Caper (formerly Thistledown Café)

Caper is the new name for Thistledown Café. We will be at Thistledown Farm until the end of February 2022 and then we will be closing permanently in that location, but we will continue trading elsewhere under the name Caper. We had expected to secure a long term lease to operate at Thistledown for the next 7 years but this hasn't been granted. As part of the closure we have sold our half of Thistledown Campsite and our rights to use the name - hence the change! We are incredibly sad to have to close, especially after not just surviving but thriving throughout the pandemic, and have really enjoyed our time in the café. We'll be taking a little break after closure, but there are some exciting projects on the horizon - join the mailing list or follow on social media for updates. Please get in touch if you're interested in pop-ups, event catering, wholesale cakes, takeaway, investing in a venue, consultancy or anything else! Our food is made from scratch wherever possible. We make all of our own cakes, yoghurts, soft cheeses, spice blends, jams & preserves, marinades, ferments, pickles and more. We like to cook over fire as much as possible, with a barbecue and clay oven that we made ourselves in the current venue. Our menu is usually equal parts vegan, vegetarian and meat (local and free range). Our food is an eclectic blend of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines with an emphasis on processes and big flavours! We believe that food should be fun and celebratory, and whilst we sometimes get quite obsessed with details we never take ourselves or our food too seriously! This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Judy Hemmons
5 Star
So sad you're not able to continue at Thistledown. You do the best food in the area... by a country mile! Great service too. I'll be following you to wherever you land next.. I trust it will be an equally fabulous venue, to match the quality and flavour of your food.
Tuesday 22nd February 2022

Nigel Hobday
4 Star
What a lovely site this is - really nice Cafe overlooking the valley with benches & table in and outside. A quite interesting menu for brunch and other meals and an on-site Pizza Oven for Friday & Saturday meals. Will certainly return. Unfortunately, the Cafe will close on 27th Feb 2022. The website contains more details of what will follow.
Wednesday 16th February 2022

Alfie Elkins
3 Star
We have visited Thistledown on various occasions, all of which have been above average and an enjoyable experience, so you may ask why only three stars, the reason for this is as follows: On our first visit we arrived well before the advertised closing time in the hope to order some hot food, however upon arrival this was not possible due to being told the kitchen closes 30min before the presented time. This wouldn't of been an issue if it weren't for the waitress clearly knowing the other customer who arrived at the exact same time as us being able to order but we were refused. Even with the comment made, we have made further visits to the cafe, all have been ok but nothing to shout from the rooftops about.
Saturday 30th October 2021

Roy Doyle
5 Star
It’s a real shame this place is having to close soon - the food is truly outstanding. Always busy, which speaks volumes. I hope they manage to find a suitable alternative venue and keep going 🤞🤞🤞
Sunday 13th February 2022

Lauren Deakin
5 Star
Delicious food! Great service and beautiful setting. Rice bowl was so yummy!
Sunday 30th January 2022