What does Cafe Time serve?

A café and bakery menu of home-baked pies, cakes and pastries, alongside a blackboard menu of cooked breakfast and lunch dishes.

What are Cafe Time's opening hours?

Monday 6am–6pm, Tuesday to Friday 4am–6pm, and Saturday to Sunday 6am–6pm, 7 days a week.

Does Cafe Time make custom cakes?

Yes, for weddings, birthdays, novelty occasions and Christmas, including edible images and marzipan figurines.

Are gluten-free options available?

Yes, gluten-free options are available, including toasted sandwiches.

Does Cafe Time offer catering?

Yes, for meetings, events, corporate lunches and daytime catering, either in-house or delivered to your own business.

Is there Wi-Fi at Cafe Time?

Yes, free Wi-Fi is available for guests wanting to hold a meeting in the café.

Cafe Time

cafe — Tinwald · Ashburton

About Cafe Time

Cafe Time is a family-owned café and bakery in Tinwald, Ashburton, run by Scott and Lisa Stringer, who have owned the business for over 10 years. Everything on offer is handmade and baked fresh on site in the commercial kitchen out back, with baking starting as early as 4am, and meat, veggies and ingredients sourced locally where possible.

The cabinet is packed with pies, pastries, deli rolls, gingerbread men and lamingtons, alongside a blackboard menu of cooked breakfast and lunch dishes. Cafe Time is also known locally for its custom cake decorating, creating everything from wedding and birthday cakes to novelty designs with edible images or marzipan figurines, and for its homemade fudge, offered in around 40 flavours with a free taste available in store.

With a team of 10 staff, Cafe Time operates 7 days a week and also caters for meetings, events, corporate lunches and daytime catering, with free Wi-Fi available for guests wanting to hold a meeting on site.

Cafe Time: Ashburton's Home Baking Institution in Tinwald

Cafe Time has been a fixture of Tinwald, Ashburton, for over a decade under owners Scott and Lisa Stringer, who took on the business and have built it around fresh, handmade baking. Everything in the cabinet and on the blackboard menu is baked on site in the café's own commercial kitchen, with the team starting baking as early as 4am each day.

A cabinet full of home baking

Walk into Cafe Time at any time of day and the cabinet is stocked with pies, sausage rolls, savouries, filos, toasties, panini's, cream donuts, carrot cake, eclairs, fruit tarts, slices, muffins and plain croissants. It's the kind of classic Kiwi café cabinet built for a quick bite or a full morning tea spread, with meat, vegetables and ingredients sourced locally where possible.

A full blackboard menu

Beyond the cabinet, Cafe Time runs a blackboard menu covering proper sit-down meals — an all day breakfast, bacon and eggs, a fish meal with salad and fries, a Fishermans Basket, beef nachos, and a bacon and mushroom fettucine. Toasted sandwiches come with a gluten-free option, and soup is added to the menu in winter. A drinks list of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milkshakes, smoothies and cold drinks rounds out the offering.

Cake decorating as an art form

Cafe Time has built a real reputation around its custom cakes. The team creates cakes for weddings, birthdays, novelty occasions and Christmas, using edible images, shaped characters, or even marzipan figurines to bring a design to life — from a castle with tiny soldiers to a portrait cake for a milestone birthday. Cakes and gateaux are made to order in 8, 10 and 12 inch sizes, with each one built around the customer's own vision.

World famous fudge

Alongside the baking, Cafe Time is known for its homemade fudge, made in around 40 flavours. Guests unsure what to choose can come in for a free taste before deciding, and the fudge is also available in gift boxes — a popular pick-up for visitors and locals looking for a treat to take home.

Catering and meetings

Cafe Time also caters for meetings, events, corporate lunches and daytime catering, with free Wi-Fi available for anyone wanting to hold a meeting in the café itself. Tables can be booked ahead, and the team can bring catering to a customer's own business, or have a range of food ready to pick up for a special occasion like a 21st.

