teashopandcaff

Fried food not always bad for the heart, says Yahoo!

2012-01-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sunflower oil

Yahoo Lifestyle writes: "Eating food which has been fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or an earlier death, a new study has found.

"Although the findings debunk the myth that all fried food is bad for the heart, the researchers stressed that the study took place in Spain, where sunflower and olive oil are routinely used for frying, and the results would likely be different for other countries which use lard and other types of cooking oils.

"Frying is one of the most common methods of cooking in Western countries. Fried food is high in calories because the food absorbs the fat of the oils."

Read all about it by clicking here.

Hats off to Costa Coffee...for its lemon sponge cake

2012-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Costa Coffee - even better when they're inside a decent bookshop like Waterstone's

Just spent an enjoyable 30 minutes or so sitting in a Costa Coffee in the basement of a Waterstone's on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow and I must say, hats off to the guys at Costa for an excellent slice of lemon sponge cake - I loved every bit of it. Okay, perhaps it was a little bit on the large side, but there's something good about bookshops and coffee shops under one roof.

Books Etc used to have an integral coffee shop, but they're long gone. The Sauchiehall Street Waterstone's was huge and on many levels. I almost bought a book until I realised I was broke. Still, the tea and cake were very pleasant.

Books I considered buying were: Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridien; On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan; A Good School by Richard Yates. Being skint, I bought nothing and decided to console myself with a cup of tea and a piece of cake, which set me back £4.10!

I sat there reading Dave Gorman's latest book, which I'd brought with me. All good stuff, though.

Quick service restaurants account for half of all meals eaten out... says NPD

2012-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

London: 15th January 2012 – It’sofficial: consumers in the UK have developed a growing appetite for fast (quickservice) food. The latest data from independent foodservice research agency NPDGroup shows that over half of all meals eaten out of the home are now boughtfrom fast food restaurants.   When it comes to visiting restaurants, NPD’s data reveals atrend of changing habits among British consumers. There has been a fourpercentage point increase in the use of quick service restaurants since 2008,with consumers making 5.5 billion visits to these outlets in 2011, compared to5.4 billion in 2008. Lunch has also been an important factor in the growth ofthe quick service food business, accounting for almost three quarters (72%) ofthe sector’s growth and a 7% increase in the number of visits since 2008.

While quick service has been growing, the restaurants experiencingthe greatest drop are those in the workplace and education - whose share of themarket has shrunk by 2.6 percentage points - from 19.5% in 2008 to 16.9% in theyear ending September 2011. NPD believes the decline in this sector isattributable to quick service restaurant chains offering menu options,promotions and discounts that attract workers and students away from theiroffice/campus and into their restaurants.  Guy Fielding, NPD’s Director ofFoodservice for Europe believes consumers in the capital are also a keyinfluence in the growth of the quick service sector. “Consumers in London” hesays “spent 7% more in restaurants this year and it is the quick servicerestaurants, serving burgers, ethnic dishes and chicken that have led thatgrowth. It’s also about the quick service restaurants giving Londoners a gooddeal. Meal deals and promotions account for 27% of spend at commercialrestaurants in London, but they accounted for 100% of the growth. Consumers inLondon may eat out more than in other areas of the country, but only when thedeal is right.”

NPD’sresearch also shows that consumers in London are more likely (55%) to visitquick service restaurants, when compared to 49.5% for consumers in the rest ofthe country.

Edinburgh teashops

2011-12-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

What you might find at Clarinda's in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of those cities where sitting in a teashop, perhaps with time to kill before taking a train to anywhere, north, south or west (not east as you'd end up in the sea) is a very chilled out experience. A good book to read, a millionaire's shortbread to tuck into, what could be better?

Well, the Journal On-line has produced a guide to the Scottish capital's teashops. Click here for more.

Godstone farm shop opens a caff...

2011-12-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

Flower Farm shop, Godstone – now there's a caff too!

I've been to this farm shop on the A25 in Godstone and it's fantastic. To make things even better, they've opened a teashop.

Rock star opens teashop...

2011-12-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan is opening a teashop in his native Illinois, USA.

Billy Corgan

Confirmation of Lobster Pot opening times...

2011-11-07T23:37:00.000-08:00

The opening hours of the Lobster Pot in Felpham are as follows, says owner Tom Barnes:

"We open daily at 8am until 6pm as a café and then we run an evening service from 6pm until 11pm Tuesday to Saturday (last orders at 9pm)."

Thanks for that, Tom.

Sandwiches - a significant market in the UK, says NPD Group

2011-10-19T01:44:00.001-07:00

London: 19th October 2011 – The future looks challenging for traditional sandwich makers, as retailers, coffee shops, supermarkets and petrol stations expand their ranges to offer variety and value, backed by the convenience of availability at all points of the day. That is the key finding of latest research from foodservices specialists, The NPD Group.

Research from NPD shows that consumers seeking value and convenience are the big winners at the moment. Growth in the take-away sandwich category has predominantly been in retail, supermarket, and petrol stations, where value and convenience are key features. At the same time, supermarkets and other retailers are increasing their number of outlets, putting them in direct competition with fast food players on the high street for sales at core meal times, including lunch and dinner.

The sandwich market is a significant one in the UK and in the 12 months ending June 2011, the number of sandwiches bought to eat out of the home grew by 87.6 million (from 1.9 billion to 2.0 billion) – an increase of 4.5% over the same period to June 2010. Outlets gaining the most from the increased sales were pubs (where sandwich sales increased by 31.5 million sandwiches), coffee shops (up by 27.4 million sandwiches) and retail/supermarkets, selling 19.9 million more sandwiches to eat on the go. In the same period, quick service sandwich specialists achieved minor growth of 1% for the year ending June 2011, selling an extra 6.7 million sandwiches, although their quick service bakery counterparts posted 4% growth for the same period; an increase of just over 7 million sandwich servings.

Commenting on the change to the competitive landscape for traditional sandwich brands, Guy Fielding, NPD’s Director of Foodservice says: “Non-sandwich specialists are offering the convenience of longer opening hours, a good choice of fillings at a wide range of price points and revolving menus that ensure variety. They are also packaging sandwiches and drinks into ‘meal deals’ for value and adding innovations such as smaller portions, half sandwiches, or ‘skinny’ offerings. Basically, they are making it possible to pick up a fresh, good value sandwich-based meal when and where we want, without going out of our way to buy it. It is a real step-change for this sector of the food market. ”

Article from NPD. For further information, log on to www.npd.com

2011-10-12T03:13:00.000-07:00

Coolberry Cafe rejuvenates frozen yoghurt

The fortunes of frozen yoghurt look set to be rejuvenated by Coolberry Cafe, a brand developed by former BB’s Coffee and Muffins executive Michelle Young.

Coolberry Cafe - expect big things.

Young is planning a two-pronged approach to marketing her new product. One is to offer coffee shop and cafe proprietors what she calls a good add-on product – complete with brand support material for in-store sales; and two is the development of a mobile concept aimed primarily at event catering.

According to Young, frozen yoghurt has re-emerged as a lifestyle product with a strong healthy eating agenda.

“People are much more aware of the health benefits,” she said, adding that the product is made in Italy and offers a refreshing, light taste similar in style to a sorbet.

Coolberry Cafe is targeting coffee shops, high street bakeries and sandwich outlets, offering branded or unbranded refrigeration equipment and point-of-sale. Young, who has also penetrated the education sector, claims that her product is not seasonal and that sales figures prove its popularity throughout the year.

The mobile Coolberry Cafe idea, while in its infancy, has already proved successful for Young and she plans to expand it next year, possibly looking at franchising.

“It’s a good format and there are so many events next year,” she said.

Coolberry Cafe frozen yoghurt is dispensed through a soft serve ice cream machine and resembles a Mr Whippy in terms of appearance.

Young argues that while some people, particularly the older generation, fail to understand frozen yoghurt as a concept, most people who try it walk away with a smile on their faces.

Select Service Partner buoyant, claims Keating

Tony Keating, the CEO of Select Service Partner (SSP), claims that the company is ‘doing well in difficult times’.

Caffe Ritazza - a leading SSP brand.

The international travel catering business operates 25 different foodservice brands in 30 countries and, according to Keating, is operating in growth markets – predominantly air and rail.

“Throughout the world, passenger numbers are recovering,” said Keating, reaffirming SSP’s long-term commitment to the sector ‘today and tomorrow’.

Keating highlighted an understandable sales dip for SSP in Egypt, but added that, despite the troubles there, sales had started to recover.

Keating said that SSP’s Uppercrust brand has been ‘amazingly successful’ as it is genuinely an ‘on the move’ product offering. The brand is 100 per cent company-owned and operates 60 units in the UK. Growth plans are focused around airports.

SSP’s Millie’s Cookies will grow through franchising and has a presence in most of the UK’s best shopping centres. The brand makes a five per cent contribution to SSP’s £600 million UK turnover and is a ‘strong revenue generator’, according to Keating.

As a Burger King franchisee, SSP has outlets in most of its UK locations and would consider airports for future development, should client demand arise. Keating said that SSP clients tend to avoid operating Burger King and McDonald’s on the same site.

SSP is a Soho Coffee Co franchisee and has plans to expand the brand, which is food-led. There are currently two units at Manchester Airport and one at Birmingham Airport’s Terminal Two.

SSP owns and runs 45 Caffe Ritazza units in the UK and 140 globally. The Ritazza brand works well for SSP, according to Keating, as it is licensed and provides a flexible day-part offering for travellers.

The priority for Caffe Ritazza, said Keating, was driving like-for-like sales in existing stores and rolling out the brand’s new format as and when opportunities arise.

SSP plans to remain focused on the travel sector. With a presence at over 250 airports globally, the company hopes to win more business in the USA and expand its operations in Asia.

I Made it For You - opens in Hoxton

A ‘greasy spoon’ cafe, formerly known as The Teapot, has re-opened as I Made it For You, a tea and home-made cakes operation based in Hoxton, London.

The concept is the brainchild of Karen Byrne and Tom Hopkinson and is very much based upon selling traditional tea and cakes baked on the premises.

I Made it For You opened in September and has been a labour of love for Byrne and Hopkinson who are self-confessed foodies.

“The whole idea is about being in somebody’s kitchen. All the baking is done on shop floor and a big inspiration has been Tom’s mum’s kitchen in Shropshire,” Byrne explained, adding that the menu is limited because of the size of the kitchen.

“We’re hoping to offer hot stews daily and have applied for an alcohol licence. The plan is to open in the evening and sell a selection of Irish cheeses, ham hock terrine and pork pies. It’s all about using free range meats and high quality produce – the sort of thing you eat at home,” Byrne said.

During the day, I Made if For You is ‘a nice cafe’, according to Byrne, where the main focus will be on serving tea and cake.

Tea, supplied by London-based Postcard Teas, is served in pot. There are 10 different varieties on offer including five black teas and two oolongs as well as chai and Pu-ehr, a Chinese tea.

According to Byrne, the plan is to develop a local audience and focus on weekday trade initially.

“We’re hands on and do all the cooking,” Byrne said, explaining how her day starts at 6am with baking Welsh cakes, which are similar to scones.

“Tom does the coffee and we might swap over, but customers can ask us what we’re doing; the idea is that you’re in our kitchen and you’re eating hot food straight from our ovens,” Byrne added.

Indie operator in Stratford’s Westfield

David Dickinson, a Putney-based independent coffee shop operator, has opened a store in the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, East London.

Independent coffee shop Grind can be found in Stratford's Westfield.

The former musician was approached by a regular customer who was also a director of Westfield - and a big fan of Dickinson’s South West London coffee shop.

Over the past two years, Dickinson’s Grind coffee shop in Putney has received a great deal of positive publicity based purely on the quality of the coffee, the service and the store’s general vibe.

The Westfield director approached Dickinson with a view to Grind opening inside the shopping mall, but Dickinson was initially reluctant to proceed.

“I didn’t really know if it was the route to take. I had no finance, but to cut a long story short, they [Westfield] said that they would back me,” he said.

Grind’s Stratford Westfield unit is located in the Great Eastern Market section of the mall and opened to the public on September 13. It opens seven days a week and serves an antipodean style of coffee and a range of products baked on-site such as ANZAC biscuits as well as sandwiches, brownies and cakes.

Dickinson describes Grind’s Westfield store as a local cafe in a mainstream market.

“It’s very busy, but relaxed and homely,” he said.

The Egg Café, Liverpool

2011-07-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Egg Café entrance – purple and bohemian. It's funny how, out of 'mauve'
and 'purple', the latter sounds just a little bit more alive.

Well, with a name like The Egg Café, it wasn't going to be long before it came to the attention of this blog. Founded in 1984 by Janine Pinion, it's located in the heart of Liverpool (just off of Bold Street, near Central Station) and it's a little bit trendy – in good way. There's an independent art gallery on site (Eggspace) and it claimed to have a relaxed and bohemian atmosphere. Brilliant! For more, click here.

The only downside is that it's a vegetarian caff – no sausages or black pudding – but if you need a rest from high-fat cuisine, it's worth a try.

Personally, I love the bohemian, ground floor entranceway.

Six of the best places for a decent cuppa

2011-06-17T01:34:00.000-07:00

Yahoo has put together a list of the best places to enjoy a cup of tea. Click here for details.

Pay by phone, not by cash

2011-06-17T01:29:00.000-07:00

Almost one quarter (23 per cent) of people are interested in using their mobile phone ito pay for purchases, according to a survey by YouGov and take-up of what is being called “wave and pay” technology is expected to be rapid.

Forget cash, use your mobile instead

However, while five per cent of those surveyed claimed that they would get the technology as soon as it's available, 48 per cent said they won't be rushing out to swap their real wallet for a mobile phone-based alternative.

When it comes to awareness levels, more than a third (36 per cent) of respondents admitted they didn't know if their existing phone was enabled to make cashless payments with a technology known as Near Field Communications (NFC).

Russell Feldman, a YouGov Consultant behind the research said that many consumers were attracted to the idea of paying via their mobile phone and that retailers, mobile operators and handset manufacturers have a real opportunity to educate consumers about the advantages of paying for goods and services in this way.

"We believe that once people have seen it in practice they will be quick to adopt it," said Feldman.

