Five Good Reasons

Good exhortation at Cafe in the Crypt, St Martin in the Fields, Trafalgar Square 

Cyclists, Cake & Coffee

'Tour of Britain' cakes at Rapha Cycle Club's cafe just off Piccadilly Circus.

Knowingly Undersold

Notice anything inconsistent?

Tea at Peter Jones comes with plastic milk jiggers.  Apparently you can ask for milk in jugs but John Lewis needs to wake up. Consistency of experience counts.

Not a Cookery School

The School of Artisan Food is part of the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire - superbly equipped and their (over-subscribed) bakery course appeals greatly.

 The estate's Farm Shop benefits from great bread and a local cheese - Stichelton

The Limehouse Cafe also appeals

Flash, Beep & Vibrate

What cafe do you get when you cross Taylor St Baristas and Tesco.  Answer: Harris & Hoole.  Interesting use of pagers even when the order is for just one small latte.  It was a good coffee when it was ready.

Rolls of brown paper signage

Strong evidence for home baking

Lots of messages

Cakes and sandwiches all the better for open display and ambient temperature

Free Range Children

Signs at The Pink Pig Farm visitor attraction and cafe

Cheese Straws

Home-baked Cheese & Cumin Straws at Steff's Kitchen at Fairweather's Garden Centre in Beaulieu - worth a visit.

Go Pink

Guest Spot

Fait Maison's new store in Gloucester Road has gone pink to support the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. 

Love at First Bite

Costa claims the ultimate Eccles cake; it was good but St John Bread & Wine still comes top.

On Display

 One of the best pastry table displays - National Gallery Cafe, London by Peyton & Byrne

Is your Grub as good as Heston's?

Great tasting meals from Heston/Waitrose.  Worth studying the ingredients given how many cafes offer Mac cheese and Shepherds Pie.

Truffle oil and paste really makes the difference.

Check out the 31 ingredients including brown cap mushrooms, whole grain mustard, sun dried tomato paste, redcurrant jelly and star anise!

School's Out

 It's not school; it's the menu at Barbican Foodhall

Eat My Balls

Meatballs on the move from the Bowler Gourmet Balls seen by Kings Cross station and opposite Eat My Pies

Free London Cafe Tour

To celebrate 100,000 page views Great Cafes / Turpin Smale are offering four fortunate individuals a free London Cafe Tour on Monday 19th November 2012.  Starting at 10.30am in the City we will visit up to thirty of the best and brightest new cafes in central London.  Cake, coffees and cabs included and, if you feel it is a day well spent, a donation to charity would be nice.
Apply at chris.brown@turpinsmale.co.uk

Eccles in Caravan by Fountain

Can't miss signage

Eccles cake at Caravan restaurant, bar & roastery in Kings Cross' new Granary Square - not up to St John standard but good coffee.

Great Cafes will even give you a quick glimpse at Granary Square's outside water feature.

Eat My Scotch Eggs

More varieties of Scotch Eggs from 'Eat my Pies' - 3 Bean Veggie, Smoked Haddock, Chorizo, Thai Red Curry, Chicken Mushroom & Tarragon, Haggis, Black Pudding plus All Day Breakfast

Bill's Candles

 Bill's Produce Store in Soho uses candelabra and lit candles to good effect right through the day

 Oranges on the table mean the table is reserved!

Items hanging from the ceiling

Dog Day

Buy an ice cream cone and get a free dish of ice cream for your dog.  Only in America?! 

Bath Oliver

Guest Spot

Jamie's new Deli in Bath spotted by Amanda, owner of excellent local boutique B&B Villa Magdala who says "I think it's pretty good - love the pasta machine that turns out fresh pasta every day - and the bread is great.  There are a few tables for coffee and nibbles - seems to be doing well."

Definition of Toilet

Royal William Bakery, Plymouth gets full marks for humour.

Caravan in London has a more utilitarian approach to its unisex 'toilets'.

Cafe Moo Moo

 Terrific signage at Fishers Farm Park in West Sussex

 Cute biscuits

Refreshing honesty when it comes to the 'instant' coffee cappuccinos in the seasonal kiosks - not to worry, they have quality bean to cup coffee at Cafe Moo Moo.

Plates of Cake

Plates of cake were selling at the rate of five a minute at Hobsons Patisserie in Stratford upon Avon.  Sure Henley Street has an excellent footfall and the pricing was keen - £1 a plate - but the volume of trade was astonishing. 

Moral: invest in Hobsons or try the same idea if you have a similar footfall.  Their sandwich presentation also looked good.