Caudwell's Mill Café, Rowsley, Derbyshire

What a pleasant surprise to eat a meal, at a place chanced upon with no prior knowledge, where they've actually made an effort.

I'll spare you the lengthy rant about how eating in this country, brilliant though it certainly can be, is still rubbish if you don't plan ahead, about how you could travel the length and breadth of the country dining in wherever was obvious and looked nice, and not eat a single thing worth the money or calories. It's true though.

The particular speciality in this well-touristed part of the world is the 'doing just enough to get away with it café or tea room'. Your choice of mediocre panini served with a small pile of limp leaves? Six quid, thanks. 

So anyway, it's a refreshing change to end up somewhere like the café at Caudwell's Mill (the mill itself is worth a visit if like me, you like old industrial stuff with levers and pulleys and whatnot) where serving food that's worth bothering with is obviously of importance as well as keeping the bottom line ticking over.

They serve vegetarian food, which I only actually noticed after standing in the queue staring at the menu for at least five minutes. For me, it's always an indicator of appetising veggie food when the lack of meat isn't glaringly and instantly obvious.

As well as the usual sandwiches and jackets, there are daily specials served with salads. Homity pie was a cheesy, garlicky, comforting pile of goodness on a nutty wholemeal pastry base. In winter I could eat bowlfuls of this (probably swimming in a whole tin of beans), but it worked well as a summer dish too with all the associated greenery.

The salads were great; simple stuff done well. Amongst them a nice crunchy coleslaw; apple and beetroot; something vinegary with chickpeas; dressed leaves; and sweet carrot and corn given interest with seeds of some sort.

There are home made cakes galore for afters, the chocolate and coffee looked particularly good. We shared a slice of lemon which wasn't the best choice, being a bit overdone around the edges.

Service was quick and friendly, and you can sit by the window with a lovely view of the river that feeds the mill, then the Derbyshire countryside beyond. Meals are eight quid and a far better proposition than your aforementioned six pound panino, cakes £2-3 and a pot of tea a very reasonable £1.50. Worth a visit.

7/10

Caudwell's Mill
Rowsley
Matlock
DE4 2EB

http://www.caudwellsmillcraftcentre.co.uk/Thecafe.htm

Tea Hive, Chorlton, Manchester

On a brief visit to Chorlton last week I ended up having lunch at Tea Hive completely by chance. I was planning on picking up a few bits from Barbakan deli and it just caught my eye as I'd almost walked past, the white on black signage meaning I almost mistook it for the Marble Beer House a couple of doors down.

I'm glad I took the time to investigate further, as lunch there was very good. A flat white was well made if a little too large for my tastes. I've definitely come to the conclusion that the smaller 6oz cup size is the best, anything larger (this was an 8oz I think) and it verges into latte territory where the milkiness starts to drown out the character of the coffee. Bonus points for the novel artwork though!

My sandwich took an age to arrive, but the tardiness was acknowledged and handled well. An apology and a free drink to tide me over were offered before I'd had the chance to chase up the order.

When it did arrive, the Cheshire smokehouse hot smoked salmon with lemon mayo and rocket on granary bread was well worth the wait. Generous quantities of rich, firm fleshed, moderately smoked fish was balanced perfectly by the acidic dressing and peppery rocket.

A really fine sarnie, with one additional plus point: good butter. It's surprising how many otherwise quality sandwich shops and cafes think it's fine to use cheap sunflower spread. Don't do it. Butter or nothing at all please.

The side salad was also a proper salad, with multiple components and a balanced dressing, and as a result the £4.95 price tag for the sandwich seemed fair. The flat white was £2.35 so all in all not a cheap lunch, but a very good one, served in pleasant surroundings by nice people.


8/10

53 Manchester Road
Chorlton
Manchester
M21 9PW

http://www.teahive.co.uk

Home Sweet Home, Manchester

I really should stop listening to my cantankerous brain. Home Sweet Home is another of those places I'd written off as probably being a bit rubbish due to some misguided preconception or other. In this case it was a vague notion, from past glances through the window and at the menu, that it combined two food fashions I'm not that much in love with (sort of half way between twee tea shop and American inspired filthy food joint).

I don't think that categorisation is too far wide of the mark, but who cares whether there's actually any concept or not, the important thing is that the food and drink is really good. A Cheeseburger toastie could easily be a big greasy mistake, but in practice turned out to be bloody lovely. It wasn't exactly lacking in grease, but all of the oozy cheesy beefy richness was offset perfectly by the bite and crunch of gherkin spears. Just as you'd find with an actual cheeseburger of course. 

Thin-ish fries, skin on with a good potatoey flavour were worth adding for £2, even if I didn't really need them (when asked 'do you want fries with that?' the instinctive response can only be yes), and the coleslaw was decent stuff if a bit too creamy for my tastes.

A flat white was very well made, velvety smooth with quite a mild tasting coffee. It was served in a glass which seems to be a Manchester thing as North Tea Power do the same (all of my favourite coffee shops east of the Pennines use cups).

I'd definitely return to try more of the menu. Service is friendly and quick, the food is good and the prices fair. The cheeseburger toastie will set you back £4.50 with coleslaw, fries are £2 extra. Not the cheapest of lunches but a pretty monumental one. £2.20 for the coffee. 

