In line with government guidance, we remain open for take away only, at both The Longholme and The Kiosk while it is viable to do so. Please follow guidance yourself and only visit us in line with permitted park activates. Stay safe.
Following the easement of national restrictions,
Bedford has been placed in a ‘high alert’ tier 2 category.
This means we can return our tables and chairs and continue to offer our services, at the tables and to take away, if we remain ‘Covid Secure'
This easement will be a welcome relief to many
and a move in the right direction for a return to normality.
That said, we will ask that when you visit us please remain extra vigilant,
follow the latest advice from official sources, keep your distance,
remain seated at your tables and use the NHS test and trace app.
Test and trace will be mandatory if you would like to eat in with us.
Take away services are also available, alongside home delivery via Deliveroo should you be unable to get a table on arrival.
Our tables will be in demand, please limit your stay to 1 hour on busy days
so others can also enjoy our services.
When you arrive, as before, we will greet you and seat you as soon as we can. Tables are sanitised before you are sat, hand gel, toilets
and handwashing facilities are available for customers.
Thank you in advance for choosing to eat and drink with us, we are doing all we can to look after you and your loved ones with each change that arises on this Covid-19 journey.
Tom & Andreas
We will revert all of our services to take away only options, subject to local tiers. Following the recent update from the government we are bringing table service to a close and catering for your needs as you enjoy your parks, in a safe and approved way. These restrictions are set to be reviewed on December 2nd.
The Kiosk in Russell Park will remain open for take away only options form 9am - 4pm daily. Please use the alcohol gel provided and pay with card if you can.
Unlike the first round of similar restrictions, our kitchen will remain open. We have limited some of our choices but remain sure you will find something you can eat to take home or enjoy after exercise or while walking the dog.
Please note that the kitchen closes at 3pm daily.
We're offering home delivery with our delivery partners Deliveroo. You can order directly to your door, contact free by following this link. Daily 11am - 3pm.
In order to protect our staff at a time when the infection rate is rising, we have taken the decision to close our toilet facility. At the date of publication, public toilets in russell park remain open.
Behind the scenes we are working tirelessly to ensure that the highest food safety and Covid-19 measures within our sector are applied. More details down page.
Hello,
It's another quick turn around for us but one we had expected to see again. For many of our customers who joined us coming out of Lockdown #1 the lifeline of being able to pick up a take away in a safe way while using the park was highly praised. We are determined to remain open while it remains financially viable to do so, this can only be achieved with sales, but these must be achieved in a safe and practical way that complies with official guidance.
You can exercise or visit outdoor public places with the people you live with, your support bubble, or 1 person from another household. With that in mind we must request that you only visit us in this capacity and not in social groups.
If you have symptoms or are isolating due to exposure, as always, please do not come to see us, stay at home and get better.
It's a tiresome circle that has left many disappointed and saddened but we hope we are able to maintain our simple, take away service and bring some enjoyment to your time, in your park.
Keep your mind and your body active, things will eventually get better again.
Tom, Andreas and all the team.
Another update from us to assure you, our customers what is being done to ensure we remain Covid secure. Remember, if you are unwell please do not visit us for any reason. Follow official guidelines from government sources and get the latest advice. Links for this are at the bottom of this page.
Changes to our service you should know about –
When you arrive please wait to be greeted and seated by the host. The host will take your ‘test and trace’ information or if you are able you can submit this yourself using a QR code. Once you are at your table please remain seated unless you would like to use the toilet. Your order will be taken at the table and all your items will be brought to you, including the bill and the card machine at the end.
Should you need anything at all when you visit, please signal to a staff member who will come and help you.
Please note -
table reservations are not being taken and tables are allocated on arrival.
The maximum people at one table is 6. Table and chairs cannot be moved. At busy times, a waiting list may be in place in order to get a table, please leave your details with the host and remain in sight and we will get you seated as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience and for visiting us.
Mitigating measures are ongoing -
It’s not business as usual for us and we are doing all we can to remain stable as a business, forecast for the future and keep everyone safe. We are really happy to be able to return a more regular service, but please be kind, have patience and expect possible delays at busier times while extra precautions are taken.
Need more information?
Please call us or send an email to hello@thelongholme.com
Thank you, we look forward to welcoming you.
Tom, Andreas and all the team.
