Your guide to the best food & drink independents in Northamptonshire

Thinking of Northamptonshire conjures up images of classic English villages built from distinctive honey-coloured ironstone. Memories of beautifully cooked food and delicious local beers may well spring to mind too, as nestled in the county’s market towns and villages are some truly excellent Northants pubs and restaurants. Led by editors Lisa (south Northants) and Anna (north Northants), Great Food Club will guide you to the best Northamptonshire restaurants, pubs, producers, delis and farm shops, with some great member offers thrown in.

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Recommended businesses in Northamptonshire

Here are the food and drink independents we love in this region and their member offers, with more coming soon…

Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

Amps Fine Wines

Since 1901, Amps Fine Wines has been introducing superlative tipples to the palates of discerning zinfandel zealots and pinot practitioners…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

ARTea Room

Located inside rural shopping village Wakefield County Courtyard in Potterspury, Northants, ARTea Room is a licenced teashop offering vintage style and a cosy atmosphere…
Farm shop in Northamptonshire

Ashley Farm Shop

The sort of proper farm shop that raises the value of neighbouring houses – a home cook’s dream…
Farm shop in Northamptonshire

Beckworth Emporium

A large food and drink emporium showcasing local suppliers, with attached cafe/restaurant and garden/gift shop. Winner of Best Northants Shop in the Great Food Club Awards…
Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

Beer Guerrilla

Beer Guerrilla in Northampton is a cracking family-run shop selling beers, lagers and ciders from around the world…
Food school & Producer in Northamptonshire

Belflair Chocolates

Only the finest natural ingredients are used in these delicious chocolates made by husband-and-wife team Stefaan and Mervi Moyaert at their Brackley (Northants) base…
Pub in Northamptonshire

Brasserie 23 at The King’s Head

A brasserie, pub and cafe in one – County Restaurant of the Year 2014/15 in the Carlsberg Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

Brewbabu

A creative and quirky independent tea and coffee specialist that offers some lovely food too…
Restaurant in Northamptonshire

Brooklyn Pizza Bar

Brooklyn Pizza Bar in Northampton does exactly what it says on the tin: serves New York-style pizzas and Brooklyn Brewery beers…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

Bulwick Village Shop & Cafe

Maker of an exquisite range of quirky preserves, from eye-wateringly hot ‘Peps’ to the joyously tangy ‘Cuban Breakfast’…
Food school in Northamptonshire

Carmela’s Kitchen

Carmela’s Kitchen of Northampton offers authentic Italian cookery classes and a monthly supper club…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

Cottingham & Middleton Village Store & Café

A volunteer-run village store and café that showcases locally produced foods, from wonderful cheeses to pleasing pies to artisan breads…
Deli/cafe & Restaurant in Northamptonshire

Delapré Abbey Orangery Café

The Conservatory Café, with its excellent lunches and Afternoon Teas, gives you another good reason to visit stunning Delapré Abbey…
Caterer in Northamptonshire

Devine Bettys Catering Co

Bespoke caterers based in Northamptonshire, focusing on creative world dishes of flair, flavour, quality and provenance…
Bakery in Northamptonshire

DonnaLulu Cooks

Donna Thomas from Thrapston, Northants, produces sweet and savoury cakes and bakes, based on traditional recipes but with an exciting twist…
Deli/cafe & Farm shop in Northamptonshire

Dovecote Farm

Dovecote Farm comprises a farm shop, restaurant, tea room and PYO area set in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside…
Pub in Lincolnshire & Northamptonshire

Exeter Arms

A beautifully restored pub with extensive, ever-changing menus and a passion for cooking with locally farmed produce…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Farrington’s Oils

A delicious range of oils, dressings and mayonnaises made from rapeseed grown on a Northamptonshire family farm…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Friars Farm

A delicious, bespoke range of jams and chutneys made in Northamptonshire using local ingredients…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Ganders Goat Gelato

