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Four adults and a baby sitting at an outdoor table, with cups and cake, at the cafe at Standen House, West Sussex
Visitors sitting outside the cafe at Standen House, West Sussex | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Places to eat in Sussex

Feeling peckish? We've picked a few of our favourite tea-rooms and cafés in Surrey – tuck in to delicious meals and snacks, often handmade using local ingredients. Or if the weather's good, pack a blanket and seek out a picnic spot with a view.

Cafés and tea-rooms in Sussex

Someone slicing into a Victoria sponge cake
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Eating and shopping at Sheffield Park and Garden 

Browse in the shop and plant sales area, or stop by one of the indoor and takeaway eateries for a well-deserved rest, when you visit Sheffield Park and Garden.

Gingerbread Cake
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Eating at Nymans 

If you're after a meal or just a quick pit-stop, try our autumn menu with freshly prepared food inspired by the season. Quick snacks and delicious cakes prepared by our chefs are always popular too, especially after a walk in the woodland or garden.

Refurbished Audit Room Café at Petworth
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Eating and shopping at Petworth House and Park 

Enjoy food and drink in the historic Audit Room Café. Shop for art inspired gifts, pick up a plant to take home or browse for the perfect pre-loved book.

A table full of different types of sponge cake sliced and presented on cake stands ready to eat
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Eating and shopping at Bodiam Castle 

Enjoy food and drink with a view at Bodiam Castle. Shop for gifts or a souvenir of your visit and browse for the perfect pre-loved book.

Inside Mulberry Tea Room at Bateman's, East Sussex
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Eating and shopping at Bateman's 

Discover where to eat and shop at Bateman’s, the home of author Rudyard Kipling. Stop for a hot drink or light meal, and then browse for the perfect gift or pre-loved book.

Visitor carrying a tray of coffee and cake in the cafe at Llanerchaeron, Wales
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Eating and shopping at Birling Gap 

Find out about eating and shopping at Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters. Stop for refreshments with a view and browse for local souvenirs in the cliff-top shop.

Autumn food in the cafe
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Eating at Standen House and Garden 

Treat yourself to a seasonal meal or snack from the Barn Café at Standen House and Garden.

Perfect picnic spots in Sussex

The Rose Garden at Nymans, West Sussex, in July. The Messel Fountain seen in the centre was designed by Vivien ap Rhys Pryce, and takes the form of a bronze rose.
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Nymans 

Nymans, with romantic ruins, stone archways and tree-lined avenues, is a great place for a picnic. Stretch out on the main lawn before taking a stroll among the garden borders.

near Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Partially open today
A view of the house at Standen, West Sussex
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Standen House and Garden 

Explore the garden at Standen, then enjoy a picnic on Goose Green, or on the Rock Top walk for views of the Sussex Weald.

East Grinstead, West Sussex

Fully open today
A lake at dawn or dusk with a grand house reflected in it, surrounded by tall green reeds and trees
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Petworth 

Find your perfect spot for a picnic in the huge expanse of parkland at Petworth. Enjoy the serenity of the stately mansion and catch a glimpse of fallow deer.

Petworth, West Sussex

Fully open today
Visitors by the lake having a picnic at Sheffield Park, East Sussex
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Sheffield Park and Garden 

Pick a spot on the banks of the lakes at Sheffield Park to throw down your blanket, or head into the Sussex countryside to explore the parkland.

Uckfield, East Sussex

Fully open today
Rolling grass and trees of the estate at Bateman's, East Sussex
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Bateman's 

Escape into the countryside around Rudyard Kipling's family home, Bateman’s. Picnicking spots can be found under the rows of pleached limes on the lawn or under English oaks.

Burwash, East Sussex

Fully open today
Visitors walk around in the open-air centre of Bodiam Castle, East Sussex
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Bodiam Castle 

The gently sloping grounds around the walls of Bodiam Castle are a picnicking sweet-spot. Bring a rug and stake your claim.

near Robertsbridge, East Sussex

Fully open today

All places to eat in Sussex

    House reflected in the mill pond at Bateman's, East Sussex

    Discover more in Sussex

    Sussex is a place of iconic coastline, gardens, literary greats, rolling South Downs, vast art collections and a castle.