So much to choose from at Sweet William

Selections at Sweet William Coffee Shop and Bakery.
Photo by Susan Hassler
Selections at Sweet William Coffee Shop and Bakery.
I recently stopped into Sweet William Coffee Shop and Bakery at 17 Main St. in Salisbury on the way to Wassaic to get the train down to New York City.
Stumped by the tempting and ample selection of pastries, I opted for a blueberry scone, which has become my baseline for comparing bakeries, and a double espresso. The scone had just the right amount of crunch to the crust, revealing a light fluffy interior. The espresso was perfectly bitter with deep roasted notes, sweetened by brown sugar.
Sweet William works with two local businesses based out of Lee, Massachusetts: Barrington Coffee Roasting Company, which produces expertly roasted coffee beans; and High Lawn Farm, which delivers its exceptional, creamy Jersey cow’s milk. The lactose intolerant can add oat or almond milk.
Tea drinkers can choose from a selection of loose leaf teas, hot or iced, from Rishi Teas and Harney & Sons. Popular teas include Dona chai, Masala or Tumeric Ginger.
There’s seating in the back room, in front, and outside when the weather’s warmer. With limited time, I sadly wasn’t able to linger and taste through the whole menu, which was too much for one person anyway. But Sweet William offers a wide variety of tempting baked goods that will surely keep customers coming back for more.
Everything is made in house entirely from scratch. Popular items include scones, muffins, and cornbread with apricot ginger, cranberry orange, lemon blueberry, maple pecan, blueberry, date walnut, sunrise, gluten-free banana walnut, and gluten-free lemon poppyseed (vegan) varieties.
Also on offer are plain, almond, chocolate, and ham and cheese croissants; bacon and cheese or herb and cheese biscuits; maple cream cheese, pecan, and fruit danishes; bacon and cheese or spinach and cheese frittatas; chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger molasses, peanut butter, flourless chocolate, and gluten-free almond horn cookies. Also sold are oatmeal bowls, gluten-free coffee cake, cinnamon buns, turnovers, cakes and cupcakes.
Sweet William’s selection changes seasonally with so many delicious and decadent baked goods.
Orders can be placed online or by calling with 48 hours notice. Sweet William can also be contacted for same-day or short-notice orders by calling the shop directly at 860-435-3005.
I enjoyed myself so much at Sweet William that I missed my train, which seems to be a pattern I’m developing. Energized by espresso and a scone, I was able to kill time by hiking the Sharon Land Trust trail by Indian Lake between Sharon and Millerton, which has fantastic views overlooking the bucolic countryside.
Whether you’re en route to another destination or lucky enough to live here, Litchfield County’s cozy cafes provide just the right fuel for exploring its pastoral landscapes and charming towns.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.
Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.
MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.
The Pollinator Pathway program is a national effort to plant native plants that native insects depend upon for sustenance and preferred plants for their own seasonal reproduction.
Jana Hogan of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Executive Director of the Pollinator Pathway program, was on hand to present a plaque to the library for its successful participation.
“A garden is not just a garden,” said garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic, designer of the library’s garden. “It may serve as a model for other gardens along the line.”
Speaking to the 50 visitors at the dedication, Durbridge said that the library’s garden has a mission, that it is a working garden, planned to serve insects and birds over their seasons. The earliest plants support pollinators, while the full range of plants continues to serve the needs of those they attract, offering habitat, shelter and food.
A pollinator garden is akin to a prairie, rather than a formalized European garden, Durbridge noted.
The garden project was supported by the library’s Friends group using funds raised during the Holiday Silent Auction and ongoing book sale. A grant from the Millbrook Garden Club also provided support.
Amenia Town Hall on Route 22.
AMENIA — After gathering comments from the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals, as it considers adding alternate members to those boards, the Town Board discussed possible changes to local laws governing those boards at its meeting on Friday, Oct. 3. The meeting date, usually on a Thursday, had been changed to accommodate a holiday.
In recent weeks Town Board attorney Ian Lindars has been compiling comments from the affected boards along with comments from the Town Board. The new laws may bring the appointment of two alternate members to each board. Alternate members are likely to be required to attend all meetings and be prepared to be seated if needed and be familiar with the applications being discussed. They would also need to take training required of all board members.
Lindars will prepare a draft of the new local laws to be reviewed by the Town Board and the affected boards.
As the Town Board begins work on the town’s annual budget negotiation process and anticipating an increase in some budget lines to accommodate major projects, the board unanimously approved three resolutions. The first will override the tax levy limit imposed on municipalities by the state of New York, a limit generally tied to the rate of inflation.
A public hearing on the proposal to override the levy limit was set for Thursday, November 6, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.