The 17 best bars and drinks in Ashburton

Such a great place to stop for an evening meal. Service was attentive and warm without being intrusive and the meals delicious.

Dined here last night for dinner and couldn't have been happier. Wife has the Fish of the Day while I opted for the Chicken Schnitzel. Service - Prompt, courteous & attentive without being overbearing. Food - Exceeded our expectations. Piping hot, fresh, nicely presented & perfect portion size. Excellent value for money. Atmosphere - Clean, modern & well laid out. Place was quite busy which is generally a pretty good sign. Left very satisfied and would certainly return if we're back in Ashburton.

had late lunch here on-route to Lake Tekapo from Christchurch. very friendly staff and the service was great. the battered fish and sirloin steak were good, but the burger wasn’t - the bun was done to a crisp and everything in between was overcooked. easy to park kerbside.

Just wonderful staff and great food! We got the eggs Benedict and chicken tikka masala. The tropical and banana smoothies were also superb. Very friendly service and great atmosphere

Lovely restaurant, my family and I just stopped there for brunch. Friendly welcoming staff good menu choices esp the breakfast options. Opted for the avocado /salsa/poached eggs on toast x2 and a portions of poached egg on sourdough (with extra bacon!) Amazing nice food! Well present. Both the coffee and tea great too! Thanks Cleavers Corner Gastro pub (Only - point re atmos is a small one, loud music at doorway entrance probably not needed) Great to see rugby fans enroute to Chch enjoy the food/beer too :)

very nice. large plates of food at reasonable prices. Will be back.

Definitely not worth the price. The food was very average apart from. One person that let the service down to start with the service was utterly amazing but I wouldn't pay for the food there ever again.

I've been looking on Facebook and seen heaps of reviews from other people. And thought it would be nice to take our friends all the way down from Invercargill out for brunch. The service was adequate but when the standard of food and drinks combined,very much let down.

Wow, really rude service. Ordered two bagels, one with pesto, one with preserves. Cream cheese barely covered one side of one bagel. Asked waitress for more and she asked if I was going to pay for extra. Said no as felt cream cheese should cover both sides, a lot of huffing from her side and repeated again I'd have to pay and then said she'd ask the chef. Came back with an extra teaspoon sized portion of cream cheese. Added pix so you can see my generous serve... Thanks! Went nicely with the lukewarm coffee! Shame as ate here 18 months ago and was excellent.

Lovely atmosphere, staff were polite, food looked great in the cabinet however my food wasn’t heated through and my egg wasn’t cooked as I asked. Service would have been excellent had someone taken the time to come ask if we were happy with our meal. I did love the interior decor.

Bacon egg pie was great, the hot chocolate was a bit simple, but it still tasted good

This place is good, mainly for the atmosphere but they’re also fairly nice just a tad expensive for what you get. My partner loved his steak and pepper pie but it did set him back 11 dollars. His iced americano was not far off that. But it was lovely to sit there and chat because it had good seating and ambience to prevent sound travel.

Service was not great and there weren’t any vegan options in the prepared food except a salad that looked unappetizing.

Good food, and great service, I had the strangest complaint that was not their fault at all, and they were so accommodating. Delicious coffee also. I highly recommend 😊

We had breakfast at this restaurant and I really enjoyed it. My food was delicious and not overly sweet, which I loved. The restaurant also has a very chic atmosphere. I don’t understand why the rating is so low — it’s actually better than some places rated 4.5 or 4.6. Highly recommended!

We had the lunch menu. Ordered fishnchips. While the fish and sauce was good, I must say I really enjoyed the salad and fries on the side. The salad was fresh and the dressing was good. I couldnt stop munching on the fries too!

Lovely spot to have a beer and quality food place was hustle n bustle on a Friday evening was great to see we both got the tomahawk steaks and couple of beers great value cooked to perfection! Service was great and friendly it’s our second time here and once again didn’t disappoint! Thanks team

Great experience. I especially appreciate as a parent that you actually took pride in your children’s menu. Often restaraunts create a very tasteless experience for kids. Look at this picture of your mac and cheese! The cheese pull is gorgeous.