The top perceived benefits of a mobile phone-based payment system are convenience to pay (87 per cent); the speed of paying (67 per cent); easier than carrying cash and cards (67 per cent); better for the environment (37 per cent); less chance of losing personal information than with paper receipts (35 per cent); and being able to keep track of spending more easily (29 per cent).

The main reason for respondents not planning to use mobile payment in the future is that they are happy with the way they pay now (67 per cent). There are also concerns about security and fraud (56 per cent), and some respondents say they either don't need a mobile payment system or aren't interested (both at 45 per cent).

However, 44 per cent are concerned about viruses or 'malware' and even those already planning to adopt the new technology have concerns over security and fraud (79 per cent). Viruses and malware are also top worries for this group (66 per cent).

According to Feldman, there will always be consumer concerns about adopting any new technology, He argued that consumers need to be certain that these genuine worries have been addressed before they fully embrace the idea.

"Our research suggests that consumers see using NFC technology as inevitable, and they are expecting supermarkets, mobile phone and consumer electronics retailers to be the first to offer contactless payments.”

Ten things you didn't know about coffee shops...

2011-05-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Starbucks – the first unit opened on Pike Street Market, Seattle, WA.

Yahoo Lifestyle has an interesting feature on coffee retailing. Click here for more.

If ever you're in Connecticut...

2011-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

...it looks as if a visit to the Savvy Tea Gourmet is definitely not to be missed.

Click here for more details.

Gary Parda and Julie Guard of the Savvy Tea Gourmet. Photo
courtesy of World Tea News (.com)

The Lobster Pot in Felpham: fancy waiting an hour for a sausage sandwich?

2011-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

A rather nice illustration of Felpham's Lobster Pot restaurant.

Look, I'm going to be honest from the start: in my opinion Felpham's Lobster Pot restaurant on the West Sussex coast near Bognor Regis, has lost something – and I think it's the larger-than-life lady that used to run the place (who has since left and now runs a B&B). Back in the day (and we're not talking years ago either) she was in charge and the customers knew where they stood. They knew that they wouldn't have to wait 30 minutes for their food, they knew that the tables would be regularly cleared and, well, they knew that when they came off the beach in search of a cup of tea or a sandwich or anything, that all would be well.

Avid readers of this blog will know that I, your humble narrator, have a lot of time for the Lobster Pot – and for good reason. As a child, my parents would bring my brother and sister and me to Felpham for our annual holidays. We used to rent a house on the beach on the Summerley Estate and we loved it – and still do.

The Lobster Pot, which used to be called Perdido's many years ago, was part of our holiday fun. We'd walk along the promenade in the sun (it never rained) and enjoy traditional caff favourites such as sausage, egg and chips, with lashings of HP Sauce, washed down with a fizzy drink, normally Coke or Pepsi, and then walk back along the beach. It was a good mile, if not longer, to the house called 'Merryweather', which is still there today, but has, I think, lost the name.

Anyway, the larger than life lady has gone, the place is now open at night as well as during the day, it has a slightly trendy air about it – and, of late, the service has been very poor.

Today (April 20th) the sun was shining brightly (at 23 deg C, London temperatures were on a par with Alice Springs) and there were a lot of people taking in the sun on the beach.

Whenever I visit Felpham, the Lobster Pot is my first port of call and so it was today. But unlike in the good old days when the larger-than-life lady was in charge, there was a warning on the counter reading something like, "All food orders will take 30 minutes." I should have known better and ordered a slice of cake or a biscuit from the counter-top display, but I opted for the sausage sandwich – and waited over an hour for it!

Other customers were getting visibly annoyed as they too waited unnecessarily long periods for what amounted to very basic and easy-to-prepare food. My wife had arrived at the restaurant ahead of me – by about 15 minutes – and had ordered separately for herself (quiche and salad) and our daughter Serena (sausage, beans and chips) while I went in search of a cashpoint machine. Serena's sausages, by the way, were a cut above standard caff sausages.

I reached the restaurant at around a quarter past one, but the sausage sandwich I ordered didn't arrive until a quarter past two. Appalling! I made a point of nudging one of the 'waiters' and informing him that I'd been waiting for an hour for one sausage sandwich. In that time I could have made half a dozen, I almost informed him.

There were plenty of other customers getting steadily angry and developing peeved expressions as their food failed to materialise and all I can say is that, perhaps, the menu is not right for the day-time trade or the staff are too inexperienced to cope with such high demand. I began to wonder how they would perform on a hot July day.

The fact that there's a 30-minute wait for any food order means they must be doing something wrong. Surely, if a lot of the meals involve frozen chips, as they do, it's got to be fairly straightforward if you're in the catering business. And if sausages are involved, why don't they cook off a load of them and have them ready for service? Likewise, the fillings for sandwiches. Don't tell me everything is cooked to order – now that would be ridiculous for this sort of establishment, even if it does take on a different character at night. During the day, it's a traditional seaside caff!

I'm not a caterer, but I've written a fair bit about food and restaurants in my time (as editor of Pub Food and Hotel & Restaurant magazines). I've listened to chefs of all abilities discussing how they conduct themselves in the kitchen and, whichever way you look at it, the Lobster Pot is getting something seriously wrong – or it's certainly getting it wrong during the day as I've yet to experience the nocturnal offering. Either they're slacking and not putting everything into it, or they're simply not up to it. The average daytime customer, who invariably wants a sandwich or something with chips, shouldn't be expected to wait an hour for it! Although, the problem here, however, is that customers pay up front for their food and become, in a sense, a captive audience for incompetence. Either way, the Lobster Pot was cheesing off a lot of its customers, including yours truly.

Personally, I won't be going back in a hurry – and for me, that's saying something – and I know that others probably won't be returning either. Next time I visit Felpham, I'll go to the larger place at the sea end of Blake Road: it's just as good, I reckon, and, hopefully, I won't have to wait an hour for a sausage sandwich or a plate of chips. Why should anybody waste precious time waiting for a simple and easy-to-prepar snack item? In many ways, it would have been fine if my incredibly long wait had been an isolated case; but no, there were many irate customers on the verge of losing their rags.

Bring back the larger-than-life lady!

Who needs (and who cares) about a £45 hot dog?

2011-04-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I despise restaurants that sell excessively pricey food. I used to edit a magazine in the fine dining sector of the market and a lot of the time I used to quietly wonder why the food was so expensive – not because the quality was so poor but just because there are limits for everything and food simply doesn't have to be expensive. There's no point. A lot of the time, you're paying for the presentation, you're certainly not paying for the quantity and, of course, it's all down to the ingredients.

Give them a banana! The world's most expensive hot dog. Photo: Yahoo!

Anyway, there's a restaurant in New York charging £45 for a hot dog and, as you might expect, it's a hot dog that is not only long, but one that has duck foie gras liberally sprinkled on the top. I hate foie gras, mainly because when I edited the food magazine I alluded to earlier, it was something that was always on the menu and it's horrible and it's disgusting the way it's made. I can't remember exactly, but it's something to do with force-feeding and it's just not right (click here for more details).

And then, of course, I wonder who will pay £45 for a foie gras hot dog and the answer is poncy people who are out to impress, bragging to their friends that they were foolish enough to spend £45 on a hot dog in the hope that their friends will be impressed.

Check out the story for yourself by clicking here.

37 per cent pre-tax profit rise fuels global growth for sarnie chain

2011-03-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Pret a Manger.

Sandwich chain Pret a Manger, founded by Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beacham, has announced a rise in pre-tax profits of 37 per cent to £46.1 million. The company is now planning to expand globally with 30 new stores. Click here for more.

Last night a tea lady saved my life

2011-03-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Tea ladies – you never know when you're going to need one.

A Portsmouth pensioner's life was saved by a hospital tea lady. Click here for more.

Tea Zone and Camelia Lounge – Portland, Oregon

2011-03-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Portland's Tea Zone and Camelia Lounge. Photo: World Tea News.

We've had combined bike repair shops and caffs and now we've got a tearoom and bar combined, this time in Portland, Oregon's trendy Pearl District. Click here for more.

Schizoid café in Southsea

2011-03-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Lin's Thai Café in Southsea, run by a mother and daughter team, has a dual personality, according to a Portsmouth-based news website. Click here for more.

Lin's Thai Café in Southsea

Caff in court for charity

2011-03-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Mold Crown Court in Wales

According to a report in the Flintshire Chronicle in Wales, a caff has been set up in Mold Crown Court to raise money for the Wales Air Ambulance. Click here for more.

Japanese tea growers are fine, but what about the retailers?

2011-03-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

While Japan's tea growers are reported to be fine after the recent earthquake and tsunami, there are fears for the country's urban coastal regions. According to a report from the on-line World Tea News, reports suggest that many have been swept away. For more information, click here.

Tea room guide highlights the plight of our high streets

2011-03-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Tea room aficionado Joe Ellis' English Tea Room Tour Part 2 has revealed a startling trend for what is regarded as an English institution.

  Joe Ellis, founder of Joe Ellis' Tea Room Guide and www.tea-room-guide.org.uk, toured 16 tea rooms around England but was only able to review 11 as five had been forced to shut down.

  Joe said: "It is heartbreaking to see these tea rooms either boarded up or replaced by fast food take away outlets. Sadly, this often happens due to circumstances outside the tea room owners’ control. It is endemic. English tea rooms up and down the country are struggling to survive, and yet each tea room is unique in its own way.   

"The High Streets of England are fast becoming mirror images of each other, with the same shops, restaurants and bars. The tea room is one of the last bastions which can give a town, village or city something different."  

Harriett's Café and Tea Room, Peterborough
Photo from Upland Wolf Photostream.

On Joe's tour, he reviewed and awarded a recommendation status to each tea room he visited, with Harriett's Cafe and Tea Room in Peterborough being 'highly recommended,' nine other team rooms being awarded 'recommended' status and one picking up the Not My Cup of Tea (formerly 'moderate') ranking.   

Joe established www.tea-room-guide.org.uk to help and profile English tea rooms and what they provide to the community. He has visited been visiting tea rooms since the 1970's and a book entitled Joe Ellis' Tea Room Guide: A Guide to English Tea Rooms is soon to be published.   

Joe adds: "While there is a serious side to the plight that our tea rooms face, the idea of the website and the guide is also supposed to be a fun experience. We have a musical slide show of the tea rooms I visited appear on the website alongside full reviews with photographs. The site also offers short film clips of recommended and highly recommended tea rooms, including our first break into the 'movies' with Miss Mollett's High Class Tea Room in Appledore, Kent."

  Joe's aim in 2011 is to make as many film clips as possible of English tea rooms, which will appear on www.tea-room-guide.org.uk and posted on YouTube. Joe hopes he will assist in their survival.  The next issue of Time for Tea magazine, (ISSN 2043-7161) is in full colour and free. It will feature tea rooms from tours one and two, tea features and many more interesting articles.   

For a free copy of Time for Tea, visit  http://www.tea-room-guide.org.uk/timefortea  

For more information, contact:  Joe Ellis’ Tea Room Guide , PO Box 262,  Herne Bay,  Kent  CT6 9AW.  Telephone: 01227 376180 or  e-mail: admin@tea-room-guide.org.uk

Tea - the great soother of nerves

2011-03-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

Location of Tchai-Ovna or 'house of tea' in Glasgow

Writing in the Herald Scotland, Tom Bruce-Gardyne argues that tea helps bring calm in a noisy world, whether it's PG Tips or Oolong. Click here for more details.

Trend towards combined bike and coffee shops

2011-03-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Rising oil prices mean that more and more people are getting on their bikes – and not necessarily to find a job! In the USA there has been a growing trend towards bike shops and caffs combined where cyclists can turn up, have their punctures fixed and enjoy a cup of coffee (or tea) while they wait. A lot of these kind of venues are springing up in bike-friendly US cities like Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and San Francisco.

Here's John Lehman fixing Diana Meyer's wheel in R & E Cycles
in Seattle. Photo courtesy of MSNBC.

For more information, click here.

Nick Clegg visits Headingley caff

2011-03-03T01:44:00.000-08:00

The Hawkersgreen Café in Headingley near Leeds, run by Irene Tse, had a special visitor recently when Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister popped in for a chat.

The Cleggmeister – he likes an Americano

"After ordering an Americano, Nick Clegg was very courteous and sat chatting to members of the public, answering various questions, including concerns about the huge rise of university fees and the reforms of the NHS," said Irene.

Click here for more.

A cup of tea – still the UK's favourite brew

2011-03-03T01:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing better than a teapot with a tea cosy!

While British pubs are closing, we are still drinking plenty of tea. In fact, we're consuming 165 million cups of the stuff every day – that's 60.2 billion per year. Click here for more details.

A bit more mooching around...

2011-02-24T01:31:00.000-08:00

First, a note on Gee's in Derby, a place I visited some months ago, but didn't post anything. I went back there in early December 2010, when the snow started (remember the snow?). Well, I was staying in the European Hotel up the road from Gee's and my colleague and I decided to eat breakfast out rather than opt for the hotel breakfast. We chose Gee's and it was excellent. The last time I sat there listening to postman discuss the hung parliament situation, so it must have been May 2010, and I had mushroom omelette and chips with a mug of tea; this time I had breakfast: scrambled egg on toast and tea and there were plenty of tabloids around to read and a bit of banter with the proprietor, a cheery chappy who was always ready and prepared to be engaged in chit chat.

Gee's in Derby, a good alternative to the hotel breakfast.

We sat there reading The Sun and the Daily Star, all very droll, but nevertheless enjoyable. Later that day, with the snow coming down I tried to head back to London and managed it, just about, getting to Croydon, the slow way and emerging late at night on to the streets where I waited for a cab (they were charging double fare) to get home. Still, I made it.

If ever you're in Derby, holed up in a hotel and in need of a cheerful breakfast, head on down to Gee's as the prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere is great and the food's okay too.

Bill's, Lewes, East Sussex

More precisely, it's Bill's Produce Store in Lewes, East Sussex, a gem of place. If you're in the area, make a point of having lunch or even afternoon tea. It's one of those places that sells all sorts of stuff as well as being a caff. Perhaps 'caff' is not right – making it borderline territory for this blog – but it's great, a kind of caff/deli/fresh produce shop, very busy, wooden tables and licensed too. This is, however, a place a few doors down that this blog should be looking at; it's called something like Le Magazin, but either way, very quaint and much smaller than Bill's.

