If you’re in Epping this week, we’d love your best local recommendations beyond the obvious: where do you go for a proper coffee and cake, and which independent shops are always worth a browse? We’re also putting together a little “Epping favourites” list for Discover Essex, so tell us your go-to pub lunch spots and any hidden corners around the Forest that deserve more love. What would you suggest to someone visiting for the first time?
For coffee and cake I’d say Fred & Doug’s, and for a proper pub lunch you can’t go wrong with The Theydon Oak just down the road. If you’re doing the Forest, the little trails off Bury Road towards Ambresbury Banks are a lovely “hidden corner” bit—are you after more family-friendly walks or something a bit wilder?
Try the patisserie counter at Gail’s for coffee and cake, then have a wander round Epping Bookshop and the little independents on the High Street; for a pub lunch I’d go The Black Lion, and the stretch of Forest around Jack’s Hill is a cracking “hidden corner” if you want a quieter walk.
For a first-timer I’d point them to Fluffie Stuffie for a decent coffee and something sweet, then a mooch round the little independents along the High Street. For a pub lunch, The George & Dragon is always solid, and if you’re doing the Forest the view from Copped Hall Green at sunset is a bit of a hidden gem.
If you want somewhere a bit different for coffee and cake, The Ginger Pig’s great, and it’s worth popping into the little shops tucked behind the High Street rather than just the main run. For a pub lunch I usually end up at The Queen Victoria, and a wander from Theydon Bois into the Forest feels like a proper “hidden corner” without going too far.