A Northamptonshire farm producing low-fat, naturally flavoured and delicious goats’ milk gelato…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Gourmet Spice Co

Gourmet Spice Co was born in a Northamptonshire kitchen by obsessive foodie, Mark Hughes. Tired of a corporate life, Mark stepped away from the office in 2011 and hasn’t looked back…
Bakery in Northamptonshire

Hambleton Bakery Oundle

Crowned Britain’s Best Bakery, Hambleton Bakery traditionally produces a mouthwatering array of breads and pastries in its giant woodfired oven…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Hamm Tun Fine Foods

The producer of Cobblers Nibble, an award-winning Northamptonshire cheese made using milk from a local dairy herd…
Butcher & Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

Hartwell’s and Towbury Court Fine Foods

A traditional, family run butcher’s and deli in Northamptonshire. The butcher’s sells meat produced on Elliott’s own farm and the deli provides a large selection of handmade foods…
Food school in Northamptonshire

Hobby Cooks

A food school in the heart of Northamptonshire that offers a range of Indian cookery courses in a relaxed atmosphere…
Pub & Restaurant in Northamptonshire

Hops & Chops

As soon as you walk into Hops & Chops in Northampton you are faced with a fridge containing the most amazing large cuts of marbled meats…
Producer in Northamptonshire

I’m Real Ice Cream

Created by third-generation gelato makers, Northampton’s I’m Real combine the best of Italian tradition with modern flavours to create truly delicious gelato…
Restaurant in Northamptonshire

Karmana

Karmana in Northampton is a laid-back vegan and vegetarian restaurant and juice bar, where all food is made to order…
Bakery in Northamptonshire

King’s Cliffe Bakery

A traditional Northamptonshire village bakery, making and baking no-frills, high quality bread, rolls and cakes, as it has done for around 300 years…
Farm shop in Northamptonshire

Limes Farm

Limes Farm in Farthinghoe is a family-run Northamptonshire farm, farm shop and tearoom that focuses on traditional farming methods…
Caterer in Leicestershire & Northamptonshire

Liz Moore Cooks

From her kitchen tucked away in the countryside outside Market Harborough, Liz produces the most incredible dishes for private clients…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

Magee St Bakery

A tiny back-street bakery/cafe offering delicious, hand-roasted coffee, artisan loaves and sweet treats…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Nene View Dairy

A family-run dairy in Stanwick, Northants, which produces several varieties of award-winning hard goats’ cheeses…
Farm shop & Producer in Northamptonshire

Pastures Poultry Farm

A free-range poultry producer – fantastic chicken, duck, guinea fowl and more available from the Yardley Hastings farm shop, farmers’ markets and online…
Bakery in Northamptonshire

Replete Flatbreads

Baker of sublime flatbreads. Think Indian kulcha filled with onion bhaji or Greek pitta filled with spanakopita and many more. Gluten-free varieties too…
Butcher in Northamptonshire

Saul’s of Spratton

A small, traditional, family-run butcher and producer which sold its first joint in 1926. Saul’s now has an online shop too…
Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

Saxby’s Cider

An award-winning family-owned Northamptonshire producer who use a blend of dessert and cider apples from their 3,500-tree orchard…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Seed and Bean

An award-winning chocolate maker whose products are bold-flavoured, organic, Fairtrade and ethically produced…
Butcher in Northamptonshire

Squisito Butchers & Provisions

Winner of the BBC’s Best Street Food Midlands Award, offering a spectacular range of hand-produced Italian foods made using local ingredients…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

St Giles Cheese

A wonderful independent cheese shop that also sells wines, condiments, meats, breads, Belgian chocolates and more…
Caterer & Street food in Northamptonshire

Stanley Street

This Northamptonshire-based caterer offers an eclectic and international menu, inspired by worldwide street food and served in a festival style…
Brewery & Pub & Restaurant in Northamptonshire

Tap and Kitchen

An excellent restaurant and bar owned and operated by Oundle’s Nene Valley Brewery…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Tea Lab