Bill's in Lewes: it's good but in danger of getting too big for its boots, ie it's getting a bit pricey!

Bill's is one of those places, I feel, that could easily become a victim of its own success. It's not cheap for a start and you do get that feeling that, while it is good, it's obviously trading on its possible 'legendary' status and charging the earth, making some customers wonder, "Hmmm...it was okay, but not THAT good...". A Bill's unit has been opened in London too, meaning it's suddenly become a chain operation and in danger of getting too big for its boots.

The Bakery, Lacock, Wiltshire

Now this really was a find! There's only one table on which to eat, so expect to share with strangers, but the table in question is large and made of wood, a farmhouse kitchen table, and the great thing is you can choose from many different baked items, such as sausage rolls, pies, pasties and so on. I would heartily recommend the steak and onion pasty. There's also a load of 'stuff' such as jams and chutneys and old fashion sweets in those big jars; think liquorice torpedos, rhubarb & custards, that sort of thing, and the women serving wear these bonnets, making them look kind of olde worlde – just like Lacock, which, incidentally, has been used extensively in the filming of the Harry Potter movies.

We were served by this very woman! I recommend the steak & onion pasty.

Good Life actor to open Black Isle café

2011-02-18T00:59:00.000-08:00

Penelope Keith, of Good Life and To the Manor Born fame, has finally got the go-ahead to open a teashop in the village of Avoch on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands. Click here for more information.

Penelope Keith – opening a caff in Avoch.

India to be a top international market for Lavazza coffee

2011-02-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

A recent report in the India Times states that Giuseppe Lavazza, the vice-president of Luigi Lavazza SPA, wants to focus on India as a top international market for the Lavazza coffee business. The company entered the Indian market in 2007 having acquired the Barista chain of coffee bars. Click here for more.

Brekkie updates from Portsmouth...

2011-01-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

Check out this article from the Portsmouth News. The paper is linking up with Wave 105, a local radio station, and is encouraging readers and listeners to write or call in about their favourite breakfast haunts. Click here for full story.

Coffee shops in Northampton...

2011-01-24T10:35:00.000-08:00

With the number of coffee shops in Northampton growing all the time, and a new drive-thru Starbucks planned for St James Retail Park, the Northampton Chronicle's Anna Brosnan decided to find out more about the current buzz surrounding all things caffeinated and explore what it is like behind the scenes of one of the country’s best known chains. Click here for full story.

The different between teashops and coffee houses...

2011-01-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Check out an interesting article on www.nouse.co.uk about the differences between branded coffee

houses and good old British tearooms. Should the latter be adapting to avoid extinction? Click here.

Guardian readers' tips on where to find a big breakfast...

2011-01-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: Alamy.

Let's make a new year's resolution and get out to more caffs in 2011. Check out this article based on recommendations from readers of the Guardian newspaper. Click here for caffs galore!

Trend towards art cafés in Birmingham

2011-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: Graham Turner for The Guardian.

Temporary cafes are opening in empty shops in Birmingham with the aim of creating a social space where people can meet and enjoy art. Read more.

Budget eats in Ludlow...courtesy of the Guardian...

2011-01-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

If ever you find yourself looking for somewhere decent to eat that won't break the bank, The Guardian published details recently of its top ten budget eats.

Ludlow's Castle Tea Rooms.

For more information, click here.

Roaming about, but not posting a great deal...

2010-09-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the headline kind of says it all; I've been roaming about and visiting the odd caff and teashop here there and everywhere, but haven't gotten round to posting a great deal, which is a shame as I don't want anybody out there to think I've been slacking in the teashop and caff arena.

The Cholmondeley Arms, Chesshire – nice pub, great rooms

Right this minute I'm in a hotel room at the Cholmondeley Arms (pronounced 'Chumley') somewhere in Cheshire, hence I've got the time to sit and blog for a while. I thought I'd update you all with some of the places I've been to, although I must confess that I've been off of the Millionaire's Shortbread even if I did indulge a bit just now with an apple pie and damson ice cream here at the Cholmondeley Arms in Cholmondeley. The pub is a converted school and there are outbuildings (alright, it's like a house across from the pub) in which there are letting rooms.

The food at the Cholmondeley Arms is good. I had chicken breast as a main course something like apple and celeriac soup to start, although I'll check that as it might be wrong. That and a pint of bitter went down a treat and prompted me to order a dessert in the shape of apple pie with damson ice cream. To be honest, while relatively tasty, the apple pie was a little flat and 'spludgy' and the damson ice cream relatively tasteless. Still, it was pleasant enough as I sat there reading bits of the Times and generally chilling out.

The pub, of course, is not a teashop, nor a caff, so I shouldn't really be writing about it at all. I was in Whitchurch earlier, a decidedly run-down sort of place with loads of closed-down pubs and a raft of one-man-band cab operators. I had to wait for ages to travel the six miles from Whitchurch to Cholmondeley and took refuge in a pub that was open while I waited for one of the cab companies to call me back. There were some interesting caffs in Whitchurch but they were all closed. Having said that, hats off to the Edge, a coffee shop by day and a bistro by night. The girl there provided me with many cab company numbers and eventually, I reached my destination, the Cholmondeley Arms.

Café Viriato, Epsom

There's nothing better than going into a caff and getting that feeling that you're in another country. That's exactly what happened to me when I bowled into the Café Viriato in Epsom, Surrey, for no good reason at all. Billed as a Portugese deli, the Viriato was fantastic as it was not only a caff but a deli selling foreign stuff – no familiar names to be seen, giving me the impression that I was in downtown Lisbon. The hot weather outside added to the delusion. The Viriato gets top marks for everything.

A chunk of Portugal in Epsom, Surrey

It sells sandwiches, baps or French sticks for between £1.80 and £3.00; Ciabatta range from £2.30 to £3.20 and a large tea will set you back 80p. A hot chocolate is £1.30 and I noticed that a bacon sarnie was £2.30; a chicken sarnie £2.00 and a hot sausage sandwich, £2.30. Nice place.

Narrowbar Café, Penrith

After taking a bus from Cockermouth to Penrith in order to catch a train from London – and discovering I had time on my hands – I nipped into downtown Penrith from the bus station (or bus stop, I can't remember which) and enjoyed the delights of the Narrowbar Café. This was not only a nicely furnished, pleasant place to pass some time, it sold fantastic food, offered great service and the staff were all incredibily attractive women. What more could a weary traveller ask for?

The Narrowbar Café in Penrith – nice food, ever nicer waitresses. Woof!

Well, I asked for a lot: a cup of tea and a Tomato and Mozzarella ciabatta with pesto, which arrived looking extremely good. I also ordered a home-made cookie and noted many other home-made delights such as that old teashop favourite, Lemon Drizzle Cake (£2.40) and a whole range of baked cakes and scones.

Here at the Narrowbar, a bacon omelette with chips and salad cost £6.50 and there was a pleasant, upbeat vibe, created largely by the general environment, but also the fantastic-looking women serving behind the counter. To be honest, I could have sat there all day.

The Bay Bistro, Brixham, Devon

The Bay Bistro in Brixham, Devon; right on the harbour!

The Bay Bistro prices displayed in the window!

We went on holiday to Brixham and stayed in a house overlooking the harbour. Very quaint. There was plenty to do and see, like the Bay Bistro, right down on the harbour. This was a pleasant place and it was licensed too, not that I indulged.

There were laminate wood floors and chrome seats and being right on the harbour, some great views too. Here a full English breakfast is £4.75, a Harbour Special (£7) – and this is big: two bacon, two sausage, two fried eggs, hash browns, beans, mushrooms, fried bread, toast and tea. Then there are specials, like cottage pie, jacket potatoes, paninis and beef lasagne – the latter costing a pricey £9.99.

If you fancy a fish meal, they start at £7.30 for cod and chips and go up to £16 for a fresh crab and prawn salad with potates and French bread.

A Sunday roast costs £6.95 while desserts, like apple pie and custard, cost £4.50.

Compass at Coventry – employees not happy

2010-07-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

Following on from news reported last year in the Coventry Telegraph and posted on this blog, outlining how Compass, a contract caterer, had taken over the foodservice operation at Coventry University, this blog has received an anonymous post claiming that employees of what was Coventry University Hospitality Services are less than happy with the situation.

As the poster pointed out, the employees of Coventry University Hospitality Services are having their contracts TUPE'd over to Compass and have no choice in the matter. In some cases, members of staff who have given between 10 and 30 years service, feel that they have been sold off to Compass and have been given 'sparse communication about their job situation'. Many are worried about their pensions and believe that the University has treated its employees disgracefully.

Yahoo'sTop Ten breakfast guide

2010-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Yahoo has listed a number of places where people can enjoy a decent breakfast. Click here for more details.

Poor service at the Lobster Pot

2010-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Lobster Pot in Felpham, West Sussex.

Teashop and Caff had an email from a Lobster Pot customer complaining about the service at the new-style Lobster Pot, which is sad to hear as, when the 'larger than life lady' was in charge, I don't think there was ever any room for complaint. Still, there you have it.

Here's what happened:-

"Yesterday we went to the Lobster Pot to have breakfast – lovely weather, wonderful location, thought we would start the day off well!

"Walked in, no customers inside, waitress behind the counter on the 'phone. Looked at the menu, decided what to have, went to the counter. Assistant still on the 'phone (private call).

"We waited, and waited. It seemed ages, really without exaggeration it must have been five minutes, but although throughout this time the assistant could clearly see us she did not make any attempt to end the call.

"In the end we left, went elsewhere for breakfast. Our food was probably not as good as we would have had with you, and the view was certainly inferior, but the service was much much better."

The complainant said that she planned to give the Lobster Pot one more try but if the service hasn't improved, she'll take her custom elsewhere.

Sad news, as Teashop and Caff loves the Lobster Pot. Our message to the Lobster Pot? "Sort it out!"

The Lobster Pot – revisited!

2010-05-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

I say 'revisited' but the truth of the matter is that I often drive down to Felpham in West Sussex because, as I've probably said before, it's the place where I spent my childhood holidays in the days when the summers were hot and seemingly endless and the perils of adulthood were simply unreal.

I took a drive down there recently and took a look at what appeared to be the new order of the place. It's now a little more 'culinary', a little more 'foody' in its approach – which is a good thing – but it still retains (thank heavens) the caff element during the day, although evidence of it's new 'cheffyness' was everywhere; well, on a couple of blackboards. There was, for example, a seafood weekend being advertised. It's over now and I couldn't get there, but it seemed like a great idea and I'm sure they did well out of it.

The thing is, the place now opens at night and the prices are pretty much 'up there' in terms of 'posh restaurant' levels. Main courses range from £9.95 to £12.95. Huss served with hand-made chips and sugar snap peas is £9.95, there's talk of 'port reduction' and crispy fried squid with roasted chorizo and salad. Things are certainly looking up and the blackboards mean that the food is fresh.

If I say so myself, I make a pretty decent cottage pie so when I saw that the Lobster Pot was offering, as a set lunchtime special, home-made cottage pie, well, I just had to dive in and order it. Was it better than mine? To be honest, no, it wasn't. It was nice, but I'd love to put mine up in a head-to-head contest and see who wins. Also on the lunchtime specials was home-made mushroom soup with crusty bread and something called a lamb and lentil 'ravine', which, I admit, might be an error on my part. What the hell is a lamb and lentil ravine? Should that be 'tagine', perhaps, who knows?

But look at the other menu items: veal schnitzel, grilled huss fillet, vegetable and puy lentil burgers, whole roasted rainbow trout. The Lobster Pot isn't the Lobster Pot anymore – a quote that might be used in a film entitled The Lobster Pot Story, should such a film ever be made.

Anyway, it's still a great place and the fact that it's open at night makes it even better. I really do want to spend a night there and when I do I'll report back immediately.

West End Café, Tamworth, Staffordshire

2010-05-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

I'd been covering a training course in what amounted to a theme park, very weird. Outside the window everybody was enjoying themselves on roller coasters and assorted scary rides while inside, people stared aimlessly at Nobo boards and ate biscuits. Then, when it was all over, I decided to walk, in a kind of daze, to the railway station, which turned out to be around five miles away.

I knew Tamworth from a previous visit to the Glascote Working Men's Club when I stayed in a hotel in town near the castle. I remember there was a very good army surplus store that sold loads of great things, like camouflage trousers and silly hats, but I had my eye on the West End Café, which I'd seen on my previous visit but hadn't bothered taking a look.

Today was different. I had a bit of time to spare – or rather, time wasn't an issue – so I bowled in to what was an empty restaurant and ordered a pot of tea for £1.20. Once again, I didn't stop for something to eat as I'd been stuffing my face with Digestives all morning.

The West End was a great place and the food looked excellent. There was a specials board (always a good sign) offering dishes like braised steak and onions (£6.95); Madras curry and chilli con carne were both £5.95 and traditional ham, egg and chips (with peas) was a healthy £3.95. A caff wouldn't be a caff if it didn't offer a Full English and the West End delivered with a £3.99 brekkie. There was a home-made turkey, ham and mushroom pie served with chips and peas (£5.95), a big breakfast (which I can only assume is bigger than the full English, cost £5.95. This consisted of three rashers of bacon, two sausages, two eggs, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, chips, toast and fried bread – all for £5.49, cheaper than the Full English and probably bigger. The daily roast bap of the day was only £1.50 and there was a wide variety of fish dishes, grills, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, burgers and baguettes on offer too.

A dessert menu offered traditional favourites like apple pie and jam roly poly (both £2.50).

The West End has it's own website, click here for details, and it's open between 10am and 4pm on a Sunday too.

Riverside Cottage Café, Lynmouth, Devon.

2010-05-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

The Riverside Cottage caff was okay, but I kind of regretted ordering a huge pasty, chips and beans (£5.50). I don't know why, it just seemed so stodgy and unnecessary when a plain old ham sandwich would have sufficed.

Anyway, no point crying over spilt milk – or spilt pasty and beans in this case. Actually, I ate the lot but the caff lacked a cosy atmosphere and turned out to be a hotel, built on the banks of the river Lyn. My wife ordered a jacket potato with tuna (£5.75), which I should have ordered, and my daughter enjoyed a hot soup, roll and butter (£3.75).

