National Trust accused of ripping off parents with toddlers by charging 80p for a babyccino

Published: 01:37, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 01:37, 9 August 2026 The National Trust has been accused of ripping off parents with toddlers by charging for small cups of foamed milk at its cafes. In stark contrast to High Street chains which supply the so-called 'babyccinos' for free, the Trust charges 80p. The Babyccinos – hot foamed milk in a small cup – have become popular with toddlers wanting to mimic the cappuccinos or lattes that their mums and dads are drinking.  High Street coffee chains, including Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Caffe Nero, all provide the fun drink free of charge. The charge has infuriated parents across the country, and comes as the Trust is under fire for escalating membership fees. They have risen from £63 for an adult a decade ago to just over £100 now, with family membership rising from £111 to £176. Parents visiting the Trust's historic attractions, including Emmetts Gardens, an Edwardian hillside garden in Kent, and Chartwell in Kent, the former home of Winston Churchill, were amazed to be charged 80p for a babyccino at their cafes. One mum who took her toddler to visit Emmetts Garden, which charges up to £16.50 each for adult entry, told The Mail on Sunday: 'I ordered one for my daughter and couldn't believe they were charging for it when it was just a little bit of frothed milk in a cup!' A Babyccino made with whipped milk or cream with cocoa or cinnamon powder and marshmallow A barista, pictured, dusting cocoa powder on to a babyccino in an espresso cup At the National Trust cafe in Lacock, Wiltshire – which dates from Saxon times and has been a filming location for the BBC's Pride And Prejudice and the film Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince – a babyccino was also 80p. When The Mail on Sunday visited the cafe and ordered a babyccino alongside a standard coffee, our reporter was served a few mouthfuls of hot foamed milk – under 100ml – in an espresso cup. When asked why there was a charge for the tiny drink, the barista said they charged for cold milk so 'it was the same'. But in nearby Chippenham, Wiltshire, coffee chains Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero and Starbucks, all provided a babyccino free of charge when an adult was buying a drink. While none of them had a babyccino on the menu, all of them offered one upon request. In Caffe Nero the server said they were always happy to provide babyccinos when adults were buying other drinks. In Costa Coffee, the babyccino was nearly double the size of the National Trust version at just under 200ml, while in Starbucks, the server offered a small (100 ml) or large (around 200ml) size, both free of charge. A spokesman for the National Trust said: 'As a charity, we regularly review our pricing to ensure we can cover our costs and support the long-term future of the organisation, while still offering value for money to our members and visitors. 'We benchmark our food and beverage pricing against similar attractions and high street operators to ensure it remains broadly in line with industry standards. 'Given other outlets' pricing and some visitor feedback we've received, we are reviewing our babyccino pricing as part of our normal review cycle.'