We were overnighting in Ashburton, continuing our driving holiday & The Phat Duck was conveniently located on the main road with sufficient parking. The staff were friendly. Food was excellent & substantial. The restaurant itself was a pleasant place to dine. No complaints. We would be return customers if we lived here.

We ordered the steak and it was well cooked, their red wine jus complimented the steak very well. Their ribs portion was huge and delicious. The potatoes wedges were fried to perfection whereby the outside is lightly crispy and super soft on the inside (not dry). It’s the little things that made it stands out from the rest. Lastly, you have to order their sticky date pudding. It was moist, dense and not too sweet (in a good way). Just when we thought we over ordered with the mains and couldn’t eat anymore, we finished the dessert easily. I would say this was one of the best SDP that we ever had.

Best meal I've had in a long time. Excellent value for money. Courtesy bus service to the motel as well.

Visited The Fine Lion with my partner to celebrate my birthday, and it couldn’t have been a better choice. We both absolutely loved the food — beautifully presented and full of flavor. The atmosphere was warm and lively, and the service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The place was packed, even on a Tuesday night, so I’d definitely recommend booking ahead. Overall, a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. Highly recommended!

Had a wonderful time at The fine lion, the first step into the door we knew it was gonna be good when you're welcomed by a cheeky fella. The servers were great attended to our needs while we were dining.

A beautiful restaurant with even better food. The interior is decorated with taste and sophistication, and the wrap around balcony offers views of the town to keep you entertained while you dine. Two large screens outdoors makes it the perfect place to enjoy one of their delicious cocktails while watching sports games. Food is extremely well presented (not to mention delicious) and the staff are beyond incredible!

There are several vegan options and service was wonderful! Our favorite dish was the beetroot + cashew hummus!

Every time I come to The Fine Lion, it never disappoints. Staff are always great, and the food is superb.

This place is absolutely amazing! I wanted to go out for my birthday dinner, and had a very special request which the staff were only too happy to accommodate. We had a wonderful evening, the food was delicious, the staff were all so friendly and we will happily come back again. Thank you so much for helping this evening be special

Lovely lunch today! Thoroughly enjoyed calamari and the amazing quinoa salad with chicken. Both fabulous GF dishes. Husband had baked mussels and a sirloin steak. He was equally pleased with his meal, thank you!

The food is so good and beautiful!! The service is great! I love the animals being the table number!!

Recommended by a local realtor. Went for coffee and brunch. All I can say is wow! The staff are super friendly. Service was quick and on point. Had an Americano and husband had a cappuccino. Full of flavour. Allpress coffee is just the best. I had a salmon hash cake and hubby the blt salad. Both extremely delicious and well presented. Beautiful food by beautiful people.

I revisited this place because of the amazing coffee but this time was a slightly disappointing experience. Our keep cup size is kind of between regular and large. I mentioned this at the till and ordered regular and added that if they don’t want it, they don’t have to fill it up. Barista girl must’ve heard this and decided that it was okay to fill only the half of the cup for whatever reason. We had to ask her to pour a little more milk if she has any left, which she added a splash more of. As a barista myself, I don’t understand this stinginess, you shouldn’t reuse that milk anyway. Apart from this, I believe their takeaway cups are a little on the smaller size too. Overall, a barista to barista; I appreciate your coffee, but not your service.

I came here for a coffee and stayed for the cheese puff/scone and the chicken pesto roll from the cabinet. It was so light and tasty. My partner had the sausage roll with tomato relish and he said it was fantastic too. Coffee was great, nice and hot. Staff were very welcoming and friendly and I loved the banter between the staff and good feel of the place, although I came close to the end of the day. Will definitely be back.

Great cafe that has a quirky deco and a cosy atmosphere with friendly staff Black coffee packs a strong punch with many tasty treats For a light treat would suggest the fruit tart, fresh and light. The yoyo is a favourite of the kids, abit on the sweet side for adults 😁

Nice place,funny seating arrangement. Staff friendly and helpful.

