This Charming New Hampshire Storybook Farmhouse Serves A Cozy Seasonal Lunch In A Fairytale Setting

I have eaten lunch in some beautiful places over the years, but I have never eaten anywhere that felt quite like this. The farmhouse looks like something from a children’s book, with a sloping roof and flower boxes under every window.

The building has been standing in New Hampshire for a very long time, and the people who run it have turned it into something truly special. They serve a seasonal lunch that changes depending on what is growing in the garden.

The day I visited, the soup was made from fresh tomatoes and basil. The sandwich was piled high with roasted vegetables and a soft cheese that melted into the bread.

I sat at a small table by the window, looking out at the herb garden and the woods beyond. The whole meal felt unhurried and intentional, like someone had cooked it just for me in their own kitchen.

That is the magic of this place. It is not a restaurant in the usual sense.

It is an experience.

The Storybook Cottage That Started It All

Long before social media made charming destinations go viral, this little white cottage in Mason was already famous, at least in the pages of a classic children’s book. The main structure dates back to 1786, making it one of the most historically rich dining spots in all of New Hampshire.

Walking up to it for the first time genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

The building served as the visual inspiration for the “Grandmother’s House” in Elizabeth Orton Jones’ illustrations for a beloved Little Golden Books edition of Little Red Riding Hood, published in 1948. That connection is not just a marketing angle.

It is woven into every corner of the property, from the hand-painted signs to the fairy-tale details inside.

Arriving along the narrow wooded road feels like entering a different era entirely. The cottage is compact and perfectly proportioned, with a character that no modern building could replicate.

Ivy creeps along the stone path, window boxes overflow with herbs, and the whole scene has a quietly theatrical quality. Pickity Place earns its storybook reputation before you even step through the front door.

New Hampshire has many beautiful corners, but this one is genuinely extraordinary.

A Fairytale Connection Worth Knowing About

Not many restaurants can claim a direct link to classic children’s literature, but Pickity Place does exactly that with genuine charm and zero pretension. The property embraces its Little Red Riding Hood heritage in the most delightful way possible.

A dedicated “Grandmother’s Room” sits within the garden grounds, complete with a resident “wolf” tucked into the bed, just waiting to surprise curious visitors.

Books, toys, and illustrated editions related to the story are available throughout the gift shops, making the whole experience feel cohesive rather than gimmicky. It is the kind of storytelling environment that works on multiple levels, enchanting for kids and genuinely fascinating for adults who appreciate history and folk art.

Elizabeth Orton Jones chose this specific cottage because of its archetypal New England character, and that same quality still radiates today. Standing inside the low-ceilinged rooms, surrounded by dried herbs and antique furnishings, you feel the weight of that creative legacy.

Pickity Place has honored that connection carefully over the decades. For anyone who grew up with Little Golden Books, stepping onto these grounds in New Hampshire is a quietly emotional experience that is hard to put into words.

The Five-Course Herbal Luncheon Experience

Lunch at Pickity Place is not just a meal. It is a properly paced, multi-course event that unfolds at exactly the right speed.

The fixed-price herbal luncheon runs through five courses, starting with crackers and a freshly made dip, moving through soup and salad, then a warm bread course, before arriving at the main event and finishing with dessert.

Every single element of the menu is built around fresh herbs and edible flowers harvested daily from the culinary gardens right on the property. The menu rotates monthly, which means returning visitors always have something new to look forward to.

I found that rhythm genuinely exciting, knowing the kitchen was working with whatever the garden was producing at that exact moment in the season.

Seating happens at three specific times throughout the day, and everyone at a given seating is served together, which creates a surprisingly communal atmosphere. The pace is relaxed but efficient, and the kitchen clearly takes real pride in each course.

For families with younger children, a special option called the “Grandmother’s Basket” is available, which is a thoughtful touch. Pickity Place understands that a great meal is as much about the experience as the food itself.

Gardens That Deserve Their Own Visit

Before lunch, after lunch, or honestly instead of anything else for a stretch of time, the gardens at Pickity Place demand full attention. The property features an impressive collection of themed outdoor spaces, each with its own personality and purpose.

There is a butterfly garden, a silver garden, an oregano garden, a bird garden, a healing garden, and a moonlight garden, all maintained with obvious care and botanical knowledge.

Walking through them feels like flipping through a very sensory encyclopedia of herbs and flowering plants. The aromas shift from section to section in the most satisfying way.

New Hampshire summers give these gardens a particular brilliance, with long daylight hours coaxing deep colors and rich fragrances from every planting bed.

Even in quieter seasons, the structure and texture of the garden designs remain compelling. The layout encourages slow exploration rather than a quick loop, and I found myself doubling back to linger in spots I had rushed through the first time.

Dried flower bundles hang in the greenhouse, adding a rustic sweetness to the air. Pickity Place treats its outdoor spaces as seriously as its kitchen, and that commitment shows in every carefully tended corner of the grounds.

The Gift Shops and Greenhouse Worth Exploring

Shopping at Pickity Place feels nothing like the standard tourist gift shop experience. The barn converted into a retail space stocks genuinely useful and locally relevant items, including herb plants, dip mixes, loose leaf tea blends, sea salts, and spice collections.

Everything feels purposeful and connected to the culinary identity of the property.

A second shop and the greenhouse add further layers to the browsing experience. The greenhouse is particularly lovely, fragrant with growing things and bathed in soft filtered light.

It is the kind of space where time moves differently, and I caught myself standing still for longer than planned simply because it felt so calming.