The food was fine, the staff were friendly but I think it was something to do with Lynmouth that put me off a bit. I didn't like the place for some reason.

Having said that, the hotel element of the Riverside Cottage looks quite impressive, check out the pictures of the rooms on the hotel's website by clicking here.

Caff in a garden centre (Knight's in Warlingham)

2010-05-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

If you want a cosy teashop type of experience, go to Knight's Garden Centre and visit the Pantry. It's just on the other side of a display unit that sells loads of cosy stuff, like jams and preserves and bricks of fruit cake and, like the whole gardening thing, its a cosy sort of place.

Personally, I can't stand gardening. Actually, let me make that clearer; I don't mind mowing the lawn and sweeping up, but I hate weeding and having to pull things out of the ground, like unwanted saplings with hefty roots
.
Weeding is the worst, though, it's that whole King Canute thing and trying to hold back the tide. Take out some weeds and they'll be back next week; it is, quite simply, a good illustration of what I like to call 'the futility of gardening'.

Still, The Pantry at Knight's is great and it recently won a Gold Award in Surrey County Council's Eat Out, Eat Well Awards. What's more, there's a Curry Day every Tuesday.

On this occasion, however, it was a cup of tea and half a bag of crisps.

The Tudor Rose Café in Westerham, Kent

2010-05-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

You won't get a more traditional teashop than this one in Westerham, Kent. It's right on the green, opposite the statue of Winston Churchill (who lived in Westerham) and it's one of those quaint places. It even has a strange light box device over one of the tables for those suffering from that strange ailment, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Anyway, I've been going there on and off for some time. In fact, it was the last place I visited with my father-in-law, Norman Woodley, before he died last September.

On this occasion, it was me, the missus, my daughter and the mother-in-law. I had a cup of tea but I could have enjoyed cakes (£3.50); sandwiches (from £3.00 to £3.80) or a soup and bread for £4.10.

That's not all: there are main course meals on offer at the Tudor Rose. Rosemary lamb is £8; a meat, mushroom and spinach lasagne will set you back £7.50; steak and ale pie or Shepherd's Pie is also £7.50 and a jacket potato with a filling is £4.60.

A cup of tea is £1.50 and a cream tea (with the scone and jam) is £5.

The Tudor Rose has plenty of competition in Westerham, but all the other places are slightly trendy and pretentious so my advice would be pay a visit to this traditional teashop and caff.

The S&M Café in Long Acre, London

2010-05-26T03:16:00.000-07:00

My cottage pie, peas and red onion gravy

After a meeting in the Smithfield area of London, I wandered aimlessly along Long Acre wondering whether to simply get back home or stop somewhere for a spot of lunch. I decided on the former as I found the S&M Café just sitting there on the sidewalk.

I'd heard of this place before, having once worked in Islington, on the Green, where a great little caff, known as Alfredo's, was turned into the first ever S&M Café. There were all the obvious jokes about bondage and stuff but it turned out that S&M stands for 'sausage and mash'. Or that's what I recall from when I went into the Islington outlet.

My bill was a reasonable £10.30.

Anyway, now it seems as if they have more than one outlet AND their own website (click here).

The Long Acre S&M Café was excellent. It was long and shady and there were gingham tablecloths and everything you might expect from a 'caff'. My order was for cottage pie and peas with the house red onion gravy, plus a mug of tea. For some reason, the waitress wrote the word 'lover' on my bill.

Camden Coffee House – Croydon Whitgift Centre

2010-03-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

Former PC accessories shop now a stunning new coffee house – free wi fi and the prices are reasonable too.

Occupying what used to be a rather lairy-looking PC accessories shop (somehow they lack the finesse of Apple stockists) is the relatively new Camden Coffee House, an independent operation offering free wifi in trendy, modern surroundings.

Camden Coffee House can be found at the top of the escalators near the High Street entrance to Croydon's Whitgift Centre. The company's mission is to develop a chain of stores – or rather 'unique coffee houses' – offering a wide selection of premium speciality beverages.

The Camden Coffee House brand was established in April 2009 in, you guessed it, Camden in North London. In fact, the Croydon store is Camden-themed.

What's on offer? How about luxury fair-trade coffees, worldwide exotic teas (supplied by Tea Pig), hot chocolate, iced coffees and teas, pure fruit smoothies, chocolate bar milkshakes (sounds interesting) and cold soft drinks.

On the food front there are freshly baked pastries and home-made cakes, toasted sarnies, bagels, soup of the day, muffins and cup cakes.

Luxury coffees range in price from £1.30 (small) to £1.95 (large); there are speciality coffees costing from £1.95 to £2.20 (white chocolate moccha, Amaretto coffee and even Gingerbread coffee); there are iced coffees and then a range of exotic teas with iced options available (Chai tea, Mao Feng Green tea, Yerba Mate, Super Fruit and Jasmine Pearl) all ranging in price from £1.25 to £1.50. Smoothies are £3.00.

Want to find out more? There is a website. Click here!

Stop Press! Former Lobster Pot owner sets up B&B!

2010-03-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

The simply amazing beachfront at Felpham, a great place to go on England's South Coast and even better when you realise that The Lobster Pot Café is there on the beach too – and now the former owners have set up a B&B!

This is great news! The former owners of the amazing Lobster Pot Café on the seafront in Felpham have turned their home into a guest house offering rooms for between £40 and £60 per night. The reason this is great news is because the Lobster Pot Café, while still a great place to eat, was, shall we say, at its height of fame and fortune when the person I have referred to as the 'larger than life lady' was in charge. I can only assume that it is she who runs the guest house, which means you'll be in safe hands. In short, she's brilliant: just the sort of person to be running either a guest house or a caff. I bet Christmas lunch round at her's is to die for, she's a proper 'mum' type, that's for sure.

I was unaware that the Lobster Pot, many years ago known as Perdido's, had a website, but it does and it was on the site that I noticed the new bed and breakfast business.

Check out both websites.

For the Lobster Pot Café, click here.

For the bed & breakfast, click here.

Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts' Indian coffee investment...

2010-03-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

The New York, USA, based Kohlberg Kravis Roberts company has announced plans to invest in Coffee Day Resorts, an Indian company that owns the Cafe Coffee Day brand. The coffee chain opened its first outlet in Bangalore, Southern India in 1996.

For more information, click here.

Camden Food Co, Birmingham New Street Station

2010-03-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

I managed to grab this image of the Camden food co. in a short break of the rush hour crowds.

En route to Liverpool Lime Street from Bristol Templemeads means one of two options: change at Stafford or Birmingham New Street. I'd opted for the latter and arrived just before 5pm with half an hour to kill before my connection. Time for 'dinner'. I put the word in inverted commas because this was not going to be a sit-down affair, more a case of 'eating on the go', something I don't particularly enjoy.

Having said that, I found that the Camden Food Co outlet on the ticketed side of the concourse to be reasonably pleasant. I'd passed it many times before but never ventured in, mainly because there was something about the lighting and the seating area that put me off; it was all a bit transient and not that welcoming.

On this occasion, however, I figured it would be my only chance of food as the Liverpool club I would be attending that night didn't offer anythng – apart from crisps and peanuts – so in I bowled to check out what was on offer. Food and drink is laid out in display units or on the counter. All the customer has to do is select his or her food and pay at the counter (where they can also order hot beverages).

I opted for chicken and pesto foccacia, a banana and a cup of tea. The panini was toasted on the counter top and the tea provided in a large paper cup with a lid. I then found a table and sat there watching the commuters before making my way to platform 4c and my train to Lime Street.

The foccacia cost £3.79, the tea (which was organic) set me back a staggering £1.79 and the banana was 59p, although she did offer me two bananas for 99p but I declined.

The service here was good – friendly and efficient.

Otford Tea Shop, Otford, Kent

2010-03-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Not a million miles from Dunton Green in Kent, near Sevenoaks, Otford is a quaint village full of antique shops and places like the Otford Tea Shop.

The teashop doubles as a Hospices of Hope charity shop, selling some excellent stuff including secondhand books, small toys for kids, secondhand videos and DVDs and everything you might expect from such a place. The teashop is real Miss Marple territory and needless to say there are some tremendous home-made cakes on offer too.

We had a pot of tea, a mug of hot chocolate and a slice of carrot cake and then drove home.

Where Dunton Green is concerned, readers are seriously advised to click here for more information.

Bank Quay House Coffee Shop, Warrington, Cheshire

2010-03-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Exterior shot of Bank Quay House Coffee Shop (top) and the gates bound for Buckingham Palace that were rejected by Queen Victoria.

Part of an office block called Bank Quay House, the eponymous Coffee Shop is on ground floor level and, while a little stark, it's fairly pleasant and ideal for anybody working in the building. It's about 10 minutes' walk to Warrington's Bank Quay railway station and just across the road from the impressive town hall gates.

The gates were, apparently, originally destined for Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria, but when she found out that the foundry commissioned to make the gates had also been responsible for a statue of Oliver Cromwell, she didn't want them and that is why they remain in Warrington at the top of Winmarleigh Street.

There are plans to knock down a wall at the Bank Quay House Coffee Shop and make room for an art gallery. Light snacks are also sold here, there's an espresso machine too and an outside catering company linked to the café.

I had a small pot of tea before heading off to Bank Quay railway station and a non-stop train to London Euston.

Rhode Island Coffee, Warrington, Cheshire

2010-03-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, these pix were taken on my new iPhone. They show an interior shot of Rhode Island Coffee (taken early in the morning as by 11am, those tables outside were all taken). The other shot is my mug of tea.

If you're looking for a spot of breakfast while in Warrington in Cheshire, you won't go far wrong with Rhode Island Coffee, a chain operation with five units in Altrincham, Burnley, Bolton, Stockport and, of course, Warrington.

The company claims that all of its units are at the heart of their local communities; as a result, there's a lot going on: open mic nights, DJing, poetry reading and a few charity fundraising events too.

I enjoyed a cheese and ham panini and a large mug of tea and then, because the environment was right, I stayed on and worked on my laptop while watching the place get steadily more crowded. To be honest, I could have sat there all day, not only because of the decent food and drink and the friendly, bustling environment but also because I had a new iPhone to play with!

It wasn't warm outside, but Rhode Island Coffee was not only full inside; it's tables outside were all taken by mid-morning.

To find out more about this excellent chain operation, click here.

Café on the Square, Grove Avenue, Bristol

2010-03-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Internal and external shots of the Café on the Square, Grove Avenue, Bristol.

The Café on the Square in Grove Avenue, Bristol is a fantastic place for the simple reason that it has that added something that elevates its status from 'caff' to small restaurant – although it is not open at night. I liked the place the moment I peered through the window and noticed the brightly coloured tablecloths – they were enough to draw me inside where I found a friendly environment and helpful staff too.

Another good thing about this place was that it took credit cards, unlike most places of this sort. It would have been even better, of course, if I hadn't lost my credit card – or rather I had, unknowingly at the moment I entered the restaurant, left it on the floor in my hotel room. Naturally, as soon as I had confirmed that I could pay by card, I started to fumble around in my wallet to find it, only to discover (after emptying all my pockets and turning my wallet inside out) that I didn't have it. I began to panic, ordered my food anyway and paid cash and then sat there fretting.

I won't bore you with all the details, but it turned out that I had inadvertently left it on the floor in my hotel room – all was right with the world again, but it still managed to ruin my meal at the café – Napoli chicken in a rich savoury tomato and basil sauce with red onions and peppers (£5.25) – plus a cup of tea for £1. The total bill was £6.25.

Blackboards on the wall offered grilled paninis (£3.90); a range of home-made pasta dishes (£5.25); jacket potatoes (£3.80 to £5.25); full English breakfast (£5.50); a vegetarian breakast and a Mega breakfast (£5.50 and £6.50 respectively). There were some interesting specials too: chicken rogan josh at £5.50, a home-made beefburger (£5.25) and field mushrooms stuffed with goat's cheese (£4.90).

Oddly, the café sold a range of 'gourmet' potato chips (or crisps) rather than just one variety. Customers have the choice between Real, Tyrell's and Kettle – what is known in the potato processing industry as 'gourmet' potato chips as opposed to more standard products from the bigger brand names we all know and love.

Fortunately, I left the café more elated than when I walked in; my credit card was safe and all I had to do was walk back to the hotel to retrieve it; this done I headed for Templemeads and a train to Liverpool Lime Street via Birmingham New Street.

Café on the Square is well worth a visit if you happen to be in Bristol, not only because of the excellent food but also the friendly staff and the pleasant environment.

Enjoying breakfast at Hunger's End, Merstham, Surrey

2010-03-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd throw in this shot of a very enjoyable breakfast in Hunger's End, a caff in Merstham, Surrey.

My Teashop, London Bridge

2010-03-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

My Tea Shop, virtually opposite Evan's Cycles in London Bridge, where I mooched about afterwards (see http://novisiblelycra.blogspot.com). Notice my copy of Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road on the small round table outside; great book and I heartily recommend other Yates' novels too, especially Disturbing the Peace.

Easy to miss as it's crammed into a small space underneath the railway tracks, but if you come out on to Tooley Street and turn left, as if you're walking up towards London Bridge itself, then you will find My Tea Shop, tucked away on the left. This could win the award for the smallest teashop ever visited by yours truly. It has a curved ceiling, like a train carriage and has no more than four tables with a servery at the far end. The place is run by Eastern Europeans and it sells standard caff fayre.

I opted for a cheese and ham omelette with chips and beans (£4.80) plus two mugs of tea and just sat there reading first The Sun and then Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, which I had nearly finished. There were three other people in there, making it very crowded, but the ambience was good and I just liked the quaintness of the size and its location under the railway line. Well worth a visit if you've missed your train.

Yahoo's guide to great teashops...

2010-02-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

Check out this link for details of loads of decent teashops, courtesy of Yahoo! Click here for details.

Tea shop owner is not going to give up.

2010-02-24T02:19:00.000-08:00

Over in the USA in Richmond Va, Allan and Lurline Wagner, who owned the Cuppa Tea Company, are not reluctant to talk about the closure of their tea room. In fact, they're eager to draw attention to the plight of their small business and counsel others considering going down the same path. Read this story in full on www.worldteanews.com by clicking here.

The Gallery Café, 103 Foregate Street, Chester CH1 1HE – check out the cappuccino slice!