Excellent place for coffee etc. Great staff,very attentive and friendly. The soups and chowder were delicious. The go to place.in Ashburton

Good bar service, Great foods, If you are Lucky you might win some Money 💰

Fantastic atmosphere and great service and wonderful food

Nice place. Not available in the way of food.

Nobles 600 great eatery.Nice food.Great menu.Worth several visits.

The meals were very low standard. 6 of us came in for a midday meal and were extremely disappointed with them. We came to a beautiful new restaurant and were dished up burnt toast, reheated meals etc. The service was the only thing I would say was ok.

Great place for a family celebration. Being my first visit, I found the food ordering/service a little confusing & the selection very outdated & limited. Drinks were reasonably priced & the staff were fantastic. 😁

Can’t believe the poor service and food quality here. Ordered roast but vegetables were over cooked and dry, shavings of meat not slices. Vegetables that you helped yourself with were also over cooked. Peas sitting in some sort of liquid (no way was it water) when I took meal back as only had 2 bites they refused to refund me. Can’t believe that I had to follow up on my complaint as they didn’t come back to me. Worst Club we have ever been to

From the moment we entered and were greeted by the staff and made to feel welcome, we knew this was going to be an enjoyable experience. The service was friendly and efficient. But the food was amazing. The beef schnitzel was incredible. Unfortunately we were just passing through so we will never be here again but so yourself a favour and eat here. The cakes looked amazing too. Thanks ladies for a great meal and never stop being cheery and friendly

We went for dinner and shared one of the platters which didn't disappoint. Everything from the spring rolls to the fries was perfectly cooked. The corn nuggets and crumbed camembert were a delicious point of difference to other platters of this type. We were provided with 4 sauces/dips. Had we known we were able to select these we would have opted for sweet chilli over sour cream. We came back for breakfast and it exceeded expectations. The hotcakes were light and fluffy with well cooked bacon. The Eggs Benedict was also delicious with runny yolks. The salmon was a thick piece, rather than thin slices of smoked salmon, and was fantastic. The staff were friendly and attentive. We'll definitely be back.

Popped in for Bfast on a Sunday morning, and we're blessed with very welcoming staff. They were prompt with their service, and the food arrived in record time. My partner had the eggs bene with bacon, and there will never be any complaints about lack of bacon in that dish. It tasted amazing. I decided to order off the all-day menu and am super happy I did. I ordered the Beef Schnitzel and Chips. This has been a hit and miss for me over the last couple of years, but not today. Schnitzel was perfectly cooked, chips were perfect, and I didn't realize it came with an egg and salad. I went for the gravy over the mush sce as I am always ordering that, and I am glad I did. The gravy wasn't too thick, so it went well with the chips as well as the schnitty. We also had a coffee and a coke. Normally, I would expect to pay at least 60-70 $ for this meal, but I was pleasantly surprised that the bill was only $53. Portion sizes were on the above average size, so this place has blue for money in spades. If staying in Ashburton or just passing through, it'll be worth your while to pay the team at Kelly's Cafe & Bar a visit.

Had dinner here again tonight. No change still good food and service. First time here tonight. Great friendly service. Food was good, and reasonable price. Nice environment. But just had 2 big tv with horses racing on it. Maybe could do with some music. We will give it another go.

Lovely place to stop, group of four and we all had a different menu item for brunch and enjoyed. Coffee was perfect. Lovely service, warm on a rainy day. Will come again next time we pass through town.

What a little Gem. In the heart of Ashburton. Lovely friendly staff. Great food and Atmosphere. Quick service. Some cabinet food available. I had Beef Nachos. 10/10.

