Saturday 31 August 2013

Pork, Pickle & Fly

Guest Spot
 Pork & Pickle
Pork & Pickle at East Midlands Airport was spotted by Holkham's Johanna Tennant. Local supplier Dickinson and Morris, based in Melton Mowbray, have supplied them with a range of local cakes, pork pies and pork sausages.
A good example of local sourcing.

Friday 30 August 2013

Marmalade Queen Whoopee

 Marmalade Queen of Pudding Cake
 and Chocolate Whoopee Cakes at the new, second, Albion at NEO on Bankside

Thursday 29 August 2013

Your Front Room

 Designing a cafe as if your front room just works.  The Front Room in N4.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Herbs & Homemade Lemonade

Levy Restaurants, at Hatfield House, with quality condiments nicely displayed plus high margin homemade lemonade.


Tuesday 27 August 2013

N4 Find

 Boulangerie Bon Martin in Finsbury Park N4


Saturday 24 August 2013

Buy Ice With Your Eyes

Guest Spot
Hotel consultant guru Melvin Gold sends in this great display of ice lollies at the Gelataria Lariana in Como.

Friday 23 August 2013

Very Cosy

 Would you know what this is?
 All becomes clear - tea pot cosy courtesy of my neighbour's collection of family heirlooms

Thursday 22 August 2013

Oven Fresh

Scones fresh on display with back up cooling on the oven shelf behind - smart design at Levy Restaurants operation at Hatfield House.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Cafe Split Shifts

A local roadside cafe now opens for evening pasta and pizza with an afternoon gap.  How many cafes maximise the opportunity?
Bring Your Own wine will appeal - the £1.75 'Nescafe' is honest but may not quite match the Italian idyll of espresso coffee.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Mini Pancakes

Dunkers & Co at Westfield White City with their mini pancakes and toppings.

Monday 19 August 2013

Self Help Cafe

Architectural Plants are a Sussex nursery specialising in interesting, unusual, quirky and bizarre plants - they reckon they are an antidote to garden centres!  They want the best and their self-help cafe is beautifully kitted out.
The horticulturists are trained baristas, the cordials are on dispense and the coffee is free if you are a good enough customer.
 Custom made tea selection box
Laser-etched signage on wood and marble sideboard.
"If you'ld like a cup of tea or coffee and don't mind making it yourself, please help yourself"  message and in several languages.

Saturday 17 August 2013

Baristas Not Button Pushers

Guest Spot
Thanks to Roy Westwood, Creative Director for Levy Restaurants, for spotting this sign at Benugo

Friday 16 August 2013

Just Chips


My daughter liked the Hot Chip in Norwich.  It just sells chips, fried in rapeseed oil, with all sorts of sauces and toppings - check them out below.  A winner.

Thursday 15 August 2013

Follow the Pink Bison

Wonderful quirky tea shop and garden at Sussex Prairies in West Sussex.  You park among the sheep, wander through an oak wood, pass rare breed pigs and emerge at the tea shop and gardens.
Open afternoons only June through October.
 Cakes and tea - simple.
 Atmospheric tea room and terrace
 Only in England!  Paul & Pauline McBride are to be congratulated.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Notable in Norwich

 Honeycomb in a glass plus Naked Fruit Cake and Miniature Lemon Tarts at Jarrold's cafe in Norwich.

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Clotted Cream & Nutella ... in a Scone

Double Chocolate Chip Scones with clotted cream and Nutella at Pandora's Kitchen cafe in Norwich.

Monday 12 August 2013

Chocolate & Chilli Buns

Flavourful buns at Albion

Friday 9 August 2013

Scone Stars

The Jarrold Department Store in Norwich has always set high standards with their 'legendary' scones - by showing they are always fresh and selling yesterday's scones bagged up for take-away at a reduced price at the cafe till.  Bravo Jarrolds.
You wouldn't believe the number of caterers selling stale scones at full price.   Shame on those that don't bake a simple scone seven days a week and make the false economy of keeping those left over to the following day and passing them off as 'fresh'.

Thursday 8 August 2013

Filing Remembered & Recycled

Remember those old filing cabinets; Ozone has pulled one out to hold and present their business cards at the cafe entrance.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Drop a Scone

Drop scones - sour cherry and dark chocolate / apricot, blueberry and ginger -  plus peanut butter cookies at the Guardian's pop up cafe #guardiancoffee in Boxpark, Shoreditch.


Tuesday 6 August 2013