2010-02-15T02:07:00.000-08:00

Photographs from the top: my order of tea and a cappuccino slice; an exterior view of the Gallery Café and the ceiling, which is decorated with the pages of various magazines.

The Gallery Café in Chester is my idea of the perfect caff, although the term 'caff' probably demeans the place a little; it is, quite simply, a quaint place to stop by and enjoy the delights on offer – of which there are many.

For a start the place has a certain vibe, an ambience, which is conducive to just stepping off the roller coaster of life and enjoying a little serenity. Paperback books are sold here, there are works of art from local artists (painters and photographers) on show and also for sale, the ceiling is, well, interesting (go there and take a look for yourself or check out one of the above photographs) and the food is good too. Oh, and they also sell decorative bead necklaces.

The Gallery is owned by Jacob and Katie Potter, who have been ensconced at the café for four years (and two months) and seem intent on making it work. They will succeed because they have the passion for it, which is good to see.

This is a long café with an upfront seating area and more seats out back too. There are wooden floors and furniture and blackboards on the wall announcing various deals; for example, you can add a small bowl of soup to any sandwich order for just £1.50. Smoothies are £2.65 and so are milkshakes, the place sells pannini and ciabatta breads, conventional sandwiches and toasted sandwiches, there are jacket potatoes and 'light bites' and the cakes are to die for.

When I bowled in there, having spotted the place earlier that morning while out on the hunt for toothpaste, it was mid-afternoon and I hadn't eaten a thing all day. In short, I needed something to eat, but it wasn't really meal time so I opted for a pot of tea and an interesting variation on millionaire's shortbread (that's a caramel slice if you live south of Birmingham). This one wasn't caramel, it didn't have a milk chocolate top AND it was much bigger than your average product, almost twice the length, and a little bit wider too. It was called a cappuccino slice and it was amazing. I would have enjoyed a second one, but my inner nutritionist slapped my wrists at the very thought of it. I did order a second cup of tea.

One tea and the cappuccino slice set me back £3.45, excellent value considering the enjoyment I received from the slice (seriously, it was amazing).

What's more, the Gallery is licensed (it sells bottled beers and wine) and there's a take-out menu too. You really couldn't ask for more from a café and this one comes highly recommended by teashopandcaff. Had I more time I would have spent a lot more money in the Gallery, but I was on my way to Leeds via Scarborough and Manchester (by train). I contemplated buying another cappuccino slice for the journey (and wished I had once on the train) but there you have it, all good things must come to an end, as they say.

The Gallery is just the place to visit when you have a good book on the go and an hour to spare reading it, accompanied by a pot or two of tea and, of course, one of those cappuccino slices.

Hunger's End, 26 High Street, Merstham, Surrey

2010-02-06T05:14:00.001-08:00

From the top: man outside the caff shaving; my sausage sandwich; my brother Jon's Full English breakfast; Hunger's End, Merstham High Street. You can see my brother Jon (far right) and Andy Smith sitting down and, centre stage, the shaving man – note his radio on the table.

Now this really is a good caff and it doesn't have much in the way of competition either. Well, alright, there's the Quality Café down by the railway station but, to be quite honest, I wasn't happy with that word 'quality' as the caff looked a bit run-down to me.

Hunger's End has a bit of style. For a start, it's more than just pine wood tables and chairs; it has a couple of sofas, a few copies of The Sun scattered about and the staff are friendly too. You order your food at the counter and pay for it (I chose a sausage sandwich with a roll, not bread) and so did my pal Andy. My brother Jon went for one of the breakfasts, not the biggest one, but judging by the size of it (massive springs to mind) I daren't think what the largest looks like.

For a sausage bap and a mug of tea you're talking £3.55, the breakfast with a mug of tea was £4 on the nose. Not bad for a small caff only a stone's throw from the M25. The food is delivered to your table along with brown and tomato sauce, salt and pepper. The food was very, very tasty and we also had some strange bloke outside with us providing some light entertainment: he'd brought along a small radio, a mirror and an electric razor and spent the entire time we were there shaving. It takes all sorts.

Return visits will definitely be made as Hunger's End was the epitome of a great British caff, although the sausage sandwich might be a little over-the-top if consumed more than once or twice a year.

You can read more about Hunger's End on http://novisiblelycra.blogspot.com

Milk jugs? Unhealthy? It's political correctness gone mad!

2010-02-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of www.mydeco.com

I don't believe it, as Victor Meldrew might have said. A report on the Daily Express' on-line news service has just announced that researchers have found that milk jugs – yes, milk jugs, those little things made of porcelain or stainless steel or plastic depending on the sort of caff you're in – are unhealthy.

But hold on a minute...it was health experts in Spain (not here in the UK) who found that up to a third of milk and dairy products served in bars, restaurants and cafés breached EU health regulations and were unfit for human consumption.

Well, that's in Spain and we're in the UK. The next thing we'll know they'll be banning milk jugs! Ridiculous!

To read the full story, click here.

Monkey mimics Meg Ryan fake orgasm scene....

2010-02-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

Remember that mildly embarassing scene in When Harry Met Sally where Meg Ryan pretends to have an orgasm while in a caff? Well, check this out, Monkey from the PG Tips ad with Johnny Vegas is doing it too!

To see the video, click here!

Sergio's Continental Bar & Diner, Croydon, Surrey

2010-01-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

From the top: my large tea and a Sergio's laminated menu; check out that amazing apple pie with ice cream (it's a Brake Bros pie and it's the best); and then (above) my 147 with extra onions. Normally I have a sausage and onion bap but they'd run out of baps so I opted for ciabatta instead. From now I might order the ciabatta .

You want a cult caff? Then look no further than Sergio's Continental Bar & Diner. I love that name. We call it Sergio's and that's not only because it's easier to say than Sergio's Continental Bar & Diner, but also because Sergio exists. This is a family business run by Sergio and his wife Pat. Pat does the chat, Sergio produces the food on the menu. It's that simple.

Sergio's is to be found in St George's Walk, no more than three minutes' walk from the lobby of St George's House, headquarters in the UK of Nestlé. It is a caff from the seventies and it hasn't changed much since then. I remember going there for a plate of lasagne back in the days when my wife was my girlfriend in the early eighties. In many ways, this is the caff that time forgot – and thank the Lord for that! Check out the interior decor, it's fantastic.

I started going there on a daily basis back at the beginning of the new millennium. My colleague Geoff Althoff, aka 'the illustrious illustrator', were fed up with Bar Ispani in the nearby Whitgift Centre because it was too expensive and had an identity crisis: was it a caff or a restaurant? It was certainly charging restaurant prices so we shipped out and started to hang out at Sergio's.

It didn't take Pat long to get to know our needs: a sausage in a bap with extra onions was one regular order from me and then there were the baked potatoes with tuna and onion and let's not forget the apple pie with either ice cream or custard. I used to have the latter but only if the custard was made by Pat or the Portugese lady that helped out behind the counter. For some reason they made better custard than Sergio and don't forget, we're talking Ambrosia Devon Custard – nothing better. The ice cream was good too, especially if the pie was hot as the contrast between the hot pie and the cold ice cream was just amazing.

It wasn't long before Sergio's became a regular haunt every day. Two large teas, sometimes three, number 147 on bap (that's the sausage and onion sandwich with extra onions) and then the apple pie with either custard or ice cream.

When the job went down, we still met there for a while and even now, even if we don't go in for months, Pat still remembers us. She has become our friend and that is what caffs are all about.

Whenever I walk in there, Pat just brings me over a cup of tea. She knows my order. If I asked for my usual, she'd bring me a 147 on a bap with extra onions.

Sergio's has round Formica tables with wall-mounted seating on the left hand side, the service counter on the right and over at the back in the right hand corner, the 'confessional'. That's what we call the bench seating next to the end of the counter where a brown mesh wall separates the customers from the counter staff; it looks like a confessional, hence the name.

My colleagues and I, my wife, my son, my daughter, we all love Sergio's and I would suggest that if you want to experience this caff, waste no time as it looks as if it might not be there for much longer. Why? Well, not because it's losing money to restaurant chains. Oh no! Sergio's is a millon times better than Costa or Caffé Nero or Starbucks or anywhere else in Croydon for that matter.

No, the reason is all to do with St George's Walk and the fact that nobody seems to know what's going to happen to it. At one stage it was going to be knocked down but I'm not sure what's happened to that plan. Either way, the initial proposal meant that leases were not being renewed, that sort of thing, so Pat and Sergio were just waiting and wondering and as other retailers in St George's Walk move on (Millets has gone and so have many other shops and other caffs too) Sergio's is still there.

Today, there's a few weird shops in the Walk and a couple of caffs, an optician's, a relatively new fresh bread shop, and, well, it's all a bit strange as there are plenty of boarded up shops too. There are caffs at both ends of the Walk. At the High Street end it used to be Panino's, but that's now called something else. Either way it's not the same as Sergio's, not as comfortable.

I was in Sergio's last week and the first thing Pat did was bring over my tea. I ordered 147 with extra onions AND I had the apple pie with ice cream. I ordered a second cup of tea and the whole lot was just £5.90. You can't beat value like that, can you?

The best thing about Sergio's, of course, is the warmth. Not only the warmth generated by Pat and Sergio and the friendly atmosphere generally, but the warmth generated by the cosyness of the place and the fact that it's warm and welcoming in the cold weather. It's fine in the hot weather too, probably because the Walk is shaded from the heat (not that in England there is any real heat).

Listen, Sergio's is just the best. It's as good as it gets when it comes to caffs and if you haven't been there, then go there soon because you just never know when it's not going to be there. I know that one day I'm going to head on down to the Walk and find it gone. That will be a sad, sad day.

Climate change affects tea plantations in Kenya

2010-01-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

Tea growers in Michimikuku, Kenya, are being adversely affected by climate change, according to a report from MediaGlobal.org

Fair trade drink company CaféDirect sources its tea from the region and is hoping to help growers there adapt to the changing climate through its Adapt to Climate Change project. The main components of the project are: efficient use of energy; soil and water management; and crop diversification.

For more details, click here.

Railway carriage teashop for North Tyne Museum

2010-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Picture shows the Bellingham Heritage Centre and Dorothy Bell who recieved an MBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours list for her services to the Centre. Well done, Dorothy.

The Bellingham Heritage Centre in Northumberland – 18 miles north of Hexham on the edge of the Northumberland National Park – is hoping to purchase a couple of railway carriages from the 1950s and turn them into a café. What a fantastic idea.

The museum is hoping to get funding from the Northumberland Uplands Leader Project and the Heritage Lottery Fun, according to a report in the Hexham Courant.

Nonna Rosa's, Smitham, Surrey

2010-01-26T00:37:00.001-08:00

A view looking out from inside Nonna Rosa's in Smitham, Surrey. Note my bike resting against the window outside.

Smitham is one of those places that doesn't really exist, a bit like Merton. Having said that, Smitham has something that Merton doesn't: a train station; and Nonna Rosa's sits virtually under the railway line on the opposite side of the road to the station entrance.

It's definitely a 'caff' but there's a distinct and, of course, obvious Italian flavour to the place. In short, it's got an Italian name and it's run by Italians. Unless they're imitating Italians, but that would be foolish in the extreme.

I can't say I'd noticed it before. I was cycling past on a Saturday morning and decided to stop by for a cup of tea and a Danish pastry. Not bad for under three quid, it was £2.65. The tea came in a teapot with a nice white cup and saucer and the pastry was just that, a pastry.

A nice vibe to this place and let's not forget that Smitham has a couple of other caffs worthy of note, especially DD's Café, which I enjoyed recently but didn't write it up for some inexplicable reason. DD's was brilliant and will be featured here shortly. The last time I was there the guy that ran the place let me bring my bike into the caff so that I didn't have to leave it outside without a padlock. Top man!

Purley Café

2009-12-26T03:17:00.000-08:00

The Purley Café is right next door to Purley Swimming Pool and I'll be back for one of its Workmen's Breakfasts. Good caff as tea, in a mug, is only 60p.

An interesting caff if ever there was one, the Purley Café is definitely going to get a return visit from yours truly. Why? Well, it has an interesting selection of breakfasts including one called a Workmen's Breakfast (basically a huge, 'two of everything' on a plate: sausages, bacon, black pudding, beans, the works) and all for under a fiver.

I only had time for a cup of tea – make that a mug – and it set me back just 60p. I was considering a slice of toast but had the car in the multi-storey and time was running out on my ticket.

The Purley Café seemed like a friendly and busy place even if it did have those awful 'screwed-to-the-floor tables and chairs found in fast food restaurants (I use the word 'restaurant' advisedly).

Anyway, it was good and will get a return visit as it's right next door to Purley Swimming Pool.

Caffe Gusto, Pallisades, Birmingham

2009-12-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

The Caffe Gusto unit in the Pallisades shopping centre in Birmingham. Notice the excellent mug of tea that only cost £1.20!

Wandering around Birmingham in early December, the Christmas markets in full swing and I'm feeling a little weary after a late night at a club in King's Heath. A good cure for weariness is a decent caff and I found one in a shopping centre on top of New Street railway station. Not that I wasn't spoilt for choice: there was a Starbuck's just opposite.

I chose Caffe Gusto for a number of reasons. One, it was small and cosy; two there were some great meal deals (Cheese & Bacon Toastie plus coffee for £2.50); three, because it offered free wi-fi; and four because it was billed as the British Sandwich Association's Coffee and Sandwich Bar Retailer of the Year 2009. I had images of a stage and the managing director of the chain, in a dress suit, collecting his trophy from some sponsor or other at a 'gala dinner' in London.

There were decent breakfast offers too so I opted for scrambled eggs on toast with the option of either beans (which I chose), mushroom or bacon (£3.95). That and a large mug of tea (£1.20) and I was sorted for the day. It was Saturday December 6th, the day after the world cup draw – the reason why I was in the club the night before. I'd spent the night in a dreary Travelodge in a place called Maypole where, at around 4am, I was awoken by the shouts of drunken revellers in the corridor outside my room. There was no decent breakfast offer at the Travelodge, hence my quest to find a decent caff.

Caffe Gusto was packed for early Saturday morning. I love shopping centre caffs with 'alfresco eating areas', ie not really al fresco because they're in a shopping centre, but there you have it, I still had that feeling that I was sitting outside.