What a great place for a snack or a meal, sadly couldn't try the drinks as it's lunchtime and we're traveling. Best wait staff 👏 👌 👍 thanks Ashburton 😊

Had the best BBQ meal ever. All meats were moist and delicious. The seasoning wasn't over powering, the sauce NOT stupid sweet that it tires the taste buds and each side dish enhanced one another cleansing the palette for a more meat, MORE MEAT, MORE EVERYTHING 😋 😀 Rolleston Smoke is our next stop for their tender Beef cheeky cheek but I'm going to have to stop back at Ashburton for those amazeballz pork ribs, moist Brisket, succulent chicken wings and wowzah! the Mac n Cheese 🧀 that flavour has made me want excited to get two helpings just for me next time and large everything coz there's nothing wrong with reheats the next day like I'm doing tomorrow for breaky. Nomnom Well done Pit Master and staff 👏 👍 👌

The location, atmosphere suited our cowboy theme. The service, was friendly and accommodating The continuous flow of yummy food was on point. (Even for a few gluten-free people ) We had a nice space for the auction items. We only wished we moved the 2 big bar leaders back a bit to make more room on the dance floor. We will definitely be back for another event in the future. Thank you. (Not many photos to add sorry)

Fresh and flavourful dishes here, specialising in grilled and smoked meats, paired with well-balanced sides (chips, veg, slaws) and sauces (loved the gravy)! American BBQ style without leaning too far into the fats/oils and a good range of locally sourced meats. A highlight was the bbq beef rib which has limited numbers each night, so be quick to try this, as it fell off the bone perfectly without compromising on texture and taste. Paired well with wines and beers, noting that the cocktail and liqueur selection looked great too. Staff were friendly and were attentive during the night. Lovely chefs cooking in an open layout along the side which was great to see as well (looked like they were enjoying themselves! And a clean environment), and a manned bar. Cosy interiors which was great for our chilly June night, and definitely an American BBQ feel with wood and hides to loosely decorate. Comfortable and appropriate for the price as well. Good location in the town centre to visit other establishments, and easy street parking. Ordered: The Big Simon (double smash patty) burger, Beef rib bbq, bbq wings.

This place is the real deal BBQ! The $44 platter is a massive feed, tbh you could probably split it with 2 people, but stuff that get the whole platter and eat like you mean it! 10/10 would eat again. Give that spicy boys sauce a go too don’t be weak.

My partner and I have loved this place since starting dine from February 14th 2024, after our amazing lunch my partner proposed to me and I will never forget it. One Sunday a month we go and have our date, every time the food is fantastic and the service is super friendly. I could not recommend this place enough for their good burgers and wings!!!

The staff is very helpful, answered my email promptly. Happy with the communication and service.

We had a shared platter, the meat was excellent, the slaw was too mustardy for my tasre, but great environment and attentive service. Good selection of craft beer, we will be back for sure

What a surprising find! We stopped for a toilet stop, couldn't find the toilets, so we asked if we could borrow theirs 👍 , when we entered the food was stunning. It may appear as a cocktail bar, but it is the home of yummy dishes. We started with savoury, crafted chicken, pork, tuna, and these were so delicious, we went for seconds. The chef was preparing fresh treats and it was a treat to see him create the dishes with such skill. My wife moved on to sweet treats, and loved them. What a place, a great tribute to the chef and the town of Ashburton

This is a place I think about and crave a lot after eating there. If you want top class food and stylish place to eat. This is it. From pick your own sushi, dreamy modern desserts, classic menu dishes with an Asian twist and don’t forget the breath taking cocktails. Everything is appealing to the eye and tastes that live you wanting more. We live in Christchurch and tell everyone about this golden gem. Keep up the great work. This place is a must try.

I've walked past before and it is always bustling but hadn't popped in. I tried Rice Porridge and Matcha Latte. It was a cold miserable day and the porridge was warm and had lots of flavour. Personally I found it more liquid than I like in Rice porridge and I'd have liked some more chilli oil but the flavour was nice. Inside the seating is very interesting and a nice place to visit. Would be interested in trying the sushi in the future.

