Plan a day
Half-term days out near Thirsk
Apple Week at Ampleforth, trick or treat on the Moors Railway, pumpkins in Castle Howard and re-enactors at Fountains: October half term within an hour of Thirsk.
8 October 20264 min read
Thirsk market square
Travellers' Choice 2026Breakfast, Bakes and Afternoon Tea,on Thirsk market square
One room on the market square, full of homemade cake, and all of Thirsk still ahead of you.
- Flavours of Herriot 2022
- 5 star food hygiene rating
- Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2026
- Restaurant Guru 2025
- Arthur Haigh's of Dalton (4 miles)
- Doreen's black pudding (Yorkshire)
- Baltzersen's bakery (Harrogate)
- True Tea Co (Harrogate)
- Brymor ice cream (Masham)
- Longley Farm (Holmfirth)
- Wensleydale Creamery (Hawes)
- Fruity Kitchen (North Yorkshire)
- Appleby Creamery (Cumbria)
- Lonton Coffee Co (Teesdale)
- Fentimans (Hexham)
From the kitchen
Customer favourites
Full Yorkshire
14.9Butcher's sausage, Dalton bacon and Doreen's black pudding, with a free range egg and a hash brown.
Potato scone
8.9Two pieces of traditional potato scone fried in butter, with crispy bacon and a fried egg.
Toasted Reuben
10.9Peppery beef pastrami, homemade slaw and chunky gherkins, toasted in local sourdough.
Loaded paprika fries
9.9Skin-on fries with paprika salt, smashed avocado, homemade salsa and red crunch cheese.
Sweet cream tea
8.9A warmed tea-soaked sultana scone, Fruity Kitchen strawberry jam, clotted cream, and tea or an americano.
Today's cakes
on the counterWhatever came out of the oven this morning, on the counter.
How we work
8:00
Baking begins
Cakes and scones go in before the door opens. Ask at the counter what came out this morning.
4 miles
Arthur Haigh's, Dalton
Sausages, bacon and Doreen's black pudding come from a butcher four miles up the road. Fruity Kitchen make the jam.
Tea Time
The place to start the day
Market stalls and charity shops a minute away, Cod Beck two, the World of James Herriot four. Have breakfast here, then walk into the rest of Thirsk.
Rosa's story
It started with a van called Henrietta
In 2018 Rosa bought a 1967 Citroen H van, named her Henrietta, and spent two summers selling scones at Yorkshire festivals as The Rolling Scones. In 2019 she took on the old Arabica cafe at 87 Market Place, and Tea Time opened before the year was out.
Traditional afternoon tea
A proper afternoon tea in the market square
Finger sandwiches, a warm scone with jam and clotted cream, three of the day's cakes and as many hot drinks as you like, on vintage crockery.
Traditional Afternoon
Tea Time
- Selection of finger sandwiches
- Sweet scone, strawberry jam & clotted cream
- Three of today's homemade cakes
- Unlimited hot drinks, plus iced tea and iced coffee
24.9 per person
Minimum 2 guests · book any half hour from 12 to 3, or 12 to 2 on Sundays
Make a day of it
Start at ours,then see Thirsk properly
54 places worth your time, 18 of them close enough to walk. Load a ready-made day or build your own, check the weather, print it and go.
Map of the day out
Tea Time in gold, and 18 places within a walk of the door. Tap a pin for the walk time.
Visit
Find us on the market square
87 Market Place, Thirsk, YO7 1ET. Market days are Monday and Saturday, when the square fills with stalls. Dogs welcome; treats behind the counter.
Autumn in Thirsk
Coming up in and around Thirsk
Everything on in ThirskUntil Sat 31 Oct
Pumpkins and late tours at Castle Howard: Castle Howard: Pesky Pumpkin Trail
Find the pumpkins hidden around the house, included in a house and garden ticket. Last entry 3pm
Read more →Until Sun 1 Nov
Halloween Trail at Thorp Perrow
A Halloween trail through Thorp Perrow Arboretum near Bedale through half term to the first of November, at normal opening hours
Read more →Until Sat 17 Oct
Workshops and an exhibition at Rural Arts: Thirlby Art Group exhibition
Fifteen local artists, paintings, prints and pastels, all for sale. Free, 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday
Read more →Thu 8 Oct
Concerts and evenings at Ripon Cathedral: Ripon Cathedral: Thursday lunchtime concert
A short lunchtime concert, 12.30pm to 1.50pm. The cathedral lists each week's performers
Read more →9–15 Oct
Films at the Ritz: At the Ritz: Heart of the Beast (12A)
Brad Pitt as a Special Forces officer stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog after a plane crash
Read more →Fri 9 Oct
Deer at dusk and half term at Fountains Abbey: Fountains Abbey: dusk deer walk
A guided walk through the Studley Royal deer park during the rut, 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Book ahead
Read more →9–10 Oct
The abbey ruins lit after dark on four October weekends, which is the one time of year Fountains is worth an evening rather than an afternoon
Read more →Fri 9 Oct
The Forum, Northallerton: The Forum: The Quo Story
Status Quo tribute band with Status Quo's own Richie Malone. 27
Read more →Sat 10 Oct
Batty!, a one-woman show at the Town Hall
Victoria Firth's one-woman show about Batty, who dreams of wild swimming and running barefoot, brought to Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall by Rural Arts On Tour
Read more →10–11 Oct
The Great Yorkshire Pumpkin Festival
Monk Park Farm's pumpkin patch, ten minutes from Thirsk, on October weekends, a toddler week from 19 October, then every day through half term to Halloween, with two adults-only nights and one family night
Read more →
Journal
Latest from the market square
Plan a day
Bonfire Night near Thirsk
Four firework displays within half an hour of Thirsk this year: Monk Park Farm and Northallerton on Thursday 5 November, Bedale and Masham on Saturday 7 November.
5 October 20264 min read
Plan a day
Christmas in and around Thirsk
Christmas markets, a pantomime at the Town Hall, Santa at Thorp Perrow and carols at Fountains, from mid-November to Christmas Eve, all within forty minutes of Thirsk.
5 October 20263 min read
On the socials
Follow the cake cabinet
Today's bakes and specials, as they come out of the oven.