The Wi-Fi didn't work for some reason. I think it clashed with the nearby Starbuck's, which I think offered Wi-Fi but not for free. Why the hell would anybody visit a Starbuck's when there's a Caffe Gusto nearby?

Bristol-based Caffe Gusto has 11 outlets there, two in Birmingham and one in Staines, Middlesex, in London (which is a franchised store).

For more information on Caffe Gusto, click here.

The OK Cafe, 77 Piccadilly, Manchester City Centre

2009-11-27T03:10:00.000-08:00

"I know you're not going to do a runner," said the man behind the counter as I paid my £4.64 for cottage pie, boiled potatoes, greens and peas. The comment said a lot for the OK Café's clientele, most of whom, it had to be said, sported shell suits, tattoos and an unshaven complexion – and that was just the women!

I liked the idea that I didn't look like the sort of person that 'did a runner' although secretly it has been an ambition of mine for some time. A few years ago I used to be the editor of a magazine in the hotels and fine dining industry and I remember reading a review of one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in the Saturday Times magazine (penned by Giles Coren) where the bill for his meal was something like £383. Now that's a lot of money and I have often questioned whether such an amount is right, in an ethical and moral sense, when I consider that the OK Café would have cost me under a tenner for two. Alright, I'm sure that Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is not the sort of place that attracts those who like to do runners, but when a restaurant meal for two costs nearly £400 – the price of desirable 'consumer durables' like washing machines and DVD players – one has to question what kind of security measures are in place to prevent people from doing a runner.

It's been a while since I was the editor of that magazine, but I remember that Locanda Locatelli, an excellent restaurant run by an excellent chef (down-to-earth and not pretentious) was located inside a hotel. On one visit I asked where I might find the restrooms and I was directed through a door and found myself in the middle of a bustling hotel reception area. Had I finished my meal I could have just walked out of the hotel front entrance never to be seen again; and this got me thinking. Perhaps we should run a feature where we try to 'do runners' from expensive restaurants just to see how protected they are. The idea was, of course, ruled out by the publisher (far too exciting, far too good, far too controversial and we don't want people actually READING the magazine, do we?) but there were issues surrounding breaking the law that I hadn't really considered.

Having said that, my plan was to work out a 'winning point', a place where we could say we had successfully achieved 'doing a runner' from the restaurants in question. It might have been a distance of 500 yards from the table at which we had been sitting; there were various ideas on the table about that. Anyway, the plan was to reach the winning point and then return and pay the bill – assuming we hadn't already been stopped and carted off to the local nick.

I knew that I couldn't operate alone and would need an accomplice and chose as my partner in crime a PR girl, who will remain nameless. She was definitely up for it (doing a runner!) and we worked out that we would need props – a fake mobile phone and a replica Fendi handbag, perhaps, to leave on the table and give the waiting staff the impression that we had to come back when, in reality, we had scarpered.

With meals costing so much, ie the price of a DVD player – the sort of thing burglars nick from houses – I felt, somewhere deep down that there was almost a moral obligation to have a go at 'doing a runner'. Food should never cost £400, that's plain greed on the part of the restaurateur, no matter what their excuse might be – food is never THAT good – and I should know as I have eaten in some of the best and most expensive restaurants in the UK and the world (but never paid for it, journalists tend not to). In fact if I had to pay for it, I wouldn't, in the same way that I would never buy a Bugatti Veyron, even if I had the money: at the end of the day it's only a car and I'm not going to pay the best part of a million quid just to pose and be poncy.

Anyway, back to doing a runner: it never happened. I even put the idea to the features editor of a well-known lads' mag – they think they're hard, or so I thought: they never returned my call, the cowards. So it never happened and probably never will. I did, however, case a few joints and can offer this advice to anybody who wants to have a go: hotel-based restaurants are the best bet, especially if they don't have their own dedicated entrance. Remember the fake mobile phone and the imitation Fendi bag, go there well turned out with a beautiful woman on your arm, order the lot: starter, main course, a good bottle of wine, dessert and then ask for directions to the restrooms. You can't both get up at the same time, that might arouse suspicions, but then I never got as far as actually organising a caper – just eating one!

Now that was an almighty digression, let's get back to the OK Café in Manchester – it was your typical caff – a mixture of Formica and plastic Gingham tablecloths, there were many copies of The Sun there for customers to read for free and the food was plain and honest. My cottage pie was one of the chef's specials and it only cost £4.65 with a mug of tea thrown in. As I left, leaving the change from a fiver as a tip, I started to wonder how desperate you would have to be to do a runner from the OK Café. According to the chef, it happens a lot.

Sunday roast in a bap at Arrosto's, Cannon Street

2009-10-21T02:25:00.001-07:00

My Sunday roast in a bap – it was very tasty! Nearest tube is Monument – look out for Cannon Street when you surface and it's on the left.

Coming up for air at Monument underground station, I wandered around trying to find somewhere decent for a cup of tea and a snack. I stumbled across Arrosto's, billed as a carvery and coffee shop. It's independent, that's one good thing, it's clean, that's another, and it's friendly. The carvery element is small – this isn't a Toby Carvery – but it's all there: chicken, beef, pork and lamb; just on a smaller scale.

I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I ordered the chicken with roast potatoes and stuffing balls. In fact, I was expecting a roast dinner on a plate, but no, once I'd made my order, the friendly girl behind the counter started preparing it for a huge bap. I ate in, but still got the bap wrapped in paper along with a large tea (only £1.40) and took my seat at one of those steel tables. A copy of The Sun made the whole experience just a little better and I ended up ordering another large tea and a Mars bar as dessert.

Arrosto's is a switched on place and it has its own website. Check it out by clicking here.

Peel's Coffee House & Eatery, Tamworth, Staffordshire

2009-10-18T03:05:00.000-07:00

Piping hot traditional British food. Look at that steaming Cottage Pie, those skin-on potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and peas! And all for £4.75! This, ladies and gentlemen, was my lunch on Friday 16 October 2009.

Nothing better than a caff over a shop and in this case Peel's Coffee House & Eatery was over a dress hire shop. Having wandered around Tamworth in search of a decent caff, I'd passed many worthy candidates including one offering liver and onions for just £2.50. I settled for Peel's and decided to tuck in to a pot of tea and a toasted teacake.

Peel's had a bluish interior, patterned tablecloths under glass and a pleasant vibe. The teacake was excellent and the tea was good too, although I could barely squeeze a second cup of tea out of my pot – more like a cup with a spout. I ordered another, which was bigger than the first, and then I spied somebody tucking into what looked like an amazing lunch.

Peel's had plenty to offer the hungry traveller and it was all detailed on a laminated menu: jacket potatoes, baguettes, panini breads, salads, omelettes and a range of home-made specials chalked on to blackboards.

There was also a proper cook making the food, a dinner lady type, which meant that the food had to be good.

Seeing the steaming hot meal arrive at an adjacent table prompted me to make a sideways glance in the opposite direction at the tempting blackboard. I simply had to order the cottage pie with potatoes and vegetables – it was only £4.75 and it was home-made by the dinner lady. What's more, it was lunch time and I didn't fancy the sweaty sandwiches on the train.

It was a worthwhile decision. The food arrived piping hot and set me up for the rest of the day. It was fortuitous that I'd ordered the meal because the train to London was not a Virgin train and it had no buffet or a trolley service. Result!

Coventry University gets a Compass Costa Coffee

2009-10-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

According to a news report in the Coventry Telegraph, Compass Group UK & Ireland have been taken on by the University of Coventry as its first out-sourced food and drink contract.

The contract caterer, which runs the Ritazza coffee shop brand internationally as well as many other different foodservice concepts, will be operating a Costa Coffee unit inside the university, according to the newspaper.

The contract between Compass and the university will run for seven years. It will be one of the largest Costa Coffee cafés run by Compass in the UK and should generate around £1 million revenue annually.

New look for Waitrose in-store cafés

2009-10-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

Supermarket chain Waitrose has appointed design consultancy Mellor & Scott to look into re-designing the stores' restaurants. The current Waitrose cafés feature light-coloured wooden tables, chairs and counters.

It is early days yet in terms of knowing what the new-design cafés will look like, but it's worth bearing in mind that Waitrose has some pretty big plans up it's sleeves generally. The John Lewis Partnership supermarket brand is planning to open more convenience stores and is moving into the world of petrol retailing too.

For more details, click here.

Council wants to ban Henley A boards

2009-09-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

Lorraine Hillier, a Tory councillor who owns a coffee shop in Henley, is leading a fight against the local council against the banning of A boards. Most of the businesses in downtown Henley use A boards to attract customers, but the Council reckons there are too many of them and that they are making life difficult for the disabled – especially blind people.

Lisa McLaughlin, proprietor of Jam for Tea said that her A board was vital for business and Rafael Fernandez, owner of The Henley Tea Rooms, said that his business wouldn't survive without its A board.

For further details, click here.

Aussie town bans bottled water

2009-09-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

If there are any environmentally conscious café proprietors out there, perhaps they might look at their supplies of bottled mineral waters differently now that a small town two hours south of Sydney in Australia – called Bundanoon – has decided to ban the stuff from the entire town and rely upon tap water fountains instead.

It's all because a bottled water company tapped into a local acquifer in order to retrieve and bottle water – and that's just a bridge too far for Bundanoon residents.

In 2006 a New South Wales study found that the bottled water industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tonnes of harmful gases into the atmosphere? It's true and it's all to do with the use of plastics in the bottling process and the fuel burned to transport the bottles.

Should similar action be taken in the UK?

For full story, click here.

Museum teashop plan worries local traders

2009-09-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

A scene from Hawes in Yorkshire.

The Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, Yorkshire, is considering the addition of a teashop on its premises, but local traders in town fear it will keep tourists away from the rest of the town and are opposing plans by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA). The teashop is being considered by the YDNPA as a means of celebrating the museum's 30th birthday.

Read the full story here.

Hockney blasts smoking ban after visit to local caff

2009-09-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

David Hockney, the artist, (pictured above) has said how much he loathes the Labour Government for introducing the smoking ban and effectively interfering with his life. He was appalled, recently, when he went to his local caff in East Yorkshire and was told that he couldn't even smoke outside because the management feared that smoke would waft inside the café and breach the law.

Click here for more details.

Starbucks ruffles the cushions

2009-09-19T00:39:00.001-07:00

Starbucks UK, it seems, has finally woken up to the fact that 'globalisation' might be something detrimental to its future success. It seems as if stores that look exactly the same whether they are in Aberdeen or Barnstaple is kind of grating with the coffee-drinking public. In short, people don't like uniformity these days and they don't want to enjoy a coffee or tea or millionaire's shortbread in an environment that screams 'corporate identity'. And why should they?

McDonald's sort of wised up to this a few years ago and started toning down the fact that it was McDonald's, the biggest hamburger chain in the world – only a small, golden arches logo lets you in on the secret. Now, Starbuck's has realised that uniformity and sameyness is not the way ahead, thanks to Mr Darcy. "Ooh! Mr Darcy!" Well, Mr Darcy Willson-Rymer to be precise, Starbucks' UK and Ireland managing director. He probably leaves his riding boots and breeches at home.

Willson-Rymer has admitted that the company had put too much 'process' in its stores and has now set about changing things, toning down that Starbucks logo and, I guess, trying to give customers the impression that they are sitting in an independent coffee shop. There, of course, is the big paradox of branding. Sometimes brand reassurance gets a bit too much. How many times have you travelled to the other side of the world only to find the same high street brands. How many times have you heard somebody say, "Ooh, they've got a Claire's Accessories!" As if having a Claire's Accessories in, say, North Western Canada is a cause to be proud. Familiarity breeds contempt.

The quality of the products sold in Starbucks will not change, which means that the whole 'brand reassurance' thing – the backbone of branding as a philosophy – remains intact. What will change is the interior: mis-matched and possibly secondhand furniture, perhaps, and local artefacts to make the stores more 'local'.

Teashopandcaff welcomes the idea of less homogenous Starbucks. As Willson-Rymer points out, the homogenisation thing was merely 'setting a standard'. Fairplay, but now we all get the picture, ruffle the cushions a bit, Darcy.

For the full story, click here.

Urban Pie – what a great idea!

2009-09-17T05:12:00.000-07:00

If ever you find yourself, like I did, on Birmingham Moor Street station with an hour to kill, go take a walk. Cross the road directly opposite the station and then follow the walkway across the street up towards the rather swish pedestrianised area where all the big brand name shops are located. There you will find not only an impressive-looking church but also a range of eateries.

Virtually directly across the street from a Café Rouge is an amazing place called Urban Pie. What a place! It sells a range of deep-filled, hand-made pies and it sells them with accompaniments like mushy peas and mashed potato. Fantastic! It's licensed too, meaning you can wash the lot down with a bottle of Stella or Peroni.

There are no plates, everything's disposable, the vibe is good, the name is amazing and the pies, well, they're the tops. I went for a minced beef and new potatoes pie and had mushy peas, mash and gravy and a bottle of Stella, although, to be honest, I didn't really need the Stella. I'd been drinking real ale at a club in Halesowen during the afternoon so lager was a bit superfluous.

But let's talk about Urban Pie. There's an outside seating area, it's licensed, it sells pies (all for £3.95), there are junior pies for £2.95 (ideal if you've got kids or people who are not big eaters), there are sweet pies (try apple and cinnamon or cherry and apple for just £2.65), there's wine, beer, soft drinks, milkshakes – Urban Pie has it all!

Back to those classic pies: there's steak & kidney, steak & mushroom, steak & Stilton, chicken and gammon, chicken and asparagus, chicken balti (well, this is Birmingham!), and a Halal chicken and mushroom pie. Hold on, there's more. How about Thai green chicken, lamb and rosemary, lamb, potato and fresh mint, wild mushroom and asparagus, mature Cheddar and red onion, seasonal vegetable, a breakfast pie or even a Sunday dinner pie.

"At Urban Pie our passion is to create gourmet, handmade pies, deep filled with the finest ingredients."What a statement!

They bake throughout the day, there are no additives, the recipes are simple and the pies can be eaten in or taken out.