Wow – what a gorgeous find on a day trip through Ashburton! The pink entrance caught our eye right away – intriguing and inviting with the vibe of a cocktail and dessert bar. Stepping inside, I was instantly drawn to the bougie rich blue velvet stools and the lush greenery from the indoor plants – such a perfect aesthetic. The display cabinet was a showstopper, filled with delicate and intricate sushi options, each one looking like a piece of art. But it was the dessert cabinet that truly lit up my face – beautifully crafted treats, each telling its own story. We were warmly greeted by a staff member who handled our order quickly and kindly. The coffee was absolutely on point – a real credit to the barista. The sushi we tried was fresh, flavourful, and thoughtfully presented. I chose the Red Apple (white chocolate mousse with green apple filling) – and wow, it truly felt like biting into Snow White’s apple in a fairy tale. We’ll definitely be back. A unique and memorable spot worth discovering!

Fantastic food that each of us thoroughly enjoyed. Great personalised service. Well worth a visit.

Everything here is delicious! I take pick your own sushi, everything is served fresh and delightful. price point is just right. then i ordered their dessert. MUST TRY, if i could, i would pick all dessert. i ended up taking the lemon dessert. the composition is just right, everything melts in your mouth. staff also very friendly and welcoming. place it self is very spacious, cozy and comfortable. i would highly recommend this place if you happen to be in town. must must try.

If you pass through Ashburton and need some to eat or drink and don’t stop in here you are mad. While sushi meets coffee meets cocktails and dessert sounds bizarre they have pulled it off beautifully. Sushi was 10/10 coffee for strong, staff were excellent. Colour me impressed.

Cozy place that we found for lunch on the journey to Christchurch. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Food portions were large and tasted well. Plenty of free parking at the back of the place.

Your average pub, nice and tidy. Guy behind bar knew his job and had good banter. Food came out fast and was great, good honest pub food. Partners steak she said was cooked perfectly. Plates overflowing with food

Think they have new management.. won on the pokies she counted so quickly silly me for trusting her .. $50 short I realized as I got outside.retraced my steps from 1 min earlier nope didn't think I could have dropped it. Oh well my bad I had already left the building.. could have been a honest mistake but from previous reviews hmmm.. shame been going there for years getting the schnitzel as we pass through.

Watched the rugby game and had a nice night with my partner and mum .

Nice food. Friendly staff and good service

First time there.A great tavern has it all we will be back when we are in Tinwald

Good service fast yum food

I absolutely love coming out to visit, whether it be to swim in warmer weather (when you can swim and there isn't algae everywhere). Usually, there is plenty of space to park up and have you'd own privacy not too close to others. They have public toilets close to the small bridge you go over past the restaurant. My dad and brothers love to go to the golf course here. They have the payment box/score cards/pens available. The course is 9 holes, and I've found that at hole 2/3, there seem to be 2 brown/black fantails that will fly around you and follow a bit! The only downside to the golf course is that there seems to be multiple empty beer bottles or cans dropped near the bushes on the holes because people have been drinking there which i hope they don't ruin it for everyone. I think there should be a couple of rubbish bins along the course! Always love coming here and have since I was a child!

I moved her a year ago and love what the laken has to offer notnonly residents but the Ashburton community

Went for a drive to Lake Hood just for a noisey as id lived in rakaia many years ago and Lake Hoodwasnt around then. Pleasant drive, lovely homes, got a pizza at The Landing. Good service, got a spot in the sun inside. Suited me well.

Beautiful spot for recreation . The Power Boat Racing was a big bonus . Really neat to see people having fun .

For me it's very nice in the spring windy 🍃🌬not to hot or cold either especially at noon,good location for picnic too💚

Nice walk around the lake. Lots of ducks and birds.

Great place to go with friends and family, BBQ facilities on the water front. Or go across the rd to the lakefront restaurant.

Always fantastic service, cant fault. Staff always super friendly too AAAAA+++++

Staff know their regulars well and always provide amazing service. Especially when needing a 2nd option on what is needed

Always good prices and very good costume services , we always get some good smile over there !

Great bottle store. Helpful and friendly staff.