Unlike many gift shops that stock generic imports, the selection here reflects the character of the place itself. Unique items turn up that you genuinely cannot find elsewhere, and several are made or sourced specifically for Pickity Place.

I left with a bag of loose leaf tea and a small herb plant, both of which have since become regular fixtures in my kitchen. The shops are open during regular operating hours and well worth setting aside extra time to explore.

New Hampshire craft and culinary culture is represented thoughtfully throughout every shelf.

Planning Your Visit and Making Reservations

Showing up at Pickity Place without a reservation is a gamble that rarely pays off, especially on weekends or during peak foliage season. The cottage is genuinely small, and seating is limited by design.

Reservations are handled by phone only, and for popular dates, calling well in advance is strongly recommended.

Lunch is served at three daily seatings, and the menu choice is made at the time of reservation, which helps the kitchen prepare everything with care rather than chaos. The property is open seven days a week throughout most of the year, with slightly adjusted hours during the winter months.

A handful of major holidays are the only days it closes entirely.

The drive to Mason along back roads through New Hampshire woodland is part of the experience. Cell reception gets thin near the property, which most people find unexpectedly pleasant once they arrive.

A school bell rings to signal that lunch is ready, and that small theatrical detail sets exactly the right tone for what follows. Arriving a few minutes early gives you time to begin exploring the gardens before being seated, which is the ideal way to ease into the afternoon.

Pickity Place rewards those who plan ahead generously.

The Seasonal Menu That Changes Every Month

One of the most genuinely exciting things about Pickity Place is that the menu never stands still. Every month brings a completely new set of recipes, built around whatever herbs and edible flowers are thriving in the gardens at that moment.

That commitment to seasonality keeps the experience fresh regardless of how many times you visit.

Main course options typically include one meat dish and one vegetarian preparation, both developed with the same care and herbal focus.

The beverages rotate too, with options like spiced tea, raspberry peach tea, mocha coffee, and seasonal specials such as lavender lemonade or mulled cider appearing at different points in the year.

No alcohol is served, and the non-alcoholic lineup is creative enough that nobody misses it.

Regular visitors plan their visits around specific seasonal menus, timing trips to coincide with summer herb harvests or the richer, warming flavors of autumn and winter. The January menu, the June menu, and the October menu each carry their own distinct personality.

Pickity Place treats the changing of the menu as a genuine culinary event, and the kitchen clearly relishes the creative challenge of building something new and cohesive each month. New Hampshire seasons provide spectacular raw material.

The Atmosphere and Ambiance Inside the Cottage

Stepping inside the main cottage at Pickity Place is an immediate sensory shift. The ceilings are low, the beams are original, and the rooms carry the particular warmth of a building that has been genuinely lived in and loved for centuries.

Dried herbs hang from the rafters, filling the air with a subtle, layered fragrance that shifts as the warmth of the kitchen moves through the space.

The dining area is intentionally compact, which creates an intimacy that larger restaurants simply cannot replicate. Tables are close together, conversations blend pleasantly, and the overall energy is animated without being overwhelming.

It is cozy in the truest sense of the word, not a design choice but a natural outcome of the architecture and scale.

Natural light filters through small-paned windows, casting soft patterns across the wooden floors. The decor is organic and unpretentious, mixing antique pieces with garden-fresh details that change with the seasons.

Poppy the cat has been known to make appearances around the property, adding one more layer of warmth to an already deeply charming environment. Pickity Place does not manufacture its atmosphere.

It has simply allowed something genuinely beautiful to develop over time, and that authenticity is impossible to fake.

A Perfect Day Trip From Anywhere in New England

Mason sits in the southern tier of New Hampshire, making it genuinely accessible from a wide swath of New England. The drive from Boston takes roughly an hour, and the approach through quiet rural roads adds significantly to the overall feeling of escape.

By the time you reach the dirt road leading to the property, the outside world has already started to recede.

Pairing the lunch with an afternoon of garden exploration and gift shop browsing easily fills three to four hours without any sense of rushing. Many visitors arrive early to wander the grounds before their seating time, then linger afterward over the shops and greenhouse.

The whole rhythm of the day naturally slows to match the property’s pace.

Autumn is particularly spectacular, with New Hampshire foliage turning the surrounding woodland into a full sensory spectacle. Spring brings the gardens back to life with fresh growth and fragrant early blooms.

Even winter visits carry a specific magic, with bare branches and low light giving the cottage a hushed, intimate quality.

Pickity Place is genuinely rewarding in every season, and the monthly menu rotation gives motivated visitors a genuine reason to return throughout the entire year without a single repeated experience.

Finding Pickity Place and What To Expect on Arrival

Pickity Place is located at 248 Nutting Hill Rd, Mason, NH 03048, and GPS will get you there, though cell reception fades as you get close. The final stretch along the dirt road is part of the charm, so slow down and enjoy it rather than stressing about the navigation.

Parking is in a small lot adjacent to the property.

Arriving a few minutes before your reservation time is genuinely useful. The gardens are open for exploration before and after lunch, and getting there early means more time outside before the school bell calls everyone in.

The atmosphere on arrival is welcoming and unhurried, with the gift shop and greenhouse accessible throughout the visit.

Dress comfortably and practically if you plan to walk the garden paths, especially in wet weather when the grounds can be soft underfoot. The cottage has no air conditioning, so summer visits are warmest inside, though the gardens provide plenty of shade and fresh air between courses.

Pickity Place can be reached by phone at 603-878-1151, and the website at pickityplace.com has current menu information and seasonal updates.

New Hampshire has no shortage of beautiful destinations, but few deliver this particular combination of history, nature, and genuine culinary craft.