Leaf - East Hertfordshire

I have been a long standing customer at Leaf frequenting the cafe (sometimes daily) since its opening. I was so excited when Leaf opened, even though I didn 't have children at the time, as I love cafe bookstores and the coffee and cakes were always top notch. Rebecca created such a warm and welcoming atmosphere that kept me coming back, even after she had moved on. So, I was extremely disappointed today when I was (politely) reprimanded for bringing food from home for my 15 month old. This is a tricky matter, I understand, as the cafe is a business, but as my child is still young and sitting in a highchair I didn 't really feel that the cafe food only policy needed to apply to me. My child also has an egg allergy, which means that I can 't simply order from a menu. In addition to speaking to me, two other mums with babies who couldn 't have been older than 8 months, eating purees, were also spoken to... The sign on the wall clearly says that baby food is the exception. The owner mentioned that they sell baby food Ella 's Kitchen pouches which is lovely, but it is a parent 's right to decide what they feed their babies, so to insinuate that these mums should have been giving their babies anything other than what they felt comfortable with was taking liberties. I would also understand my having been spoken to if I had been sitting there with a glass of tap water, but I always order something for myself at least a coffee and cake and I am reasonable about the amount of time I spend in the cafe, so as not to take tables from others. Today, there were plenty of empty chairs and tables. When I left I decided to share my thoughts with the new owner. She did not apologise or attempt to make amends, but instead blamed the former management for creating the policy and tried to defend herself by saying how difficult it is to manage parents who don 't order food and use the cafe like a free soft play. I think, perhaps, that this is discussion better had with a business advisor or with colleagues than with me the customer. I have had plenty of pleasant experiences at Leaf cafe and I won 't let one unfortunate incident overshadow years of the kind of customer service which makes a place feel like a second home. Sadly, though, it seems as though the once welcoming atmosphere has faded and the response I had to my frustration made me feel as if they would rather see my regular business go than to concede that perhaps they 've been a bit hasty. That 's fine. I don 't claim to sustain the cafe on my own and I am not trying to ruin a business, but if they continue not to discriminate between long standing, respectful customers and those that are taking advantage they are going to alienate a very large and powerful percentage of their clientele Hertford mums.

This lovely cafe is hidden away on the main cross roads, it is lovely inside and the owner is lovely, she is called Carol and writes her own cake making books. I ordered porridge which was lush, it had raisins, cinnamon and tasted fab. What was lovely to see is that you get your choice of bread and it comes with melted butter and jam. Carol is very welcoming and I would recommend to anyone to just come in and relax. It is a nice coffee and cake shop with WiFi and outside seating.

Recently visited leave café this month it’s little overpriced for what it is. It’s a lovely establishment for A coffee and cake. I go sometimes to do some work meeting. when I recently visited toilets were disgusting The nappy bin was full to the rim and it is quite dirty in the toilet area unfortunately. Needs a make over apart from that I enjoyed I vist. The staff are friendly helpful. :

Wow What an amazing cafe It’s a little jewel Service amazing and the cakes were divine The only problem is I didn’t have enough time to sample more of the beautiful cakes on offer I would return to Hertford purely for this cafe And thank you for making my granddaughter who is 2 so welcome I will be back

The cafe itself is a good concept and seems welcoming for children and parents, but the behavior of the lady behind the till was unacceptable. This experience has made my daughter-in-law hesitant to go out in public, which is a shame. My suggestion would be to place the buy books in a higher location to prevent them from being touched by young children.