Exton Cafe, Oakham, Stamford, Market Harborough, West Bridgford, Oundle, Rothley, St Ives

Hambleton Bakery is something of a local institution, the much loved sister café to Michelin starred Hambleton Hall. Founded in Rutland in 2008 by head baker Julian Carter and restaurateur Tim Hart, Hambleton Bakery set out to rediscover what good bread should taste like. Built on traditional methods, long fermentation and carefully sourced ingredients, it quickly grew from supplying local restaurants to becoming one of the region’s most respected artisan bakeries.

Uppingham

Set within an early seventeenth-century building in the centre of Uppingham, Baines is a traditional family-run bakery with deep roots in Rutland. Passed down through five consecutive generations of the same family, it remains a working bakery in the truest sense, producing bread, cakes and sandwiches on the premises each day.

Market Harborough

Garage Bakehouse began in a converted garage and has grown into one of the region’s most talked-about independent bakeries. Known for its excellent sourdough, generous pastries and an ever-changing range of savoury and sweet bakes, it draws customers from across the Notswolds and beyond.

Everything is made on site by a skilled team working with traditional methods and quality ingredients. You can visit in person, or order a selection of breads and treats online, making it easy to plan ahead for the week.

Picks Barn is a popular countryside café serving great coffee alongside bakery treats, homemade cakes and a generous breakfast and lunch menu. Set in a converted barn overlooking the Chater Valley, there is space to sit inside or out on the heated veranda and patio, making it a lovely stop in all seasons. The focus is on fresh, thoughtfully sourced ingredients, with a relaxed, welcoming feel.

February is a month of gentle shift. The light lingers a little longer, the countryside begins to stir, and winter slowly loosens its hold. This reading list sits between seasons, thoughtful and hopeful in equal measure, with books for quieter days, brighter evenings, and the first sense of change in the air.

February sits between winter and spring, defined by small but steady change. Frost clears earlier, light stretches further into the day, and water begins to move again across the landscape. It has long been recognised as the point when the year begins to turn, not through sudden growth, but through subtle release.

A curated guide to what’s on across the Notswolds. Standout dates and regular happenings at some of our favourite venues, gathered to help you plan the months ahead in this corner of the countryside.

Travis and his owner Gary Curtis are a regular sight in the photogenic streets of Stamford. As the aesthete behind @theoldbuilding, Gary documents the town’s historic corners and changing light. Together they cover the town day after day, capturing the weathered stonework, painted doors and layered architecture that gives Stamford its character.