The End of the World is Coming

Young to 4 year old Iberian hams

Acorn fed and expensive

see previous blog post from the UK:

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/12/hanging-hams.html

Excel's Wood, Slate & Jars

Hotelympia Themes 2012

Wood - boards, holders, mini display tables are very much in

plus slate

and Kilner jars

Suki Tea

Quality tea and attractive tea pots - Suki tea at Dobbies garden centre cafe, Ashford.  Are you still offering a cheap stainless steel dribbling teapot with no-name untagged teabag?

Let It All Hang Out

Love the glass panelled fridges at Leon - such a good way to show off what you have in stock.  Making a positive out of back-of-house space and storage is right on-trend.

Fougasse

The most delicious filled flatbread - fougasse - at the Albion Caff

See similar posts:

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2012/01/tortino.html

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2012/02/spring-has-come-early.html

Variations on an Egg

Scotch Eggs - Scrumpy, Ploughman's, Chilli, Classic, Smokey Joe and best seller Black Watch (sold out but contains black pudding) at the deli at edgbaston in Birmingham.  Bravo to owner Simon who also operates the grocer at edgbaston http://www.thegroceratedgbaston.co.uk/

Bakery Cafes

Dobbies garden centres are really serious about their baking and cakes.

Design Tips

Wall as blackboard as menu at Pimlico Fresh

Light feature at Hackney Empire's Urban Pantry

Memorable cafe name - Tina, we salute you - in Dalston

Treasure those butcher's blocks at Leon

Baked Fries

Forget the fryer; Leon offer baked fries - seasoned with smoked paprika and Anglesey sea salt!

Ever Sat on a Mop?

Mop head seats at Passatge del temps - one of Barcelona's Wax Museum's brilliant cafes.

Speakeasy

Speakeasy Espresso & Brew Bar is off Carnaby Street and the second unit of the Dept of Coffee & Social Affairs folk in Leather Lane.  They reckon they are the only UK cafe to sell Bellocq tea from the USA.

The downstairs Brew Bar

Spring has come Early

The savoury sandwich is getting more adventurous - this is Carluccios Pane Casareccio - a stuffed (cheese meat and egg) savoury bread ring.
Apparently eaten by Italians on Easter Monday to celebrate the unofficial start of Spring.  Bit like our year round hot cross buns.

See previous blog: http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2012/01/tortino.html

Spianata on the Shelf

Quite difficult to actually find a chilled sandwich in the trendier cafes - hallelujah.  Another example of better product for the customer, savings in kit/running costs for the operator and a better carbon footprint.

see previous blog posts:
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2012/01/browns-of-brockley.html
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/04/now-thats-how-to-sell-sandwich.html
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/07/now-thats-how-to-sell-sandwich-part-2.html
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-recipease-please.html
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/06/pret-coffee-kitchen.html
http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/11/carluccios-expanding-displaying.html

A Healthy Station

Sourced Market fruit display at St Pancras station with simple, inviting price point

Under the Arches - More Cafes; Less Eels

E5 Bakehouse under the arches in Hackney - passionate about sourdough.

http://e5bakehouse.com/

Next door is the Happy Kitchen Canteen, Bakery & Pantry

http://www.happykitchen.org.uk/

A short distance away in Broadway Market, one of the few remaining eel and pie houses

Red (Chocolate) Roses

Three special ladies in my life - wife and twin teenage daughters - will get Carluccios chocolate roses and a short break to Barcelona - anyone know some great cafes there?

"Marry Me?" cakes and cupcakes at Dobbies garden centre cafe at Ashford - this is one very switched-on cafe operation and a treasure trove of future blog posts.  Tesco, who owns Dobbies, is on to a winner.  Will Dobbies will sort out Tesco cafes one day?

You just cannot get enough heart shapes - Krispy Kreme's doughnuts and Millies cookies.  I prefer the chocolate roses.

Buckets of Ingenuity

Chozen Noodles' new unit in Borough High Street with lights in buckets from Ikea - the contents of the buckets are changed with the season.  Eye-catching and inexpensive.

No Froth Here!

A. Gold - traditional foods of Britain - in Spitalfields has proudly not joined the  espresso revolution.  Great place for new ideas of well packaged British food and drink.  Check out http://www.agoldshop.com/



         

A Great Start to the Day

Bacon Sandwich with HG Walter's organic bacon and Lantana tomato chutney on white sourdough bread.  £6 of great grub at Lantana Cafe, W1.

See also http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/12/sex-drugs-bacon-rolls.html and http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/10/75p-bacon-buttie.html

Jamie's Chic Shack

Bicester Village - the chic outlet shopping venue for hordes of overseas visitors - has an interesting mix of catering.  The largest Pret I have ever seen plus Carluccios, Villandry Grand Cafe, Busaba Eathai and this shed by Jamie Oliver's outside catering company Fabulous Feasts.  Quite what the visitors think of chelsea buns and eccles cakes, goodness knows but they were of good quality.

Snacking

Apostrophe

Benugo

Pret

"Healthy" snacks = Growing sales

Mini Cakes Part 2

The mini-cake roll-out continues

See previous blog posts:

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/08/mini-cakes.html

http://greatcafes.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-mini.html

Container Cafe

The Box Park, alongside the railway line in Shoreditch,  is the "world's first pop-up mall" http://www.boxpark.co.uk/  
Two of the boxes/containers are taken by Foxcroft & Ginger with their latest cafe.  Wonderfully innovative.