The Peckish Café, Haywards Heath, East Sussex...

There's a whacky music shop next door to the Peckish Café in Haywards Heath in East Sussex and I simply had to take a look before checking out the culinary delights of the caff, of which more later. I didn't spend more than a minute in the music shop as a change of ownership was underway. I spoke to the man who had taken over, who hailed from a more well-known establishment in London's Denmark Street, and he explained how there were big plans afoot for the shop, but from what I could see there was nothing but a jumble of musical instruments of all shapes and sizes. I figured I might be able to get a decent Fender Precision bass guitar for a next-to-nothing price - not that I can play a note, but I'm good at working things out and have always fancied sitting around at home on a cold winter's night trying to work out the bass line of this or that tune. The man started talking about some obscure brand of instrument for just £299 and I figured that it wouldn't be up to much so I made my excuses and left (and I won't be returning despite exhibiting a level of crazed enthusiasm for what the man was planning to do with the place).

You can see it from the train!

I bowled into the Peckish Café next door with all the bravado of a seventies television game show host and was immediately taken aback by the general finish of the place; let's just say it was a little, well, down at heel is probably the kindest way to describe it. I don't know about you, but when a place looks a little rough there's a strong chance that the food might be equally rubbish, although there was a fair choice of breakfasts and omelettes, 'jacked potatoes', main courses, paninis, sandwiches and what have you all at the sort of prices you might expect to pay in a 'caff' these days. And when I say 'the sort of prices you might expect to pay', I mean 'extortionate'. That might be a little harsh, but then it is a criticism of caffs in general where simple menu items (like, say, a chicken baguette) will cost the earth. Take, for instance, a chicken and pesto panini (not on the menu, but I asked for one as I preferred not to eat the chicken and cheese panini which didn't really appeal). They gave me an initial strange look – 'he wants to veer off of the main menu!' – but they agreed and soon, along with a large mug of tea that set me back a reasonable but oddly priced £1.59 – I was given my lunch. To be honest (because I'm nothing but honest on this blog) it was a little disappointing mainly because of its size; it was small and I expected more for the money, even if they did offer salad and I refused it. I guess the salad would have made it look a little more value-for-money than it was, but it was £5.49 for the panini and £1.59 for tea (why £1.59?) and together that added up to £7.08. I suppose, judging by the prices in other caffs it's on a par, but I still felt a little resentful paying just over seven quid for a tiny chicken roll and a mug of tea. And guess what? No dessert menu. I was in the mood for an apple pie and custard, but was told they don't offer them anymore. Why the hell not? Surely an apple pie and custard is a caff staple, or it should be. Clearly not at the Peckish Café where those feeling peckish might question the very name of the establishment if they can't order a simple dish like an apple pie.

Chicken and pesto pannini and tea

The general grubby nature of the decor was a little off-putting, especially when there was a large Waitrose café just across the road where, dare I say it, slightly more well-heeled people were on their iPads and doing things Waitrose people like to do; but don't get me wrong, I'm a caff lover through and through and places like the Peckish Café are always high on my agenda. I just think it could do with a lick of paint and some decent tables and a dessert menu... and they need to take a long hard look at their portion sizes. To me, caffs are all about big portions (huge portions) and value for money and for some reason the down-at-heel decor didn't do the Peckish Café any favours. Not that I was longing for the Waitrose Café, I wasn't, but the meal was just not cricket I'm afraid, something was amiss and it had plenty to do with portion size and no desserts. That said, I'm glad they didn't have any desserts because I'm in the mood for comfort eating at the moment (I need the comfort, believe me, I need it) and it would have been something else to fret about on the bike ride home. Talking of which, I need to change into my cycling gear and get out on the road!