We're running the same safety precautions but at this time we remain open for take away only, 7 days a week. Racket hire is available, bats and balls are sanitised after use. hand washing facilities are available on site.
Putting remains closed at the time of publication 10.09.2020.
For updates on these services please follow us online.
The long awaited next step and the one that brings us back to a service more like the one before is coming. We will return our tables and chairs & start cooking again! The service will be different, maybe even better than before. On behalf of NHS ‘test and trace we will ask for your details when you are seated. You can also submit these independently if you’re a frequent customer, using the QR code on your table. On busy days we would suggest a 1 hour table time as seating will be limited and In high demand. Please wash your hands before you eat or use the hand gel provided. We are excited to be able to get here while the sun is still shining and look forward to seeing again you soon!
It’s good news as the grills and hotplates come back to life. We will be offering a all day brunch menu, sandwich choices, children’s options & more Daily from 9am - 3pm.
To save queueing and roaming around, please wait to be served at your table.
Hand washing facilities are available. Use contactless payment if possible.
To keep the area as safe as possible toilets are only available If you have a table. Please feel free to self sanitise using our chemicals and roll available.
If we cant find a table for you, please consider a take away, just for coffee or cake or anything from our menu. Please order with the host when you arrive.
Seating will be allocated on arrival and Is subject to availability. Our largest table is for 6 people. Reservations are not available at the moment, sorry.
We really want to make sure your experience is a great one. As we get back into the swing again please allow 20/30 minuets for food after ordering. Thank you .
Hello everyone,
If you have visited us, thank you! Please continue to enjoy our limited services when you’re in the park and follow the prompts from staff and signage as you have done before.
As the local infection rate of the virus remains in question, we have decided not to open further services for the next 2/3 weeks. With this delay so late into the season it may mean that boat hire @ The Longholme for 2020 will not open at all this year but more updates in this area will be given when we can assess the correct information.
Putting at The Kiosk is still under review, when this service opens again, we will share information to our social sites.
With this in mind, we have decided that tables and chairs will not return to the operation for the near future and the focus will be on take away only.
We have created an efficient service designed to be contact free where possible that has had many positive customer comments, to make changes at this stage would prove ineffective in our opinion and complicated to deliver for such a rapid service.
It’s not all bad news!
You can still visit us for:
Picnic bags, hot drinks, cakes, cold drinks, gelato and snacks to take away @ The Longholme 7 days a week, 09:00 – 17:30.
Fresh juices, great coffee, smoothies and snacks 7 days a week @ The Kiosk
09:00 – 17:30.
We are currently only accepting card payments, please use contactless payments if possible when you pay & make use of the hand gel provided on your next visit.
Our staff remain vigilant on all the safety precautions we have made, please continue to show your support by waiting patiently while they serve you safely. These include the sanitation of high touch areas and hand washing when timers sound and as needed.
Please be advised that our toilets remain closed as these are reserved for staff use only as part of our risk assessment.
Thank you for supporting all local business at this time and doing your bit to keep Bedford safe.
With love,
Tom, Andreas & all the team.
Try a Iced vanilla latte :)
If you have been to visit us since we opened again, thank you! We have had lots of reassuring comments about the set up and how our customers feel safe using it.
As the time passes we look to add more food options to our service.
At the moment our usual kitchen menu remains suspended. In place of our usual food offering and in a an effort to keep the service contact free, we are introducing picnic bags, to take away.
What is available?
You don't need to pre-order any of our products. Join the distanced queue and follow the collection process while maintaining your distance from others and the staff. This is a trial offering and we hope that it helps you to further enjoy your time outside with something more sustainable to eat!
Card payments only - Please use the Alcohol gel provided - Stay safe
A Selection of wraps and sandwiches, flavours may differ on the day.
All contain gluten
After over 6 weeks of closure we have been busy looking after the various areas of our business. We have made significant adaptations to our workspace to make the area more efficient and essentially, safer. Having all been though the motions of the lock down together, here are some of the precautions we will take as we start to come back to service and re-open parts of the business.
In addition to the precautions we took coming into this, we’re also adding and re-enforcing the following.
It is not quite The Longholme as we know it, but it is a welcome, safe, change to the new normal.
Please also take your own responsibility and precautions when you visit and keep at least 2 meters apart, use card payments where possible. Boat hire will remain closed at this time.
