A new chapter has officially begun at Willen Lake, with Drift Bar & Restaurant now open and welcoming customers to its stunning lakeside location.

The former Willen Lake café has reopened under new operators, with partners Leigh Strathearn and Mo Abdul pictured at the venue, following a rapid turnaround to get the much-loved space back open for visitors to the lake.

Rather than keeping the venue closed while major plans are developed, the team made it a priority to reopen as quickly as possible, giving walkers, families, runners, cyclists and visitors somewhere to eat, drink and relax throughout the summer.

Drift is currently open daily, offering breakfast, lunch and evening food alongside freshly made coffee, drinks and a growing food and beverage menu – all with one of Milton Keynes’ best lakeside views.

And while the doors are now open, the team says this is very much just the beginning.

Work is already underway on the upstairs area, which is being refurbished to create a warmer, more comfortable and inviting space that can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Plans include new projectors for live sport, a pool table, improved seating and a cosier atmosphere, helping transform the upper floor into somewhere customers can settle in for a drink, meet friends, watch major sporting events or simply enjoy the views across Willen Lake.

These improvements form just part of a much wider programme of changes planned for Drift, with the operators continuing to develop the venue over the coming months ahead of a more extensive refurbishment in the New Year.

Leigh Strathearn, partner at Drift, said: “The most important thing for us was getting the doors back open. Willen Lake is such a fantastic location and we didn’t want the café sitting empty during the summer while we worked on longer-term plans.

“We’ve moved incredibly quickly to get Drift up and running, and the response so far has been brilliant. We know there are things we want to improve and change, and we’re already doing that. The work upstairs is one of the first steps, but there is so much more to come.

“Our aim is to create somewhere that works just as well for a morning coffee after a walk around the lake as it does for lunch with the family, drinks with friends, watching the football or spending an evening overlooking the water.”

Fellow partner Mo Abdul added: “We have some really exciting ideas for Drift and we want to make the most of what is an incredible location. We’re listening to customers, making improvements and gradually introducing new elements to the venue.

“This isn’t the finished product – it’s the start of what we want Drift to become.”

As well as its everyday food and drink offering, Drift will increasingly become a destination for live entertainment, sporting events, parties and celebrations, with the venue also available for private and corporate hire.

The impressive lakeside venue offers flexible event spaces for everything from smaller celebrations to much larger occasions, with the whole venue capable of accommodating up to 400 people and the upstairs space accommodating around 200 guests.

The venue also benefits from a veranda and spectacular views across the lake, making it a unique setting for parties, celebrations, corporate events and private functions.

Drift is working with local suppliers wherever possible and will continue to evolve its food, coffee and drinks offering as the team settles into the venue and gathers feedback from customers.

The longer-term vision is to create a genuine all-day lakeside destination – somewhere people can visit from breakfast through to evening drinks, while introducing more events, entertainment and reasons to visit throughout the year.

Leigh added: “Willen Lake already attracts so many people, but we think there’s a huge opportunity to create a venue that becomes a destination in its own right. We’re only a few weeks into the journey and there’s a lot more planned.

“For now, we just want people to come down, enjoy some food or a drink, take in the view and see Drift beginning to take shape.”

Drift Bar & Restaurant at Willen Lake is now open daily.