2 weeks Ago
A café in the New Forest has been branded the best in Hampshire according to a popular review site. Melleford on High Street in Milford on Sea has reached the top spot in the county on Tripadvisor, thanks to a steady stream of consistently good reviews. Husband-and-wife duo Becca and Tony Michael have run the café since it opened in June 2023, previously running the acclaimed Saltwater venue in the same village.
After moving up the road to overlook Milford Green with their new café, the couple have quickly risen up the ranks on Tripadvisor after starting fresh at the bottom two years ago. Becca believes that the “quality and presentation” of the food is what sets the café apart from its competitors. READ MORE: The celebrated chef cooking up a storm in a top Hampshire hotel Chef Tony created a menu that showcases high quality ingredients from local suppliers, serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch, with coffee, teas, soft drinks, and wine.
“ Outside Melleford in Milford on Sea. (Image: Ellie Brooks) “We love what we do,” Becca said. “We’re very proud, we’re very warm and welcome.
” Becca admitted that the café would “probably lose a lot of customers” if it no longer served avocado on toast – one of Melleford’s most popular dishes. Salmon hollandaise at Melleford. (Image: Ellie Brooks) “We have recently started doing roasts on a Sunday with a Sunday menu as well,” she continued.
“We do our breakfast menu, and we also have our lunch menu with burgers, sushi bowls, flatbreads. A lot of our food is already gluten free.” READ MORE: Meet the chef who went from kitchen cleaner to award-winning restaurateur Another hit on the menu is a “croque monsieur” – a toastie with Dijon mayo, ham sourced from Wiltshire and pickles with béchamel sauce on top.
The “house seasoned beef burger” is also a favourite, as the dry aged steak burger is served in a brioche bun with lettuce, gherkins, smoked mayo, American cheese and a side of skin on fries. Melleford is licensed and future plans are to open the venue in the evenings with a new food and cocktail menu. A post on the café’s Facebook page said: “A huge thank you to all our amazing customers for your continued love and support — this means the world to our team.
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