Judging by the menu I have there are two Urban Pies in existence: one in Birmingham (0121-643 0040) and one at Highcross in Leicester, call 0116 262 2572. And if you're out there wondering what to do with your life, how about being an Urban Pie franchisee? Interested? Then call on 0870 334 4910 or email info@urbanpie.co.uk

You might like to take a look at the company's website, which is www.urbanpie.co.uk

Microwaveable fish fingers! A giant step for caffkind...

2009-09-13T00:48:00.000-07:00

Actually, the fish finger sandwich above looks a bit problematic when it comes to tucking in. That toasted bread looks hard, those beans look as if they'll fall all over your lap and I bet you'll need a knife and fork. You don't need to toast the bread and surely baked beans are a bridge too far.

We've managed to get a man on the moon, there are various cures for major diseases, we can travel at twice the speed of sound but guess what? When it comes to fish fingers, the food manufacturing industry has only just announced, ie this week, that it can now make microwaveable fish fingers that won't go soggy.

Up until this week, the culinary wisdom on fish fingers was that they could only be baked or fried. But now, thanks to Young's, there are Micro Fish Fingers. What does this mean for fish fingers? Well, according to Young's marketing controller, Charlotte Broughton, it means they can compete in the quick snack market.

Now this is GOOD news? Why? Well, a few years ago I spent the day on the road with a Unilever rep in the UK and he introduced me to the wonders of a fish finger and Hellmann's Mayonnaise sandwich. It's simple: three fish fingers laid on a slice of bread, the mayonnaise liberally applied on top, followed by another slice of bread and hey presto!

Once the microwaveable fish fingers are launched, look out for a fish finger and Hellmann's mayonnaise sandwich on caff menus.

Captain Birdseye is a bit cheesed off that he didn't get in on the act, but hey ho, you can't win 'em all.

2009-09-12T02:06:00.000-07:00

Boston Tea Party, a small chain of seven family run cafés based in the West Country, will shortly be opening a unit in Worcester, much to the delight of residents, according to a report in Berrow's Worcester Journal.

The chain prides itself on its freshly roasted, 100 per cent Arabica beans, which are never more than 10 days old and its teas, which are all loose leaf and chosen by locally based tea tasting specialists.

Around 80 per cent of the chain's suppliers are based in the West Country and there's a strong ethical bias to the company's procurement policy.

Most Boston Tea Party units are in Bristol but there are stores in Honiton and Exeter and the Worcester store, earmarked for 18 Broad Street, will open in November.

Central Perk? In Manchester? It's true!

2009-09-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

Top shot shows the interior of Manchester's Central Perk. Shot above is my breakfast. Those sausages might look alright, but they were rubbish, and that tea cup could have held a little more tea.

Here is teashopandcaff doing the closest it can, under the circumstances, to a live broadcast. Okay, it could be a little bit more live if we were on-line and writing direct on to the blog, but there’s no WiFi so sitting in the caff, this one being Central Perk in Manchester, writing on a laptop, is the closest we’re going to get on this occasion.

I was attracted by the name, of course; my daughter is an avid fan of Friends so when I passed the sign on the window, I had to take a peek inside. Where, I wondered, was the juice bar operation that used to occupy this site? Apparently, it left some time ago and then somebody else came along and now it’s a young couple running the place. Out front handling the till is Sarah and the chef – her other half – is behind the scenes making the food.

Central Perk is one of those schizoid places that doesn’t quite add up: is it a trendy coffee bar, as its name suggests, or is it a ‘caff’ as the illuminated menu behind the counter indicates? Who knows and, quite frankly, who cares? All I cared about was something to eat and at 11.30am in the morning I was told that breakfast was still an option.

I had noticed the credit card sign on the door but sadly the card reader wasn’t working so I would have to walk to the nearest cashpoint, down the road at the Co-op, draw out £20 and pay with cash. Not a problem.

I ordered the Full Monty, a full English breakfast consisting of two slices of toast, two sub-standard (in my opinion) sausages, two fried eggs, two rashers of bacon, a grilled tomato, baked beans and mushrooms (£6). It came with a cup of tea too.

The sausages let the meal down and I was not alone in thinking this; Sarah said that the chef had tried them and found them wanting. She offered me two higher spec products but I had already eaten one of the original sausages and half of the other one. Four sausages would have been greedy. I did order another tea and was given it on the house because of those awful sausages. Fair play, I thought.

I got chatting with Sarah, as you do when you’re up north; people talk, and it turns out she has two young kids, one at nursery, the other just starting school this week. Her other half is the chef by trade and they both used to run a bar in the Algarve. Nice work. Anyway, it’s a harder slog than you think, running a caff like this one, but they both intend to persevere. They have an excellent location, on the road leading up to Manchester’s Piccadilly station. I like this place, but I wish I hadn’t ordered that full English breakfast – it was too much when a bagel would have been sufficient.

Central Perk Manchester is nice caff but it needs to sort out better suppliers in my opinion. If I was running this place, I’d source my sausages from a decent butcher, possibly even offer customers a choice of different varieties, speciality sausages even, but I wouldn’t go for the typical ‘caff’ sausage that you see quite often in British caffs.

Coming out of Central Perk and heading up towards the station, I noticed that next door there was a very similar sort of caff. This got me thinking. If Central Perk is going to make any serious money it can’t afford to have a similar style of operation next door, it needs to differentiate itself. I would get rid of the illuminated menu behind the counter and replace it with a blackboard and produce a smaller menu based on locally sourced ingredients. By all means offer hearty breakfasts, but go for decent ingredients, limit the menu and go for quality. That would give the place a USP (Unique Selling Point) and hopefully make some money for Sarah and her family.

The Deli Café, Sheen Road, Richmond, London – one of the best caffs in the world!

2009-09-07T00:20:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is my breast of chicken with fresh tomatoes and green pesto, not forgetting a mug of tea and a white chocolate slice – the perfect lunch! The shot at the top is of the Deli Café's exterior looking down the Sheen Road. Just out of shot to the right is the Red Cow, a decent Young's pub.

The Deli Café on the Sheen Road in Richmond is up there with the super caffs. Why? Quite simply it has everything. There are, or rather were, two excellent women working there. They were both very friendly and welcoming and always put themselves out to make you feel at home and give you the best possible service. Today, one has gone but the woman who runs the place remains.

The café is located opposite a Young’s pub called the Red Cow and is one of a row of shops that includes another café, a tobacconist, hairdresser, chemist, dry cleaner and an antique shop, plus others I cannot recall from memory. Further down the Sheen Road, there is another row of shops including a decent bike shop, an off licence and a Chinese restaurant, not forgetting a chiropractor.

The other café I mentioned earlier is virtually next door to the Deli Café, but the reason I stumbled upon the Deli Café was because I didn’t go in the other place, the Nano Café. People have told me that the Nano is quite good and that it has a downstairs eating area; it’s slightly bigger than the Deli Café but, to be honest, for me to go in there now would be tantamount to blasphemy as I’ve got to know the people in the Deli Café and, for some reason, I wouldn’t want them thinking I’d chosen another café over their’s.

And why visit the Nano when the food at the Deli Café is so fantastic? There is a range of baguettes, sandwiches and Panini breads, and even hot meals cooked by ‘the ladies’, as I often refered to them both, and put on as specials. Dishes like homemade lasagne, roast chicken with roasted potatoes and salad and, I have to say, all extremely tasty. There are home-baked cookies, fresh fruit, caramel squares, chocolate bars, pastries, cakes, breakfast items, soft drinks and an espresso machine offering a range of decent hot beverages. This, is the bee’s knees, the dog’s bollocks, the cat’s pyjamas: it’s brilliant.

Whenever I go there I always engage in a friendly chit chat with the ‘Brazilian ladies’, as I call them and then await my order, which they bring over automatically. They now know my order. I don’t even have to say anything. I always have the breast of chicken with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, a cup of tea (it’s PG Tips, but for some reason it’s one of the best cuppas ever) and a ‘slice’. I put the word ‘slice’ in inverted commas for good reason. Why? Because while I started off with a caramel slice (the usual milk chocolate affair you associate with caffs and teashops) I moved on to a white chocolate version with nuts and the same biscuit base. My baguette has changed a bit too as I’ve substituted the sun-dried tomatoes with real tomatoes.

I love the Deli Café and it was made even more appealing recently when I noticed that Jarvis Cocker was there (apparently there’s a recording studio a short walk away). Jarvis being there was a little spooky as, weeks leading up to spotting him, I had been enjoying the Pulp track and video for Babies. For years I had a bass line in my head but I had no idea where it came from other than it accompanied sketches on a television comedy show. Then I heard a track on the radio and had to know what it was: “It’s Babies by Pulp,” said a work colleague, so I found it on YouTube and haven't stopped listening to it. Fantastic. One of those pieces of music that is so inspiring it almost brings a tear to my eye whenever I hear it.

Imagine, therefore, how strange it was to see the great man himself in the Deli Café ordering a sandwich. I was tempted to go over and shake his hand and tell him how much I liked Babies (and his other work), but somehow that was just too naff for words. It’s not the first time I’ve seen Jarvis Cocker. Perhaps he’s following me around. Once, while in Noble Rot, a restaurant in London, I spied him walking past, his lanky form disappearing into the crowded streets. Cocker is tall, probably 6’4” and nowadays he sports a full beard, giving him a distinguished appearance.

That bass line from Babies has inspired me to take up the bass guitar, it’s that good – although I’ve yet to get around to buying a guitar! If you go on YouTube and key in Babies by Pulp you can scroll down and find a live version from Glastonbury in 1994. You can hear the crowds screaming “Babies!!!!” and Jarvis teasing the audience a little before launching into the track to rapturous applause and cheering. Brilliant.

I’m a regular at the Deli Café. I try and sit by the window where I can watch the world go by while I enjoy my food and read The Sun. There’s nothing better. A takeaway menu is available, but where’s the fun in that? The Deli Café should be enjoyed there and then, on the premises.

Listen to Babies by Pulp!!!

Caff guide for Americans visiting London

2009-09-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Texans considering a trip to the UK would be well advised to check out the Dallas Morning News website this morning as there is a helpful guide to some excellent caffs.

Maria's Market Café in Borough Market, the River Café near Putney railway station (1a Station Approach Road), the Med Kitchen near Gloucester Road underground station (23-25 Gloucester Road), Tom's Café (27 Cale Street near Sloane Square tube), El Vergel (8 Lant Street near Borough underground station) and Brick Lane Bagel Bake (159 Brick Lane, near Aldgate tube station) are all given a mention and can all expect obese Americans in shorts to trundle into their establishments shortly.

For more details on what these caffs are offering, click here.

Hard Boiled Egg Café in Bristol aims for Irish brekkie world record!!!

2009-09-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

Photograph, courtesy of The Anglo-Celt, shows local businessman Farrell Grogan attempting the Full Irish at the Hard Boiled Egg Café – and what a great name for a caff!

How do you fancy a Full Irish Breakfast? Well, why not nip down to the Hard Boiled Egg Café in Cavan town in Bristol where a breakfast costing 19.95 Euros is looking to break a Guinness world record for being the largest Irish breakfast in the world. If you eat the whole thing in half an hour you get it for free.

Some have called the breakfast a 'heart attack on a plate' but teashopandcaff reckons it's not impossible to get the meal for free. Now there's a challenge!

What constitutes a record-breaking Irish breakfast? Ten of everything by the looks of it. Ten rashers of bacon, ten sausages, ten eggs, five pieces of pudding, five hash browns, chips, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, ten slices of toast and loads of tea.

"It's a huge, huge breakfast," said Hard Boiled Egg Café owner John Gaughan.

For the full story, click here!

Forget the latte, it's the Flat White that is making waves

2009-08-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Photograph of a flat white coffee courtesy of www.make-studio.co.uk

Established coffee retailers, like Starbucks, have had their day, according to media reports. With Coffee Republic no more and consumers feeling a little jaded about Costa and Caffé Nero and other big chain operators, it looks as if Australians and New Zealanders are set to make a fast buck as antipodean coffee bars selling a new hot beverage – the Flat White – steam into view.

Flat Whites are sold in 5oz or 6oz cups and are claimed to be more powerful, stronger and creamier than a poncy latte.

For full details, click here.

At last a touch of theatre for tea

2009-08-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

Photo shows Carl Pretorius (left) and Pete Ethelston.

Coffee has it all when it comes to 'theatre'. Espresso coffee machines have made a song and dance about producing a cup of espresso or cappuccino ever since the milk bars of the 1950s. While there might have been a blip back in the 1960s, when instant coffee took over for a while, roast and ground coffee is now back with a vengeance and chain operators like Costa, Caffé Nero and Starbucks, to name but three, are all offering their customers a touch of theatre everytime a cup of coffee is ordered.

Sadly, if you're a tea drinker, there's little in the way of theatre when you order your cuppa, apart from being asked in Starbucks whether you want one or two teabags.

A short while ago there was a glimmer of hope when Unilever Best Foods starting promoting Chai tea and developing interesting looking dispensing equipment for tea that easily rivalled the espresso machines produced by companies such as Brasilia UK. Can't say I've seen a great deal of Unilever's tea machines so I can't vouch for their continued availability.

However, two South Africans claim to have developed the world's first 'tea espresso' based on the South African Rooibos tea. The product has already proved a great success in South Africa, the USA, Canada, parts of Europe and Asia and now it has landed on UK shores. The product is known as Red Espresso and it can be purchased in the UK by clicking here.

For an interview with the two men who have developed and marketed tea espresso – Carl Pretorius and Pete Ethelston – click here.

The Shakers, Praed Street, London W2

2009-08-27T03:32:00.000-07:00

After sitting on an InterCity train for two hours, stranded at Slough and not allowed off the train, it was a welcomed relief to arrive at Paddington just in time for lunch.

Praed Street runs parallel to the station and it has some interesting caffs. I found The Shakers where I enjoyed a rather nice slab of lasagne with salad and a mug of tea – all for £6.18, an odd sum, but there you go. The restaurant had a downstairs and an upstairs gallery area affording customers a view of the bustling counter below.

The Shakers offered traditional sandwiches but also a full range of hot meals, which were displayed in a hot servery area at the front of the shop. There was beef and chicken curry, lasagne, you name it, all piping hot and ready to eat.

While the food was good, the restaurant itself was not really that swish in terms of decor. You might be able to see from the photograph above that there's a hole in the window where one of those ventilation thingys should go; that was a bit offputting. Generally, it could have done with a lick of paint to make it more welcoming.

