Orange Coffee House, Knutsford

I've lived in Knusford for 15 years and the arrival of the Orange Coffee House has been one of my favourite events. 

The town has a marvellous choice of coffee shops, but until now there was nowhere cosy and comfy where you could settle with a pot of tea and a cake and mull over your day with a friend, discuss business with a client or just plain escape from life for a short while.


The Orange Coffee House offers a welcome haven on chilly days and a calm port in a storm for everybody from girly chatterboxes to zen-like pensioners.  If you're one of those people who simply yearn for a decent cuppa and a slice of something naughty - you've found it here.  The coffee is excellent too, all Fair Trade and carefully made.

I have, purely in the interests of providing a full and fair review of course, taste tested a wide selection of their home-made cakes, and all have been wonderful.  I keep going back to the scones though - deep and thick and full of fruit, laden with butter and jam (and cream if you like it), they're a real treat.  My only suggestion would be to find someone local to provide a better class of jam.  It's a bit erratic in its consistency - the last lot was positively rubbery.   My coeliac friend raves about the orange and polenta cake and the lemon drizzle is certainly worth a delve into too.  Their cakes are all displayed under great glass domes, just as you enter the shop, allowing you to make your selection based on more than a menu description alone.

As you'd expect, the menu extends beyond coffee and cake and the lunchtime offering is extensive and interesting.  I sat and watched a table of four take almost 25 minutes deciding upon their choices last week, all the time advised and encouraged by a tremendously patient member of staff, who really upped the ante when she pointed out that they could all order a glass of wine too; a positive flurry of excitement ensued!

On Sundays the Orange Coffee House offers a jazz brunch; live jazz singers and musicians from 11am till 3pm.  They encourage you to enjoy brunch, lunch or simply an afternoon tea and relax to the sounds of live music.  I've not experienced this, it sounds like something I'd have enjoyed BC (Before Children) though!

Knutsford has a great reputation for its collection of bars and restaurants and The Orange Coffee House fits in perfectly in terms of quality and atmosphere.  Happy Days!

Orange Coffee House,
3 Princesss Street,
Knutsford, WA16 6BY