Review of 'Oatcakes & Milkshakes'

Since moving to nearby Cheshire I have learned that “oakcakes” are a regional specialty of Staffordshire so have been keeping my ear to the ground for ideas on places to visit that serve them. A recent social media post led me to “Oatcakes & Milkshakes” which serves an unusual mixture of, yes, oatcakes (not so many) and milkshakes (lots of these) but it also boasts a huge array of other ice-cream based treats. Intrigued we visited on a particularly dull March Sunday which was unexpectedly quite busy with people sitting at the outdoor picnic tables despite the somewhat changeable weather and we even had to queue at the door for a table to become available.

Most of the groups in the restaurant were families with small children but there were a number of middle-aged couples as well (so we fit in well). On the left is the preparation and ordering area with limited, narrow, bar-style seating and on the right, at the front of the restaurant, are a series of large booths so seating is a bit tricky. We opted for the bar-style seating towards the back with an extremely shallow eating area facing what looks to be plasterboard covering up some construction they are doing. Not terribly auspicious.

The menu, frankly, is huge, divided into (wait for it): “Hot Drinks” and “Cold Drinks” (page 1), “Freshly Made Oatcakes” (make your own combination), “Oatcake Specials”, “All Day Breakfast” and “Sandwiches, Toasties, Muffins, Bagels & Baps” (make your own again) (page 2), “Burgers”, “Loaded Fries”, “Pizza Oatcakes”, and “Sides” (page 3), “Monster Shakes” (page 4), “Signature Shakes”, and “Standard Shakes” (page 5), “Cookie Dough”, “Cheesecake”, and “Pancakes” (page 6), “Waffles” and “Sundaes” (page 7) and finally a one-page advertisement for “Loaded Ice Cream Croissants” (£8 or £9.50 with a coffee). This sheer number of choices certainly keeps the large number of staff busy behind the counter, as we watched them scurry around for much of our visit.

What did seem to be most popular were the “Monster Shakes” which were huge concoctions dripping everywhere after being delivered to the table. We saw one topped with a full slice of cheesecake. Looked pretty messy to eat.

Well, we were here for the oatcakes so opted for their signature “The Belly Buster” (“Three layers of oatcakes filled with two bacon slices, two sausages, two fried eggs, beans, tin tomatoes, mushrooms and melted cheese.”; £11.50) though there is their biggest offering “The Ultimate” which I had seen on social media: “Five layers of oatcake filled with three hash browns, bacon, sausage, fried egg, beans, tin tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding and melted cheese.” (£15). Basically, each are a variation on the full English breakfast layered with oatcakes. We placed our order at the counter (we were told the self-service ordering machine was unreliable) we had to wait about 20-25 minutes before our meal was delivered to our narrow perch.

The oatcakes were, as expected, quite mild and got very soggy with the many wet fillings. The sausages were a bit underwhelming but the rest of the toppings were quite good. The tomatoes were not too acidic, there were, thankfully, not too many beans but there was a large amount of cheese which made it quite a heavy eat. I can't remember the mushrooms…may have just missed them? Anyway, in all, it was quite tasty but very filling meaning we had no room for what seems to be their biggest draw: The desserts.

We will need to come back to try their desserts but if you are looking for oatcakes, they undeniably have them and they are pretty good with some imaginative options available though you choose how you want them or simply order a (plain) stack to go. At just under £28 for the two of us including fruit juice it is a bit pricey but the service is good, and the place looked pretty clean and modern.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2025-03-16

Cuisine: American/British

Address: Contract House, Stone ST15 8QW ENGLAND

Location: Staffordshire (England) - Stone

Map:

Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 818807

URL: https://oandm.uk/