Very awesome staff. Very friendly & knowledgeable.

Very knowledgeable staff. Excellent service

At first they would not take back empty beer bottles which have refund. Since we where tourists they played stupid.... Finally we got our refund and they accepted thé empty beer bottles...

Big, clean, well equipped rooms. Have stayed before and will again. Office only manned part time so if you need help go to pub next door. BTW pub does great bar meals. In carpark of pub, can get noisy as people leave

Motel needed some maintenance e.g. painting. AC unit was noisy, beds were really hard, bathroom needs updating and it was noisy with the amount of people walking around

Very lovely place warm & cosy clean air amenities close. Would be my choice for motels when stopping me in ashburton tinwald

Large clean room and a really good shower. The staff were friendly and helpful. Very convenient having the tavern on site. Would definitely stay again.

Great place to stay. Very big room, very clean, and very well equipped. Great having a bottle shop & pub adjacent.

Fantastic rooms, comfortable and spacious.

Stayed overnight on a work trip and found the place to a great place to stay. As I drive a truck for work, having space for some trucks on-site very handy (3 spots for truck & trailers plus plenty more space on-road). There is an on-site restaurant & bar (didn't have time to use these). Also a liqueur shop at the front of the property. Room was large and well laid out. Huge shower & bathroom area, plenty of room to spread out. Be aware that if you arrive slightly late, you need to go to the bar to get your room key (owned by same people).

Awesome Club with a fantastic atmosphere, thoroughly enjoyed our meat an evening there. Were enterained by an awesome group of brothers on guitars, playing songs to sing along with. Tu Meke 👍

I picked the wrong day to go. It was very quiet with only the barmaid, 3 older gentleman sharing a pint & 1 lady playing the pokies. Huge complex though so I recommend visiting on a Saturday night when the kitchen is open. Plenty of pool tables & also a snooker table, gaming room & friendly staff

Excellent place. Very friendly staff and amazing food and drinks.

Very friendly welcoming people. Only visiting but will definitely be joining. Great meal with lovely kitchen staff.

Recently had a night here for our friends funeral. Incredibly welcoming staff and great food. Thanks so much for hosting us.

It's a typical RSA environment, pretty mundane. Feels like nothing has been updated since the 70's (or earlier). The bar staff gave the impression that they really didn't want to be there or actually serve anyone which was pretty disappointing. Prices are fairly cheap though so you get what you pay for really.

Walls full of history, welcoming people, raffles, good meals and good drinks. Worth a visit go somewhere new. By the way pool tables are free to use.

As first time buyer, we are very satisfied. It was smooth and hassle free transaction. They made sure it will be easy for us. The communication was also great they are very responsive with our queries. Special thanks with Brooke and Lance who are very patient with us. I would definitely recommend Morrison Hyundai Ashburton. Given a chance will surely get our 2nd car from them again. We'll done team. Grateful for the opportunity to be working with you.

These guys went out of there way to make it easy for me. They brought the car to me and took the trade in back with them. Didn't even need to leave home. The spare key was forgotten and a few other things this was quickly posted to me. They have answered all my questions promptly by email. I trusted them and felt like a got a fair deal and did not need to haggle!

Took the car in for a service yesterday - friendly welcome at reception, courtesy car provided for the few hours required and a message to advise when our vehicle was ready collect. Standard stuff but all done with a smile! Very happy customers - great work team and thanks for a job well done.

Recommend so highly! Always a pleasure to deal with, superb customer service and advice exceptional. Thanks to everyone 💐

Brilliant team! So friendly and helpful. Thankyou Brendan, Donna & the rest of the Ashburton Hyundai team. Highly recommended! A1 awesome and quick service. Thankyou all so much Hyundai.

Very helpful and friendly staff. Made the whole purchase process very easy

Absolutely exceptional, professional and polite team! By far the best Hyundai dealer ship in the South Island!

