New Year Resolution - Get with Vegan

Vegan sausage roll at Tibits

Vegan mince pies at Harris & Hoole, owned by Caffe Nero

Left Overs

EAT's Pigs in Blanket Roll

Christmas Chocolate

Happy Christmas to all our Great Cafes Blog readers.

Better than a Mince Pie any day

Starbucks Christmas Tree Brownie is such a simple idea - just cut the brownie slightly differently, stand it up, squiggle of icing and charge £2.85.

Rock Climbing Theming

Climbing is big business with its Olympic entry in 2020 - Munich has one of the best centres and theming extends to the tip box and Rock Nuts in its cafe.

Oktoberfest Grills

Charcoal-grilled mackerel at Oktoberfest in Munich.

Chickens by the rotisserie-full

Crowds of 100,000+ with marquees holding 7,000+

and sit down bars in merry-go-rounds

Savoury Twist

Lola cupcakes have found a savoury tooth - sundried tomato, black olive and pesto Twists

Compostable Crisps

Compostable crisp packaging at Holkham's Lookout Cafe.

Turkish Chocolate Delight

 Simit Sarayi has individual chocolate profiterole pastries, chocolate bagels

 and chocolate Pops on a stick

Charge It

Itsu provide what their customers want - mobile phone charging points

Doing Simple Well

The menu at our Cafe of the Year 2018 Spider on a Bicycle with Turmeric Oat Milk Latte selling well in Aboyne, Scotland

Ace plate presentation, food quality and menu

Great cake and traybake display

Simple Health

Flavoured water with fruit eye appeal and protein shakes at Simple Health

No longer just Rubbish

The big players get bin smart

Camp Fire Treat

S'mores Pie - a camp fire treat of biscuit, chocolate and marshmallow - from Konditor & Cook

Still Take Cash!?

The cashless revolution continues.

Blasted Hot

No kitchen, no worries for street food vendor Dirty Bagels who melts the cheese on one's pulled pork bun with a blowtorch.

Lots of Cake

Lots of cake offered by our 2018 Cafe of the Year Spider on a Bicycle in Aboyne, Scotland as part of its recruitment of cafe superstars.

Comptoir Bermondsey

Great display and product at Comptoir Bermondsey

Spending a Poem

The Starfish restaurant in Tarbert has poems on its walls - and my favourite Sea Fever by John Masefield in the gents.  I must go down to the seas again.......

Differentiate yourself and stand out.

Setting the Scene

We can't all have cafe restaurants set on an island (Gigha in Scotland) with tables overlooking the sea and be included in the Michelin guide but we can dream.......

Others such as Cafe Ca'Dora in Tarbert rely on good food and interior design

Coffee, Crepes and Craic

 Sweet and savoury crepes and waffles at Shamrock & Thistle cafe in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

 Little wonder it is featured in the latest Scottish Independent Coffee Guide No3 @indycoffeeguide

 A simple to achieve and operate hot food offer