Help Our Hospitality: ‘Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken,’ says owner of rustic country park cafe in Northampton

Looking to the future of his business in this week’s Help Our Hospitality campaign coverage, the owner of a country park cafe in Northampton is sticking with the motto “don’t fix it if it isn’t broken”.

The Drovers Return Cafe, located in Hunsbury Hill Country Park, is open every day from 9am until 3.30pm come rain or shine – except Christmas Day.

The cafe was first opened by owner Colin Ingle in July 2011, and the business recently surpassed its 12th anniversary.

The building was a former toilet block and, ahead of taking it on as a project of his own, Colin ran a mobile cafe across the town.

As he liked DIY, Colin took on the challenge of turning the building into a community cafe – as there was a lack of hospitality venues on offer to the Hunsbury community and local people wanted somewhere to visit.

When asked to describe the venue, Colin said: “A casual and rustic country park cafe set in the woods.”

Having filled the gap in the area that residents were calling for, Colin says the support and reception since then has been “absolutely amazing”.

Colin shared that there are groups that have visited most weeks since the cafe first opened, and some regulars visit as many as six times a week.

From breakfasts, sandwiches, toasties and bigger meals like jacket potatoes, to a variety of sweet treats and desserts, there is something for everyone – and at an affordable price.

The owner joked that the reason customers keep coming back for more is because there are limited options for other places to visit in the area, but then said: “It’s our fresh food at a good price.”

Colin’s proudest achievement is to have kept the business going for more than a decade and to have a base of loyal customers who “come back time and time again”.

Though the pandemic was a challenge, it was also good for The Drovers Return as a lot of venues closed but they remained open to offer takeaway orders.

People even brought camping chairs along to sit and enjoy what the cafe and country park had to offer.

Colin admits it has taken time for the cafe to get back to where it was before. However, two years down the line, the business has returned to that level of custom and the summer season remains the busiest time of year.

When asked what he would say to our readers about the importance of supporting independent hospitality venues, Colin said: “Keep supporting local businesses and we’ll be there for the community.”

Colin said that it is no secret that a lot of hospitality venues have closed, and that it has a lot to do with the fine line between making and losing money.

Moving forward, Colin plans to carry on running The Drovers Return Cafe as he always has.

He ended on the sentiment that you should not fix something if it is not broken, and that is the motto he will continue to stand by with his business.

To keep up to date with The Drovers Return Cafe, check out the business’ Facebook page here.