I was tourist in NewZealand visiting Mount Hutt, searched for fresh cake in all over Methven and Ashburton but couldn’t find one. Luckily, I found the CakeLady on map and excited to get one for my daughter’s birthday. However, I was very disappointed by the cake seeing the cake was not freshly baked and not worth of the money that we spent. We didn’t eat the cake as no one liked it.

I'm deeply disappointed with the cake we received from the Cake Lady. It looked nothing like the photo I had requested, with cracked fondant, poorly done chocolate drip, falling decorations, soggy wafers, and a dry, crumbly cake. This was supposed to be a special gift for my father-in-law's 60th birthday, but instead, it turned into an embarrassing and underwhelming experience and was evident that no attention to detail was given at all. Unfortunately, the Cake Lady refuses a refund, claiming it's not her problem once it leaves the shop and insinuated that the quality of another cake she baked that day somehow justifies the atrocious state of ours. I advise against ordering from her and recommend finding a more reliable and customer focused cake maker.

The Cakelady has to be the best person I have ever dealt with. Nothing was a problem and my requests were all done without any issues all over the phone - even managed to get me some lovely flowers from Flowers at the Gate to put with the cupcakes that I ordered and delivered them to my elderly relative for me. I will definitely be going to the Cakelady for future use.

I ordered my partners 21st cake from her. had people tell me that she was really good, received the cake and it looked sloppy and rushed and nothing like the photo I provided, if she didn’t know how to do the cake or didn’t have time she should have communicated, i got 2 calls on the day of my partners birthday saying she was running late which was fine but you’d think that the cake wouldn’t look as sloppy as it did. Once we cut the cake open it was dry and burnt, no one ate it it was a waste of money and i have messaged her as this is unacceptable and she refused to do anything about it, i would not recommend.

We had a Wedding Cake made by The Cake Lady, we found them to be totally professional. The cake was the most amazing cake and tasted just as amazing we will be recommending The cake lady to all our friends. We had guest at the wedding asking who made the cake is was so nice.

I had the misfortune of employing the services of the Cakelady to bake my son’s 5th birthday cake which was going to be shared with his friends and teachers at his preschool. I have purchased three tier birthday cakes in the past from professional bakers and have never had any problems. The tiers were secure, the cakes were delicious, the icing was flawless and we were both very pleased with the result. Despite reading negative reviews about the Cakelady’s failure in the past to produce successful three tier cakes, I ignorantly thought that any professional would learn from their mistakes and that surely the same misfortune would not strike me - but I was wrong. The Cakelady knew this item was being driven from Ashburton to Rakaia on a flat vehicle surface on the day of collection and that it was going to be presented to my son and his friends at his nursery the following morning. Despite knowing this, the three-tier cake did not have any central supports to secure each tier to the next and the cake recipe used was far too moist for a tier. Instead, the tiers contained individual pieces of wooden doweling which were splintered, uneven and sharp. Each tier was sitting on a thin piece of card and balancing on numerous sharp-pointed pieces of doweling which were unsupported and unstable within the sloppy cake mixture. Obviously, none of these flaws were apparent when the cake was collected as it was covered up with icing. It was not until the cake fell to pieces on the 20 minute drive home that we were able to see the design flaws which led to the second tier collapsing onto the first in transit. I’m not ashamed to admit I cried when I saw it because I was so disappointed for my son. In some respects I suppose I should be thankful. Firstly, that I did not entrust the Cakelady to make a tiered wedding cake because this would ruin any special day. Secondly, that the cake fell to pieces and was inedible because I would have been horrified if a child or member of staff at my son’s preschool was injured by a piece of splintered doweling. When I wrote to the Cakelady to complain about the design flaws and sent photos, she apologised and took responsibility for her failures. But to my surprise, seven days later I received a message blaming my mother for destroying the cake in transit along with a refusal to refund any of my money. If you have no other option but to employ the Cakelady. PLEASE ensure that she delivers your cake to your home or the venue on the day because I would hate for this to happen to anyone else.

The cakelady did an amazing job for my twins birthday cake. Its was right amount of sweet and detailing of theme was just beautiful.