A NEW fully-overhauled café with a broad and affordable menu has opened its doors at an equestrian centre in the Meon Valley. 

Canters Cafe opened at Shedfield Equestrian Centre at the start of the year.

It has been set up by wife and husband Kate and Anthony Smith. The pair have set themselves very high standards.

Kate said: “Our goal is to be able to provide as much fresh and homemade food as possible and to reduce the use of frozen processed foods where possible.

“While we want to serve the best quality possible, we also want to be fair and affordable with our prices and family-friendly, so all are welcome to our cafe!”

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The café offers a full menu, including baguettes, baps, wraps and jacket potatoes.

Kate continued: “We have a flexible menu and are happy to swap and change things to cater to our customer’s needs. We offer eat in or takeaway, all served to a high quality with a lot of care put into everything.”

The full menu also includes all-day breakfasts and homemade burgers.

Kate said: “We had a lovely customer the other day who came back, with arms in air, saying it was the best burger he had ever tasted. Comments like that are what make us strive to do what we are doing!”

While spending some short time helping the previous renter, Anthony undertook the preparation of a full formal Christmas dinner event for the site’s owner.

Having made a great impression, he was offered to work at the site full-time and they grabbed the opportunity to make the business their own.

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The Smiths undertook the task of thoroughly deep cleaning the facility, rearranging and redesigning the kitchen. 

Kate said: “We use the correct equipment, gloves, and boards for all our food and cleanliness in the kitchen is to an extremely high standard. A recent comment we received was ‘you could eat off the floor in there now!’”

Anthony has been a chef for over 15 years and is always looking to create the food customers love. 

According to Kate, they have been getting more and more customers every week and it is no longer only the ‘horsey’ people.

She said: "We have customers who are coming in just for their meals and they have nothing to do with the Equestrian Centre. We are noticing a lot of customers who used to stick to the basic meals are now changing what they have to try the majority of the menu and they always leave happy!”

Alongside their café, the pair are also involved in catering for events.