Miss Nellies - Kendall

I love when I discover kid friendly cafes on my travels during holidays! We sometimes think that by living in the city we have the best cafes on our door steps, but let me tell you out there in the country there are some absolutely amazing little gems that are worth a detour off the highway. Take Miss Nellies in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast, for example.

Kendall is a tiny little village midway between Taree and Port Macquarie. If you are driving along the Pacific Highway you take the Kew exit to find it. It's a sleepy little place, surrounded by lush farms and it is somewhere I shall be detouring to quite often when we travel, because of the delightful Miss Nellies.  Miss Nellies is owned by a lovely lady called Janelle who is a tree changer from Sydney. Her family have lived in the area for years and since she was small she has loved baking and the joy that it brings to family and friends. A few years ago she was over city life and working for someone else (Christian Dior!) so she decided to move to Kendall and give locals and visitors a taste of her kitchen and hospitality prowess by opening up Miss Nellies.

This cute cafe takes up residence in an old weatherboard house on the main street as you round the bend into town. There is some parking on the street right in front of the cafe as well as areas to park across the road. There are a couple of different options for where you can sit - outside, inside or on an enclosed verandah. If you have a pram you are probably best to sit outside as this is one popular little cafe and if all the tables are occupied inside you may have difficulty manoeuvring your pram around. High chairs are available and on the enclosed verandah there is a little area especially for kids that has a blackboard and toys to play with. There are excellent toilet facilities available at the back of the cafe (no baby change table although when we visited).

As they love kids so much at Miss Nellies, they have put a lot of thought and effort into creating their children's menu. Something you may notice about the kids menu from the photo above, is that it is very affordable and excellent value for money! Our boys were super delighted with the Choc dippers that they chose - such a simple idea but a huge crowd pleaser - we were all trying to dip our fingers into the melted chocolate and sprinkles. I love how you can have the option of either chocolate or yoghurt, depending on health/dietary needs as well. Now another awesome aspect of the menu is that kids milkshakes cost $2.00, they come in a sweet little milk bottle, and you can get a refill on the house!  Tell me where else you have come across that in Sydney?

Now that the little ones are sorted lets move on to the all important Mummas and Pappas (and other extended family members who were present that day)! One of my favourite morning teas when visiting the country is the good old fashioned devonshire tea. Whilst I do enjoy a pot of freshly brewed tea my caffeine addiction always takes over and I have coffee with my scones. Miss Nellies uses both local brands of tea and coffee - World Par Tea is from Port Macquarie, as is the coffee from the Holy Goat roasters. I've drunk quite a bit of the Holy Goat of late when we have been home to visit the farm and it makes an excellent brew. Don't worry if you are a decaf lover, they have the Sleepy Goat blend available for you! I loved the touch of a freckle chockie on the side of my cappuccino, which I do believe was quickly stolen by number one son. As for the scones, they were perfectly baked and they came with real cream and real jam (Miss Nellies own home made jam) and for $9.00 this was a great value morning tea.

If a devonshire tea doesn't tickle your fancy, then you just have to try one of Miss Nellie's home made delights - you will not find anything store bought or mass produced on this menu. Other members of our family who were enjoying morning tea with us had the savoury scone that is served with a creamy capsicum butter, a citrus & passionfruit slice and a lemon myrtle cheesecake (I had a little taste test of this one and it was seriously good). All sweet treats are served with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Miss Nellies serves breakfast only on a weekend, and lunch every day. The lunch time menu is simple and includes freshly made wraps (roast beef, tuna, vegetarian or caesar); oven baked frittata; caesar salad; a vegetarian salad; and the savoury muffin of the day. Once again it is very reasonably priced with the most expensive item being $10.00. I hear that high teas are also a must do on weekends at Miss Nellies. They cost $24 which includes tea and coffee and the kidlets aren't forgotten about either - their high tea will set you back $15 and they receive their very own teapot of pink lemonade! I'm actually a little bit excited about sampling the high tea - we have booked a special family celebration at Miss Nellies in a few months time and I shall report back with photos of the event.

Now good luck with getting out of Miss Nellies without buying a sweet treat for the road! You can buy Miss Nellies own label jams, packets of old fashioned lollies, biscuits, fudge, local macadamias, Holy Goat coffee beans and some very pretty gift ware. And don't forget to help yourself to a complimentary jelly bean (or three) on the way out.

So Mummas and Pappas, next time you are hooning along the Pacific Highway and you find yourself in need of caffeine and sustenance, please forget the over priced service centres at Port Macquarie and Taree, just keep going that wee bit further and take the detour to Kendall and the delightfully delicious Miss Nellies.

Tell me dear Little Munchers - do you have a favourite country cafe that you visit when travelling? If so please do share x

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http://www.missnelliescafe.com.au
33 River St, Kendall NSW 2439
02 65590085
Open 9am - 4pm 
Closed Wednesdays