A contemporary and creative producer of loose-leaf teas based in Northamptonshire, combining the science of health with the art of flavour and design…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

The Apothocoffee Shop

An award-winning traditional coffee shop in Earls Barton with an unusual name (and plenty to see and do when you have finished your food)…
Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

The Beer Garage

The Beer Garage is a one-woman beer business bringing the world of craft beers to a corner of Northamptonshire…
Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

The Bottle Mix

The widest selection of real ales in Northamptonshire, complemented by cider, fruit wines, local spirits and traditional soft drinks…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Falcon at Fotheringhay

A multi-award-winning dining pub in historic Fotheringhay that’s been named the best in Northamptonshire by the Good Food Guide five times in a row, with the latest being in 2016…
Bakery in Northamptonshire

The Good Loaf

An ethically focused bakery and café located in an old shoe factory in the heart of Northampton’s Boot & Shoe Quarter…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

The Italian Shop

A hidden independent gem offering wonderful bread, fantastic pastries, fine coffee and many more Italian treats…
Bakery & Producer in Northamptonshire

The Little Bakery of Happiness

The Little Bakery of Happiness is a multi-award-winning craft bakery-patisserie in the heart of Northamptonshire…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Old King’s Head

A cosy Grade II-listed village pub where everything is freshly made, including the breads and ice creams…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

The Pantry Door

The Pantry Door is a small, welcoming family-run delicatessen and cafe in the heart of the picturesque Northamptonshire village of Bugbrooke…
Deli/cafe in Northamptonshire

The Pudding Parlour

A small, traditional pudding parlour in the picturesque village of Yardley Hastings, specialising in handmade desserts and cakes…
Pub & Restaurant in Northamptonshire

The Queen’s Head at Bulwick

The Queen’s Head in Bulwick is most definitely a pub, but serves food several notches above standard pub grub…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Red Lion at East Haddon

Pretty Northamptonshire country pub focusing on perfectly cooked, seasonal British classics, which recently won its first Michelin Bib Gourmand…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Rose & Crown

The best food pub in Northamptonshire? The judges of the county’s 2013/14 food and drink awards think so. And CAMRA likes their cask ales, too…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Saracen’s Head

This welcoming traditional pub has a passion for local ingredients and was a double award winner in the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards…
Food school in Northamptonshire

The Shires Cookery School

Improve all aspects of your kitchen skills and learn completely new techniques at this rurally located Northamptonshire cookery school…
Food school in Northamptonshire

The Sourdough School

The Sourdough School is a centre for sourdough research and education. Its team are passionate about sharing knowledge and empowering people to bake bread…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Swan at Braybrooke

A traditional rural inn offering good food and cask ales – named Best Northamptonshire Pub or Restaurant in the Great Food Club Awards 2015…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The Tollemache Arms

The Tolly is a beautiful thatched pub in Harrington, Northamptonshire. It’s won a strong reputation over the past few years under head chef Joe Buckley…
Pub in Northamptonshire

The White Horse

Shortlisted in the Great Food Club Awards 2015, this is a freehouse next to the village church that serves good, locally sourced, homemade food. Dogs and drinkers – as well as diners – are welcome…
Brewery in Northamptonshire

Three Hills Brewery

This unique brewery in Woodford, Northamptonshire, breaks the rules of brewing by producing exceptional ales and lagers to ever-changing recipes…
Producer in Northamptonshire

Warner Edwards Distillery

A craft gin distillery located on a farm, which makes a delicious, unique-tasting spirit using local spring water and ten different botanicals…
Farm shop & Food school in Northamptonshire

Waterloo Cottage Farm

An award-winning 125-acre farm, shop, butchery, food school and community garden not far from Market Harborough on the Northants/Leicestershire border…
Deli/cafe & Wine, beer, cider, spirits in Northamptonshire

Wharf Distillery

Wharf Distillery makes spirits, liqueurs, aperitifs and traditional ciders in small batches from raw ingredients…