Ardingly Cafe, Ardingly, Sussex

Do you ever find yourself wandering around looking for somewhere fairly decent to eat a snack and not really finding anything other than a pub, which, for me, is always the last resort these days. Who wants frozen chips and over-priced food and drink? Not me! I was driving around looking at fireplaces, and was having little joy in my quest for a decent cafe. Somehow or other I found myself in Ardingly and I was teetering on entering a pub, unwillingly. But then I was struck by a small cafe, quite simply called Ardingly Cafe, written in squiggly yellow letters over a light grey background. Thank you, Lord, I said quietly to myself as I parked up and trudged past the pub towards my destination.

The Ardingly Cafe in Ardingly, West Sussex, UK

There were around four people in there, four men and a dog. We took a seat and was greeted by a very pleasant lady of South East Asian extraction, I think she said she was Malyasian, who provided us with menus to peruse. Breakfast, I noted, was served all day so there was no chance of Michael Douglas, machine gun in hand, saying, "Have you ever heard the expression 'the customer is always right?'

For a tenner you get two rashers of bacon, one sausage, hash browns, grilled tomato, mushrooms, baked beans and toast. Or there's The Big One for £12, which is the same, but you get two of everything, or The Little One, which is one of everything and will set you back £8. 

Light lunches are also available including Marmite mushrooms and a poached egg on sourdough toast (£7.50) - now that sounds rather interesting. There's also avocado smash (£10) served with poached egg, pesto tomatoes and roasted pumpkin seeds, Chorizo eggs (£10) with avocado, cherry tomatoes and either a fried or poached egg. And what about a wild mushroom and spinach bruschetta with garlic oil and a poached egg, that'll set you back a tenner. There's homemade soup at £7.50 and a selection of sandwiches ranging from £4 for a straightforward cheese variety to £6.50 for either a BLT, tuna or ham and cheese with pickle or onion chutney. And let's not forget Eggs Benedict for a tenner served with poached eggs, outdoor reared ham, Hollandaise sauce, balsamic spritz and fresh rocket.

Inside the calming Ardingly Cafe. 

Fried egg sandwiches, bacon sarnies, sausage sarnies - great 'caff' staples, but also pancakes, porridge, toast on its own, French toast (very rare for a caff) egg or beans on toast, this was definitely a caff to be reckoned with. 

I ordered a plain sausage sandwich and a mug of tea (a decent mug of tea) and I was made up. I could have eaten another one, but refrained from doing so and while I considered a cake, they simply weren't THAT inviting so I declined. I'm not saying they weren't any good, they were fine, but they didn't say 'eat me'. 

The eating environment was very pleasant and relaxing. There was laminated wood flooring, mustard-coloured tablecloths and plenty of light thanks to a large front window and windows to the right hand side of the caff. Actually, that word 'caff' doesn't really do it justice, although I wouldn't call it a restaurant, so perhaps 'cafe' on this occasion. And let's not forget a brick design wallpaper, a framed city scape painting and, most importantly, a wonderful vibe of peace and tranquility that I think was all down to the laid back proprietor and her mum. I'm not sure if mum was anything to do with the running of the place, but she added a pleasantness that means one day I will return. This was an of oasis of calm, a place to step into and enjoy while the moment lasts. As Arne would say, "I'll be back!"

Tiffins, Petworth, West Sussex, United Kingdom

Tiffins, Petworth – a brilliant teashop and caff

Petworth in West Sussex is one of those towns where one can wander around, looking at antiques and admiring (during the summer months) the splendid hanging baskets that seem to be everywhere. 

There's a fair smattering of eateries here too in the shape of pubs and cafés and tearooms, everything you might expect, and let's not forget Petworth House, a stately home the town can be proud of; and while I haven't been there for some time, I expect that it too has a café and a gift shop – for me the highlight of any stately home visit. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for the tearoom and the gift shop, it would be incredibly boring.

But this review is not about stately homes, it's all about Tiffin's Tea Room, a place I stumbled upon a year or two ago and one I keep coming back to with my family as it's perfect in every sense and never, ever disappoints. There's a touch of Miss Marple too, a key ingredient of any self-respecting tearoom thanks to its mis-matching cups and saucers – a touch of the Margaret Rutherfords, perhaps – it's all here, but couched in a bright and breezy environment with friendly staff and pleasant customers.

Four cheese ciabatta with onion marmalade...tops!

Tiffins' key attribute is the friendly staff. All the best tearooms and caffs have a 'larger-than-life lady and Tiffins is no exception. I don't mean 'large' in the physical sense, but in presence and while I don't know the name of the woman at Tiffins, I get the impression that she's in charge. What I like about her is she knows what she's doing, she knows the menu, she knows everything and she takes control, which is great. It's important to have somebody there, guiding you through the menu, helping you make that all-important choice and backing up whatever decision you make. It's part of the experience.

