SuffolkNews visits Needham Lake and Duck and Teapot café for family afternoon out

With summer just around the corner, SuffolkNews visited a beauty spot and café popular with families enjoying an afternoon out.

Tucked between Ipswich and Stowmarket, Needham Lake, is rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor.

Parking at the lake, in Needham Market, is free and it is just a short walk from the town’s train station.

Our first stop was the Duck and Teapot Café which was so busy when it opened in 2022 that it had to recruit more staff.

The café, run by The Mix charity, has had mixed reviews on Tripadvisor and me and my family were keen to test it out.

On a rainy, cold afternoon the warmth of the café was welcoming.

As were the staff who were very patient with my daughter, who decided she wanted to order for the whole family.

We didn’t have too long to wait for our food and drinks and everything was brought out to our table hot.

Our drinks of choice were a mocha, tea and babyccinos for the children.

The babyccinos, like the adult drinks, were a decent size and sensibly served in paper cups to avoid spills.

Food-wise we opted for bacon and sausage baps, sausage roll and a toasted teacake.

Followed by a giant slice of Victoria sandwich, chocolate flapjack and rocky road.

This came to a total price of £35 plus 50 pence for some duck food, which we did not sample.

Though the price may seem a little on the steep side, compared to your average coffee chain, I would say it was good value for money.

Despite the bacon and sausage bap looking pretty ordinary, my husband said it was delicious and could tell the meat was from a top-quality butcher.

The cakes were also really tasty, I could see why my daughter was not keen to share her slice of rocky road.

In the same building as the café, we found the toilets which on Sunday afternoon were spotless.

There is another toilet block, around the other side of the lake, if you or your kids get caught short on a walk.

Though the Duck and Teapot building also houses a visitor centre, it wasn’t immediacy obvious where it was. It seemed as though it might have been hidden at the back.

Next we passed the large park and headed over a wooden bridge to the main attraction - the lake.

Duck food in hand we were popular with all the feathered friends of Needham Market, apart from the geese who were frankly terrifying.

The walk around the lake is less than a mile and a great distance for younger children like my three-year-old, who loved looking at the wildlife.

There is a free nature trail which teaches children about animals and birds commonly spotted at the beauty spot, and some virtual ones you can do using your phone.

In the summer months the barbecue area is always busy, as is the park and ice cream counter at the café.

I would say free, plentiful, parking makes Needham Lake a no brainer for an inexpensive, family day ,or afternoon, out this summer.

Anything that encourages families to get outside in the sunshine, with emergency coffee on hand if needed, is always a winner.