The Kiosk in Russell park will remain closed initially (if you have linked through). More updates later.
If you have symptoms, get well soon but please do not visit.
When you open a business, you start a journey into the unknown. This picture was taken on the day we opened in 2017. Along the imaginations of your journey, something like a global virus outbreak is never in the plans, but it's now everyone's problem & impacts our local community directly.
When we opened The Longholme we set a high standard and a basic requirement to look after our guests. During the outbreak we have assessed each update from the government and conducted our own risk assessments, with the main question being - can we safeguard against this and operate responsibly?
While we personally do need coffee to operate daily, sadly it would be non essential unless you enjoy it at home ( for the moment). Following the address from The Prime minster last night, we could not confidently satisfy our question any longer, the situation has caught us up.
In the interest of public protection, staff protection and to safeguard the business too, we have closed temporarily. We anticipate a 1 month closure but will review frequently as it may be longer. As a seasonal business, we hope to see some sunshine this summer and welcome everyone back for better times in 2020.
If you want to show your support at this time, if you haven't done so already, please leave us an online review and share your best memories, so we can look towards making more with you in the future.
With thanks to all our customers, our staff and our supplies at this difficult time. We will fight on for as long as we can and will endeavour to open again as soon as we can.
Tom, Andreas & Team Longholme
In line with the address from the prime minister today 20.03.2020,
we encourage you to stay at home.
We are diversifying our operation and becoming a take away only venue.
If however you are in the park for essential reasons, our amended services are available. Please order, pay with card and keep moving.
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM OTHERS
At a time when supplies may be short and people will be at home.
We encourage the use of home delivery services. Starting 23.03.2020.
If you are self isolating, please let us know when you order for a contact free delivery.
UPDATED 19.03.2020
ALONGSIDE AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF FOOD HYGIENE CHECKS AND PROCEDURES THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE, WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE BELOW TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. AS THE SITUATION CHANGES, AS WILL OUR OPERATION AND PRECAUTIONS.
CASH WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTED, FOR THE TIME BEING
WE’RE VERY SORRY FOR THIS INCONVENIENCE BUT WE HAVE MADE THIS DECISION TO PROTECT OUR STAFF AND OUR CUSTOMERS. All major card payments are very welcome, no minimum spends apply.
WE WILL OPERATE PRIMARILY AS A TAKE AWAY SERVICE.
TO SAFEGUARD OUR CUSTOMERS AND STAFF WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ORDER YOUR ITEMS AND UTILISE THE OPEN PARK SPACES LOCALLY, AWAY FROM OTHERS. VERY LIMITED SEATING WILL BE AVAILABLE AND OUR REAR COURTYARD WILL BE CLOSED. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS AND KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.
AT THIS TIME WE WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT RE-USABLE CUPS THAT CUSTOMERS BRING FROM HOME.
THIS IS TO LIMIT CROSS CONTAMINATION.
OUR CUPS & LIDS ARE RECYCLED AND FULLY BIODEGRADABLE.
ADDITIONAL ONGOING PRECAUTIONS ON SITE
· OUR STAFF WILL BE WASHING THEIR HANDS AT VERY FREQUENT INTERVALS
· HIGH TOUCH AREAS AND FOOD PREPARATIONS AREAS ARE BEING SANITISED REGULARLY WITH A ‘BS EN 1276’ COMPLIANT DISINFECTANT.
· STAFF WILL BE WEARING FOOD PREPARATION GLOVES WHERE POSSIBLE AND WHEN PREPARING FOOD.
· INDUSTRIAL VOLUMES OF HAND SANITISER ARE ON ORDER BUT HAVE BEEN DELAYED, PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU EAT OR DRINK
HOME DELIVERY SERVICES RETURNING SOON - UPDATES TO FOLLOW.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus. Symptoms may develop up to 14 days after exposure to someone who has COVID-19, these included - a persistent cough, difficulty breathing & fever.
If you have any of these symptoms or know someone that does, please stay at home and follow advice posted at www.nhs.uk or call 111 if you do not have internet access.
We are acting on the best advice available to us from www.gov.uk and using our best judgement.
If you have any questions that relate to our operation directly ( at any location) please contact us.
Tom , Andreas & The Team
© 2020 The Longholme TM
hello@thelongholme.com