I was at Tiffins yesterday (Saturday). We had decided to drive to Petworth and a trip there isn't complete without a visit to this great tearoom. The larger-than-life-lady greeted us like old friends, which was great, we took a seat, a waitress approached and we ordered. I had a three-cheese ciabatta with onion marmalade plus a pot of tea, we ordered two carrot and coriander soups, which always includes a slice of crusty bread and butter, and a jacket potato with tuna and beans, plus another tea. In fact, it was tea all round and a hot chocolate for my daughter.

 

A bright and breezy interior at Tiffins...

The food here is wonderful. The soups are flavoursome, the ciabatta was just what the doctor ordered and the jacket potato an ample size, but not over the top (as they can be in some establishments). The tea was pleasant too, it always is, and the other clientele quiet and well-behaved – no babies having their nappies changed in here – although I don't want to give the impression that Tiffins is in any way 'stuffy', it isn't. Quite the contrary – it's a bright and breezy place with specials advertised on a colourful wall on the left as you walk in; they sell their own jams, chutney and honey for £3.50 a jar, there are home-made cakes.

We ordered a Victoria sponge and a rhubarb and ginger sponge. The latter was iced. Both were perfect! 

Off the top of my head, I can't remember the final price, but it would have been reasonable – it must have hovered around the £18 to £25 mark as we were a party of four and I don't begrudge paying that sort of money if the food is good and the service impeccable.

It goes without saying that whenever we're in Petworth we find our way to Tiffins for one simple reason: it's perfect in every way. Service with a smile always, decent food and beverages, reasonable prices and a pleasant, bright and breezy atmosphere. It's what a British tearoom is all about after all.

The Moorings Tearooms, Littlehampton, West Sussex

For me the most unforgivable sin committed by teashop and caff proprietors is leaving the tables messy and untidy and not bothering to clear up cups and saucers, plates and bits of food from tables long vacated by customers. It's even more unforgivable when the restaurant in question is not particularly busy and there's a load of waiting staff milling around with seemingly little to do. This, however, was the situation I walked into on Wednesday 12 August on a day trip to Littlehampton.

The Moorings Tearooms, Littlehampton

I found the Moorings Tearooms to be a little on the untidy side. Not only were the tables not cleared, despite many staff being in place to clean them, there was a very untidy vibe about the place.

Yes, it was 'twee' in terms of its general appearance – mis-matching 'Miss Marple' cups and saucers, dainty tablecloths and annoying signs stating things like "What defines us is how we rise after falling" and other platitudes – but the untidy tables ruined it for me and I wasn't that happy with the way the cakes were displayed either. It was all too untidy.

I ordered a slice of apple and caramel pie, but I wished they hadn't bothered with the caramel as when the pie was heated and I picked my way through it with a fork, the brownish lumps of caramel looked as if the pie in question wasn't so much apple and caramel, but apple and tuna. What a horrible thought! Worse still, I asked for a blob of ice cream as there's nowt better than warm apple pie with a dollop of ice cream, but no, if I wanted ice cream I'd have to buy it separately from the the lairy-coloured, branded ice cream chest freezer that looked totally out of place in the twee Miss Marple surroundings.

A pot of leaf tea at the Moorings Tearooms

Another annoying thing about the Moorings Tearooms was the fact that the cups were already on the table, upturned, when we arrived and this is fine, but only if the cups are clean and who knows who had been fingering those cups prior to our arrival? I much prefer it when fresh crockery arrives on a tray with a nice pot of tea and a small jug of milk after I've ordered – at least that way I know that they've come from the kitchen and are likely to be a little cleaner than those left on the tables for countless kids to finger before I arrive on the scene. It was the same for the cutlery: it was there on the table when I arrived.

My companions ordered what amounted to a cream tea – scone, jam and butter, but the scone was a little dry (I don't like scones so I didn't order one and perhaps they are dry).

I can't say I was happy with my experience at the Moorings Tearooms. While it seemed to have all the right ingredients for a decent teashop experience, it was let down by dirty cups, an unappealing apple pie and uncleared tables.

There was a range of speciality teas that were a little on the pricey side too. A laminated menu offered a range of teas served in wine glasses – or that is how the menu suggested they would be served, at £3.00 a glass.

Cups and cutlery already on the table

There were some plus points: first there was leaf tea, not teabags, and we had a small strainer too; second the tea arrived with a three-minute timer (a nice touch as we then knew exactly when the tea was brewed and ready to drink). But that was it. I went back to Littlehampton over the weekend, but didn't visit the Moorings Tearoom, although it seemed pretty busy.

Perhaps I was there on a bad day and any other time would have been better, but there you have it. I will return as I've taken a liking to Littlehampton, and hopefully things will have improved.