/2025

A riot of Norfolk flavours awaits you at Hirst’s Farm Shop & Cafe. Having farmed here for four generations, the Hirst family took the plunge in 2021 and transformed a cattle shed into a local food hub, stuffing it to the gunwales with organic fruit and veg, lamb and beef from the farm, and home-cooked pies.

The fishmongers peddle seafood treats, from Cromer’s famous crab to cockles and samphire. Head to the café – whose window overlooks the cattle shed so the curious can keep an eye on the action – for crayfish sandwiches, crisp whitebait, and halloumi fries, all made with shop ingredients.

It is ideal for warming up after a trip to spot seal pups at Horsey. There’s fun for all the family, and dog-friendly walks circuit the farm. The separate Hirsty’s fun park is nearby for adventures galore (tractor ride pictured).

Hirst's is one of the many places featured in THE FARM SHOP GUIDE. Grab your copy there or online at https://theextramile.guide/shop/, or your usual online bookshop.

14/09/2025

We first met James and Nina when they'd just refurbished the Black Bull Inn at Sedbergh. With their singular imagination and enthusiasm, they fully transformed an empty, unloved building into a smart, vibrant and easy-going inn with rooms.

Since then they have won multiple accolades, and Nina has guested on the BBC's Great British Menu.

Provenance really matters here. James and Nina support local farmers and artisans wherever they can, from the Herdwick lamb served in the restaurant to the treats (soaps etc.) in their guest rooms and the wool in the soft furnishings. Nina's inventive seasonal menus show off the surrounding landscape and are a happy collision of two very different cultures: Nina’s rich Japanese heritage and James’s Dales upbringing.

Sedbergh is lush too. Not content with being England's official Book Town (even the bus shelter has a good selection), the market town of Sedbergh also has diverting antique shops, a weekly farmers' market and perfect pit-stops like The Black Bull Inn.

[Name of venue] is one of the fab, independent places to eat IN THE EXTRA MILE: DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO MOTORWAY SERVICES. Buy your copy there or, if they’re out of stock, visit https://theextramile.guide/shop/ today. (It’s also available via the usual suspects online.)

12/09/2025

Coffee and a crew cut, anyone? Sue and Steve swapped high stakes for nice cakes upon leaving city jobs to run this social hub of a café. Sue says, ”We love being part of the local community. Its fantastic independent scene has so much to offer, including Clevedon’s renowned Curzon cinema.” Find them on Hill Road (the town’s core of indie shops), a pebble’s punt from the beach and Victorian pier.

The fruit and sticky ginger cakes follow family recipes – nostalgia alert – and coffee and teas are Fairtrade. There’s a lot of soul and a surprising amount of interesting objects crammed in here.

Chat to friendly locals who’ll nudge you towards Marine Lake swims, Poets’ Walk
strolls, and ambles along Betjeman’s ‘most beautiful pier in England’.

67 BARISTA BARBER one of the many awesome places IN THE COASTAL CAFÉ GUIDE, which you can buy there, or from https://theextramile.guide/shop/, as well as your favourite online retailers.

10/09/2025

Amid the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is the gloriously, unspoilt Penpont. Their farm shop is part of a small estate that has been in one family since 1665. As part of an extensive restoration project by the current custodians, the walled garden has regained its glory and is now a productive, fully organic kitchen garden.

The beds and glasshouses provide herbs, vegetables, and cut-flowers, while the regenerative farm provides beef, lamb, honey, and juices. Open in rhythm with the seasons, you can visit between mid-June and Christmas.

The books in its Adfyw Land Library tell the story of the land, and Penpont also runs youth and education projects. At the campsite: “gather by fireside and feast together, glimpse kingfisher and otter, and wander beneath ancient trees,” they say. We’re in! The enticing new sauna gets our vote too.

PENPONT FARM SHOP IS FEATURED IN THE FARM SHOP GUIDE. Grab your copy there or online at https://theextramile.guide/shop/, or your usual online bookshop.

08/09/2025

From humble beginnings, this multi award-winning organic farm shop, deli and butchery now fills the old stable block with over 2,000 organic products, leading the way in countryside stewardship, conservation and diversification.

The café has been replaced with a fabulous larger farm shop and deli. You'll find hot and cold drinks, sausage rolls, plentiful pies and pastries, soups, salads galore and goodies to help you assemble a picnic if heading west into the North Pennines AONB. Meals such as chicken casserole can be potted up to go or polished off in the garden, which has ample seating. Pop a slice of cake in the glovebox for later.

Aberdeen Angus beef plus lamb, chicken and speciality pork are fresh from the family’s 300 acres and miles of new hedges make the farm a wildlife haven - look out for skylarks and barn owls. Visit Piercebridge Roman Bridge before making tracks. The river has since changed course so the ruins now lie high and dry in a local field.

PIERCEBRIDGE FARM SHOP IS ONE OF THE FAB, INDEPENDENT PLACES TO EAT IN THE EXTRA MILE: DELICIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO MOTORWAY SERVICES. Buy your copy there or, if they’re out of stock, visit https://theextramile.guide/shop/ today. (It’s also available via the usual suspects online.)

06/09/2025

The Swellies is in a listed, stone-built marina on the Wales Coastal Path: a route hugging the coast between Menai Bridge and Caernarfon Castle. This café-on-the-quay’s winning waterside location is matched by its culinary creativity. Specials like pork katsu curry and slow-cooked beef brisket with Swiss cheese baguettes (with dipping gravy) keep the visitors smiling, and the coffees are well made.

But it is brunch that makes the real waves here. The full breakfast bap made Instagram fall over and the pomegranate fruit bowl makes healthy eating look positively fun. Swellies’ smoked bacon bagels, exotic fruit kebabs, and Welsh steak and eggs also get our vote. Drop in before hitting the Bangor-Caernarfon cycle route, or end an Anglesey trip with a live music, comedy, or pizza evening.

THE SWELLIES IS FEATURED IN THE COASTAL CAFÉ GUIDE, which you can buy there, or from https://theextramile.guide/shop/, as well as your favourite online retailers.

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http://www.theextramile.guide/

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