Visiting Cafe Time

Cafe Time is located at 37 Archibald Street in Tinwald, Ashburton, and operates 7 days a week. It's open Monday from 6am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday from 4am to 6pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 6pm. The café can be reached by phone for orders, cake enquiries or catering bookings.

Signature items

Homemade Fudge
Custom Occasion Cakes
All Day Breakfast
Fishermans Basket
Bacon & Mushroom Fettucine
Sausage Roll

Pies — A range of savoury pies.
Cheese & Onion Roll — A savoury cheese and onion filled roll.
Filos — Filled filo pastries such as bacon and mushroom or chicken.
Chips (Pottle) — A small pottle of chips.
Sausage Roll — A classic sausage roll.
Savouries — Assorted savoury cabinet food.
Savoury Danish — A savoury filled Danish pastry.
Toasties — Cheese and onion, or tomato and bacon toasties.
Bread Rolls/Sandwiches — Filled bread rolls and sandwiches.
Panini's — Toasted panini sandwiches.
Cream Donuts — Cream-filled doughnuts.
Carrot Cake — A slice of carrot cake.
Eclairs — Chocolate or banana eclairs.
Fruit Tarts — Fresh fruit tarts.
Slices — An assortment of baked slices.
Muffins — Texas-sized muffins.
Plain Croissants — Freshly baked plain croissants.

Blackboard Menu

All Day Breakfast — A full cooked breakfast, available all day.
Bacon & Eggs — A classic bacon and eggs breakfast.
Chips (Bowl) — A bowl of chips.
Fish Meal, Salad & Fries — Fish served with salad and fries.
Open Toasted Chicken Sandwich — An open toasted sandwich with chicken.
Hamburger — A classic hamburger.
Pancakes — A stack of pancakes.
Beef Nachos — Nachos topped with beef.
Fresh Salad — A fresh salad, with chicken or ham available to add.
Soup — Soup, available in winter only.
Toasted Sandwiches — Toasted sandwiches, with a gluten-free option available.
Wedges (Bowl) — A bowl of potato wedges.
Bacon & Mushroom Fettucine — Fettucine with bacon and mushroom.
Fishermans Basket — A basket of assorted seafood.
Eggs on Toast — Eggs served on toast.

Cakes & Gateaux

Custom Cakes — Made to order in 8, 10 or 12 inch sizes for weddings, birthdays, novelty designs and Christmas.
Gateaux — Made to order in 8, 10 or 12 inch sizes.

Frequently asked questions

What does Cafe Time serve?: A café and bakery menu of home-baked pies, cakes and pastries, alongside a blackboard menu of cooked breakfast and lunch dishes.
What are Cafe Time's opening hours?: Monday 6am–6pm, Tuesday to Friday 4am–6pm, and Saturday to Sunday 6am–6pm, 7 days a week.
Does Cafe Time make custom cakes?: Yes, for weddings, birthdays, novelty occasions and Christmas, including edible images and marzipan figurines.
Does Cafe Time sell fudge?: Yes, homemade fudge in around 40 flavours, with a free taste available in store and gift boxes for sale.
Are gluten-free options available?: Yes, gluten-free options are available, including toasted sandwiches.
Does Cafe Time offer catering?: Yes, for meetings, events, corporate lunches and daytime catering, either in-house or delivered to your own business.
Is there Wi-Fi at Cafe Time?: Yes, free Wi-Fi is available for guests wanting to hold a meeting in the café.

Tips

{"body":"A free taste is available in store across around 40 flavours.","title":"Try the fudge before you buy"}
{"body":"Wedding, birthday and novelty cakes with edible images or figurines can be made to order.","title":"Order custom cakes ahead"}
{"body":"Baking starts at 4am, and the café opens as early as 4am Tuesday to Friday.","title":"Come early"}
{"body":"Meetings, events and corporate lunches can be catered in-house or delivered to your business.","title":"Book ahead for catering"}

Good to know

{"wifi":"Free Wi-Fi is available for meetings held in the café.","dietary":"Gluten-free options are available, including toasted sandwiches."}