I left satisfied with my lasagne and tea – although I noted that the tea had been made on an espresso machine and the guy making my tea had obviously used hot milk, which lent it a frothy coffee appearance and almost causing me to question whether it was tea. Still, it was okay and I shouldn't grumble.

There appears to be a website address on the shopfront (www.shakers1.com) but it must have been closed down.

Blackheath super caff in Heinz Ketchup TV ad

2009-08-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Gambardella Cafe in Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath – the oldest café in south London – is hailed as one of the best Formica ‘caffs’ in London. This is the sort of place where you can eat honest food, where you can be anonymous and where you can simply watch the world go round. Ask Jools Holland. He used to live locally and was often known to tuck in to egg on toast.

The Gambardella is also a bit of a movie star having made appearances in The Boat that Rocked (with Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh) and the ITV drama, The Fixer.

The café was opened in 1927 by Andrew Gambardella, a former ice cream maker from Naples, Italy. It is now run by James and Alex Petrillo, his grandsons (pictured above).

The caff is also being used in a new television advertisement for Heinz Tomato Ketchup, a key ‘caff’ brand if ever there was one. A caff without Heinz Tomato Ketchup isn’t really a caff.

The ad – which was screened in June and again in August – celebrates the many iconic ways that Heinz Tomato Ketchup is enjoyed and is costing Heinz £2 million. In the ad, people from different generations are seen patting, squeezing and scraping an invisible sauce bottle onto their delicious meals.

It goes without saying that Gambardella has been a staunch fan of Heinz Tomato Ketchup for over 80 years.

The Caff that never sleeps – in London EC1

2009-08-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

The pic at the top shows the view from the table looking out. The shot above is the exterior of the café.

Take a stroll up Cowcross Street when you step out of Farringdon tube station in London and, just around the corner, across the road from Smithfield Market and opposite a Barclays Bank, you will find La Forchetta, pronounced La Forketta. Forchetta means fork in Italian, according to the Portugese lady behind the café's counter during my visit.

Having managed to miss lunch, I was starving hungry and decided to order lasagne and salad, this being an Italian café. They put the lasagne on a plate and then microwaved it, which was fair enough, it was nearly 4pm. Naturally I ordered a mug of tea too and then sat down at the back of the caff watching people as they passed by.

What's on offer? Plenty. During teashopandcaff's visit there were some tasty specials like sausage pasta, chicken risotto, chilli con carne and, of course, the lasagne. My order cost me £5.50. There's also a range of pasta dishes, paninis (£3.50), jacket potatoes (£4.00), a full English breakfast for £4.50, sandwiches from £1.80 and a number of different styles of speciality teas courtesy of Twinings.

Newspapers and refrigerated soft drinks round it off but wait, what was that? It stays open all night at the weekends? It's true! The caff opens early and closes late (around 11pm) most days, but on Saturday night it goes through the night, servicing those coming out of the nightclubs and, of course, the market traders.

After paying for the lasagne and tea, teashopandcaff was tempted to remain in situ, order another tea and try the Millionaire's Shortbread too. Not bad!

New Mexico Tea Company opens teashop

2009-08-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

If ever you wondered what a fruit kabob looked like, wonder no more as this is them. Think kebabs with fruit, not meat.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, the New Mexico Tea Company (a retail tea shop) has opened a teashop. The new foodservice element will operate as an integral but separate business.

The New Mexico Tea Company's 150 varieties of tea are available hot at the teashop, and there are three iced tea products available.

The reason behind the teashop according to the NMTC's owner, David Edwards, is that he wanted to promote his business to a wider audience and that he thinks a teashop has more of a buzz to it than a retail shop.

Scones with clotted cream and jam, muffins and fruit kabobs (see photograph above) are also available.

For the full story, click here.

Café Macchiato, Elland, West Yorkshire

2009-08-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Whether there is any connection between the town of Elland (in West Yorkshire near Huddersfield) and the famous Elland Road (home of Leeds FC) I have no idea, but I do know that Café Macchiato can be found in Elland and very nice it is too.

To be honest, it's not your traditional teashop and caff. It has an Italian flavour to it, which is evident in the name (Café Macchiato) but also in the food on offer, like Bruschetta Macchiato (£3.10) which consists of diced tomato, red onion, garlic, basil and olive oil. Also on offer is a range of cold sandwiches. Paninis range in price from £2.75 to £3.00 and there are specials like meat balls and cheese panini (£3.10).

But don't be fooled into thinking you're in some kind of trendy 'eaterie'. You're not! Café Macchiato has true 'caff' credentials thanks to a breakfast menu available between 9am and 11am. Bacon, sausage, eggs, beans and toast costs a reasonable £3.95. Where's the teashop element of this amazing caff, I hear you ask. Let me tell you that there are some amazing home-made cakes on offer – even some home-made Millionaire's Shortbread (a caramel slice in caff speak). And talking of 'slices', a lemon slice is £1.20, a caramel slice is £1.30, carrot cake is also £1.30 and muffins cost 95p.

As the comedian Jimmy Cricket said, "There's more." Scones with home-made jam are just £1.30 or £1.45 with added cream and let's not forget chocolate and beetroot cake at £2.30. Apparently it's like carrot cake but with chocolate and (ahem) beetroot.

The staff are friendly too and it is very much a family affair. During my visit it was mother and daughter on duty.

Elland is about 20 minutes by bus out of central Huddersfield.

Choosy's in Huddersfield – a shop and a teashop!

2009-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Huddersfield is a million times better than I expected it to be; probably because the sun was shining and I found myself moseying around West Yorkshire looking for a decent teashop or caff.

Needless to say, I found one, called Choosy's, one of those places that sell a load of tea and coffee paraphernalia, like mugs and teapots, strainers and a selection of speciality teas and coffees.

A box of Twinings' Chai tea took my fancy but I decided against buying any, opting instead for a teapot-shaped used teabag holder (£2.75). I like to have permanent mementos.

Walking through the door was fantastic, thanks to the aroma of coffee beans and the general ambience of the place. The shop is downstairs and there's a quaint teashop upstairs where I enjoyed an excellent pot of tea served with fresh milk and all for just £1.30 (much better than that Costa on the M3 last week).

Homely brands keep Premier's home fires burning

2009-08-09T14:01:00.001-07:00

Good, old fashioned, homely brands are clearly the best around – who needs supermarket own-label products? Think back to cosy childhood times and famous names like Birds Instant Custard, Atora Suet and Paxo sage and onion stuffing. The list is endless.

Well, it seems as if homely, established brands, including Mr Kipling cakes, have been exceedingly good for Premier Foods. The company has seen sales of its Branston pickle rise by 41 per cent, Hovis sales are up by 17 per cent, Batchelors soups by 14 per cent and Hartley's jams and spreads by 12 per cent.

Premier's group turnover has risen by 3.5 per cent to £1.24 billion and the company's net debt has fallen from £1.8 billion to £1.48 billion. That's the good news. The bad news is that Premier has reported a pre-tax loss of £30 million in the six months to June 27 2009.

The company ran into financial problems after purchasing its rival, RHM (Rank Hovis McDougall) and parts of Campbells food business.

For full details, click here.

Daylight robbery – £2 for a cup of tea at Costa

2009-08-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

Photographs show my bill for a small bottle of mineral water, the Eat & Drink Co and the Costa at a Moto service area on the M3. Let's get one thing straight here: paying £2 for a cuppa is fine if the environment is something really special, but a motorway service area? I don't think so.

I wouldn't call myself a communist or a Marxist, but there are times when capitalism really stinks. Normally, I get a little cheesed off when I discover that to travel by train to, say, Huddersfield, at 9am in the morning, will cost me in excess of £200. Why, when a hour or so later the fare is more than halved? The answer, of course, is exploitation.

Train travel is one thing, but how about a cup of tea for £1.99? That, in teashopandcaff's opinion, is daylight robbery when you consider that a cup of tea costs only pennies to make. I should know. Many moons ago I was the editor of a catering magazine. I was often told by the brand managers for PG Tips or Twinings that tea only cost 3p to make so that selling a cup for 50p was, in itself, a good mark-up.

Fast forward to Sunday August 2nd 2009 and even assuming, hypothetically, that the price of producing the Great British Cuppa has rocketed to, say, 12p, £1.99 is still extortionate. But that is the price of a cup of tea in a Costa Coffee on the M3. Why is it so expensive? Because they have a captive audience and can charge what the hell they like. Disgusting. It's the same price at an Eat & Drink Co outlet in the same Moto motorway service station where, incidentally, a small bottle of mineral water is also £1.99 (normally it's around 60p in shops).

Nobody should be expected to pay £1.99 for a cup of tea. Sort it out, Costa, your tea is not THAT good. For £2, I'd expect free biscuits at the very least.

The Buttery at the Brock & Bruin, Brockenhurst, New Forest – a teashop and caff in one building!

2009-08-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

A spot of camping in the New Forest makes a teashop or caff a welcomed sight after a night under the stars, and what better than the Brock & Bruin Teashop, a kind of hybrid between a teashop and a caff. Why? Because the place looks and feels like a quaint teashop (and offers some excellent home-made cakes and pastries) but also offers good old caff food, like the Big Brock, a full English breakfast if ever there was one: two of everything – two fried eggs, two sausages, two fried tomatoes, two hash browns, a hearty portion of baked beans and two slices of toast. Fantastic. Wash the lot down with a large white pot of tea and a few extra slices of toast and you're made up for the day.

The Buttery at the Brock & Bruin has a thing about teddy bears. There's a huge one sitting in the window and various others dotted around on shelves inside, plus a few badgers for good measure.

This is a great teashop and caff bang in the middle of Brockenhurst, which is bang in the middle of the New Forest.

Teashop opens inside a windmill!

2009-08-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

What sounds like an amazing tearoom has opened inside the Tuxford Windmill (pictured above) in Nottinghamshire.

Local MP Patrick Mercer was on hand to cut the cake, as opposed to the ribbon, and it looks as if the teashop has a bright future.

Most of the food and drink sold at the teashop is locally sourced, including the chocolate cake, which is made using wholemeal flour milled at the windmill.

With regular visits from the Women's Institute, gardening clubs and historical sites, the teashop was crucial to the future success of Tuxford Windmill.

Visitors to the teashop can enjoy filled rolls, old fashioned hearty soups, jacket potatoes, a selection of cakes, cream teas, toasted teacakes, tea and coffee. There is also a bake-to-order service.

For the full story, click here. For more information on Tuxford Windmill, click here.

Recession forces US caffs to ban laptops

2009-08-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Cafés in the USA are beginning to ban the use of laptops because of the recession. To be fair, they have a point. Somebody using the place like a library is definitely not good for business as the table could be taken by those wanting to use the café for its rightful purpose: eating and drinking.

Some cafés, like Naidre's in Brooklyn, NY, are simply not allowing laptop usage between certain hours of the day. Others are covering up power points to discourage usage.

This new trend seems to be gaining ground in the independent sector. Coffee chains like Starbucks and bookshop Barnes & Noble are not planning to ban laptops. In Barnes & Noble WiFi is free while many Starbucks charge for the service.

The last word, however, must go to chef Ty-Lor Boring who works at Café Grumpy in NY. "You can isolate yourself behind a laptop, but look at this place: Almost everyone is having a conversation."

Source and full story: Wall Street Journal.

Teashops and cafés shortlisted in Coventry & Warwickshire's regional food awards

2009-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Photograph shows a Warwickshire breakfast, served up in McKechnies in Stratford.

The Coventry & Warwickshire Food & Drink Awards are well underway and the shortlist of finalists has been announced. It goes without saying that teashops and caffs have a category of their own in the awards (Best Coffee House/Teashop) and that there are three worthy contenders for the title.

The three finalists are Bread & Co in Leamington; McKechnies, an independent tea and coffee bar in Stratford; and the Hatton Locks Café in Hatton.

The main objective of the awards is to recognise and reward quality, and where the coffee house and teashop category is concerned, it's all about those committed to providing their customers with fresh, local produce, a wide range of beverages (hot and cold) and a good range of cakes, biscuits and light snacks.

McKechnies looks like an interesting place. It offers its customers 17 different types of tea for a start, locally sourced food and an award-winning coffee in Formula 6 supplied by James' Gourmet Coffee Company. The food looks amazing too and if you log on to the café's website (www.mckechnies-cafe.co.uk) you'll notice that a Warwickshire breakfast is well worth ordering. It consists of dry cure bacon, Hatton sausage, field mushrooms, fresh beef tomatoes and a free range egg. It can be served with thick-cut granary or white toast, home-made strawberry jam or three-fruit marmalade.

The Hatton Locks Café looks good too, although its website wasn't quite finished when teashopandcaff took a butchers. This canalside restaurant, which used to be a stable for barge horses, must be a hit with those on canalboat holidays. According to owner Lynn Drane it's also a hit with walkers.

Bread & Co in Leamington Spa is a fine foods and bakery shop offering artisan breads, cakes and pastries plus sandwiches, salads, 'delicious' coffee and treats. "A warm welcome awaits you,' claims the company. Bread & Co, incidentally, is also shortlisted in the Champion of Local Produce (retailer) of the awards.

If you want to know more about the awards, click here.

Conveyor toasters. Don't you just want one?

2009-08-01T01:18:00.001-07:00

Not sure about you, but whenever I stay in a hotel – especially when I'm on holiday abroad – there's always a conveyor toaster in the breakfast room. I love them and wish I could have one at home. This one (see photograph) is from a company called Hatco and is part of the Toast-Qwik range of conveyor toasters which can toast between 400 and 800 slices of bread per hour. That's a lot of toast!

But have you stopped and wondered just how bad conveyor toasters are for the environment? Think about it: they're on all the time, that conveyor goes round and round for hours, using up unnecessary electricity, it's just not right in these environmentally aware times.

Hatco thinks it has the solution. Hatco’s UK managing director Mark Poultney said: “The new, ‘green’ automatic power-save models will switch the toaster automatically to 'power-save' after 30 minutes of inactivity. There is no additional charge for this option. Models on which power-save can be included are theTQ-405 and TQ-805.”

Nice work, Hatco. You can read more about the company's new range of toasters by clicking here.