A new ‘horse box’ coffee truck has opened on the Harleyford Estate in Marlow with plans to work with Tom Kerridge and Jack Blumenthal.

The private country estate on Henley Road has been owned by the Folley family for four generations.

It was the descendants of current Marina Manager Tim Folley who created the Harleyford Marina and Golf Course, and Tim’s team – who have also dedicated parts of the estate to commercial and office space – aren’t done expanding and accentuating their facilities yet.

James Owen, Commercial Manager for the estate, said the addition of a new ‘horse box’ café outside the marina office has been long in the works and is an opportunity for management to “give something back”.

The café, which is currently operating on a six-month trial basis, is intended for those paying to use the estate but members of the public have already happened upon it via a nearby footpath.

It’s no surprise that positive attention is mounting, with a drinks menu just one element of the enterprise, alongside a range of hot food and a newly acquired alcohol licence.

READ MORE: Council warns public 'do not feed red kites'

The horse box theme, James said, was chosen in recognition of a famous war horse that is buried and memorialised on the estate – also the reason for the front of the marina being named The Paddock.

Created in collaboration with The Cedar Coffee Shop on West Street, the café is already a thoroughly local enterprise but plans to capitalise further on Marlow’s rich culinary scene are also in the works.

James said: “We were introduced to the owner of Cedar's, Ralph Kheir, by a friend of the estate who knows pretty much every single person in the town.

“I popped in on my way to work one day to ask if he’d want to work with us on staffing, manning and running the horse box, and he said he’d always wanted to do something like it.

“The weather’s not great at the moment, but when high season comes in, we’re hoping it will really pick up. There might be one-off events with Tom Kerridge's team at The Hand and Flowers, and we’re in talks with Marlow and Henley Gin and Jack Blumenthal’s Ginger Wings.

“It’s definitely something that’s been on the cards for ages.”

Excepting occasional footpath walkers, the Harleyford ‘Horse Box’ is, as it stands, primarily for the exclusive use of the estate’s commercial and office users.