We caught up with Kate to find out more about Alf Resco\u2019s success and what makes Dartmouth such an amazing place to live, work and holiday in.<\/p>\n
When you started Alf Resco did you have a particular business aim in mind?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe caf\u00e9 was actually started by some good friends of ours. We helped them run the business for the first three years and then we took over. They enjoyed the idea of running a caf\u00e9 but the day-today side of it really wasn\u2019t for them. My husband and I wanted to live in Dartmouth, and back then there really weren\u2019t any jobs here, you had to make your own work. We always wanted the caf\u00e9 to be a social centre and a community institution, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s become over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019re known for being family friendly. Is that an important part of Alf Resco\u2019s success?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYes, definitely. I think until you have kids you don\u2019t realise how difficult it is to go out and how unaccommodating many places can be to families. When you go abroad you see that children are so welcome in public places and because of that they actually behave better. We\u2019re family friendly because if the kids are welcome they behave well, the parents can relax and then everyone has a great time. We\u2019re also dog-friendly as dog owners also find it hard to find establishments that welcome dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n How much of your ingredients do you source from local producers?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe work with local producers as much as possible and always have. All our bread is made in Dartmouth, our eggs are local. I\u2019m not so focussed on everything being organic, but buying local is important because then things haven\u2019t done loads of food miles which is an attitude I think isn\u2019t prevalent enough nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You won an award for your breakfast recently?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYes, we won a Home Grown Cereals Association award for our homemade Granola. We make it onsite as a lighter option to cooked breakfast. We use British oats of course and we\u2019re really chuffed, mainly because we don\u2019t usually go in for things like that.\u201c<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b>What other specialities are on the menu?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe always change the menu seasonally, which is all part of sourcing from local producers. And also your tastes change with the seasons. In the winter you want porridge and stews, things like that, but in the summer that\u2019s not what you\u2019re craving. Last year we began to introduce local crab to the lunchtime menu which has been very popular.<\/p>\n We get all the team involved in coming up with ideas. Different age groups want different things. We\u2019ve started doing oat-based smoothies because that generation who are in their twenties are keen on power smoothies for breakfast, and that wasn\u2019t something we did 20 years ago!\u201d<\/p>\n What is your bestselling option on the menu?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely the Alf\u2019s Full Breakfast. You get two eggs with a couple of slices of bacon, a sausage, tomato and toast.\u201d<\/p>\n You talked about Alf Resco being part of the local Dartmouth community and you do quite a bit of charity work and work in schools, can you tell us more about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re part of the community and I feel a responsibility to help out. We do private functions for local charities where we\u2019ll supply the food and staff for free and a charity can put on a dinner and auction and raise money, things like that. We get the staff involved with it so they see that doing things for free for the community can be beneficial, not everything has to be for financial gain. We\u2019ve also been going into local schools and providing free porridge for breakfast to promote the importance of a healthy breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n What do you think makes Dartmouth such a special place?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s the fact that we still have a community. We still have a local baker, a butcher a green grocer. Going to local shops encourages people to interact, chat to the owners and other shoppers. All of that breeds community. We also have the Flavel Arts Centre which hosts all kinds of great events like music and films and acts as a hub.<\/p>\n Also people who do own Dartmouth holiday homes here come regularly. They don\u2019t tend to be the sort of people who visit for a fortnight once a year. Instead they visit lots of times throughout the year and that means they\u2019re also part of the community.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got the steam train running most of the year, the paddle steamer, the Greenway Estate. It\u2019s just a beautiful place.\u201d<\/p>\n If someone was thinking of coming to Dartmouth to stay in a holiday cottage what would be your top tips to enjoy the town?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely go to Castle Cove where they\u2019ve rebuilt the steps, giving you a beach right in town which is lovely.\u00a0Take a trip on the paddle steamer and go up to Totnes, because you\u2019ll get to see all kinds of amazing wildlife on the way like herons and seals.\u00a0Also look into going out on a sea safari with Monty Hall because they\u2019re wonderful for families.\u00a0You can go also go on kayak trips, which I\u2019ve done. You go out to sea or up the river depending on the weather and you get to explore all kinds of deserted coves and beaches and enjoy a picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s coming up soon at Alf Resco?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAs part of the Dartmouth Comedy Week we\u2019re hosting an evening with the poet Matt Harvey<\/a> on Tuesday the 4th<\/sup> of March. There\u2019s a meal from 7pm and Matt will be putting on his show at 8pm. It\u2019ll be a wonderful evening. \u201c<\/p>\n So if you want to experience the wonderful food and warm, relaxing atmosphere of Caf\u00e9 Alf Resco, be sure to book some time away in one of our many Dartmouth holiday cottages<\/b><\/a> we have available.<\/p>\n Alternatively, why not take a look at one of our holiday homes in Salcombe<\/a> or surrounding areas of South Devon<\/a> or give our friendly staff a call on 01548 843 773<\/strong> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anyone who\u2019s been to South Devon knows that there are dozens of quality eateries in the area, from Michelin Star restaurants to cosy country pubs. Whatever your budget and taste you\u2019re spoiled for choice. In Dartmouth there\u2019s one caf\u00e9 in particular that has become an institution, a favourite with locals and tourists alike and that\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":5892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-drink","location-dartmouth","location-salcombe"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"R\"](\"https:\/\/www.coastandcountry.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Queue.jpg\")
<\/a>Cafe Alf Resco during Regatta – worth the wait!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>Kate and the Alfs’ award winning homemade granola<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>The best coffee in Dartmouth<\/strong><\/p>\n