Home Sweet Home is the business. Don't let my brain tell you otherwise.

8/10

Edge Street

Northern Quarter

Manchester

M4 1HE

http://cheeseburgertoastie.co.uk

Northern Food on tour: Scotland round-up

Nothing we ate on our recent trip to Scotland was as exciting as our dinner at Wedgwood, but we didn't do badly. Here's what else we ate.

Espresso Mondo, Edinburgh

A late lunch on arrival in Edinburgh. The cafe was a bit scruffy but they had a nice line in loose leaf teas and coffee.

They made a nice brew but the food was less successful. A chicken panino with peppers, pesto and mozarella wasn't great. The chicken tasted low grade and processed and the accompanying salad was boring. Whoever decided dribbling catering pack balsamic glaze onto tortilla chips was a good idea wants sacking too. Reasonably priced for Edinburgh.

5/10

116 Lothian Road
Edinburgh
EH3 9BE


Paperino's, West End, Glasgow

After the previous night's posh dinner we decided to lower the tone a little in Glasgow. Pizza and ice cream please!

The pizzas at Paperino's were pretty good, with a decent chewy-charred crust and quality toppings. The sausage on mine was lovely, coarse and spicy with loads of fennel.

Both of them were overtopped though. There is such thing as too much cheese and sausage on a pizza, there really is. Less can be more. Still, after scraping off some of the excess they went down a treat.

It's a quick, casual place, not really somewhere to linger but worth it for the pizza, for which prices are reasonable (around the £9 mark). Mark ups on side dishes and drinks let the side down though. £2.95 doesn't sound bad for a side salad, but it's poor for a side salad consisting of not very much of nothing remotely interesting, and a pint of Peroni shouldn't cost £4.65.

7/10 if you stick to pizza and tap water. Knock a point off if salad and booze is included.

227 Byres Road
Glasgow
G12 8UD

http://www.paperinos.co.uk/





Nardini's, West End, Glasgow

Thanks (I think) to a large Italian immigrant population, many of whom set up business in the catering industry back in the day, Scotland, and Glasgow in particular is well endowed with pizza restaurants, caffs serving proper coffee and ice cream parlours.

This is a novel concept to residents of Yorkshire cities, which last time I noticed weren't particularly well stocked with ice cream parlours (If I'm wrong please do tell), so we had to follow up the pizza with a ridiculous dirty great ice cream sundae.

I can't remember the name of this, but it comprised raspberry syrup, raspberries and vanilla ice cream topped with an unfeasibly large quantity of whipped cream with three chocolate marshmallow snowballs shoved in it, and an assortment of wafers. Ace.

I think it cost about £6, but it served two with ease. Although I think I had most of it.

8/10

215 Byres Road
Glasgow
G12 8UD

http://www.nardinis.co.uk/ 




Avenue G, West End, Glasgow

Excellent coffee. A flat white was up there with those from my favourite coffee shops. Exceptionally smooth with quite a pronounced bitterness. Somehow still balanced though, delicious.

Toasted brioche was ok but slightly let down by the cheap butter and jam it was served with. The sandwiches and cakes looked very good though.

£2.20 for the flat white. Similar for tea. Cakes around £3. Table service, efficient and friendly.

8/10

291 Byres Road
Glasgow
G12 8TL

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avenue-G-Caf%C3%A9-Glasgow/223293021018108




Curler's Rest, West End, Glasgow

I liked the look of the Curler's Rest, a tarted up pub on Byres Road. Bare wooden tables, plenty of space, a few good beers on draft, a pleasing enough but strangely familiar sounding menu.

Then I took a look at the website and discovered a new phenomenon. I'm calling it the 'stealth chain'. A pub run by a large corporation, with the same style and the same food as others run by the same large corporation. A chain pub. The difference being that said large corporation doesn't want you to know that it's a chain pub, because it's not aimed at people who like chain pubs.

I looked at the website (here it is: http://www.thecurlersrestglasgow.co.uk/food/) and immediately thought 'I've seen that before'.

Then I remembered: The Adelphi (http://www.theadelphileeds.co.uk/food/). AS thought it looked familiar too. Then she remembered: The Lescar (http://www.thelescarhuntersbar.co.uk/food/).

A couple of days later I was searching for somewhere good to eat in the vicinity of Waterloo station when I chanced upon the White Hart website: http://www.thewhitehartwaterloo.co.uk/food/.

So that's at least four not obviously chain pubs in four different cities spread over four hundred miles with virtually identical menus and the same photo of roast beef on their websites. Thanks Mitchells and Butlers you sly bastards.

Anyhow this is a subject to which I may return, but what of the food at the Curler's Rest? It started off wonderfully. After three courses with three wines, then pizza and ice cream, the last night of our break was supposed to be healthier. I accidentally couldn't resist ordering battered black pudding from the bar snacks list though. Oops.

It was worth the calories though. Nuggets of soft peppery pudding encased in a marvellously light crisp batter.

Things went rapidly downhill with the wild salmon fishcakes. They were alright, well flavoured but a bit claggy texture-wise. The accompanying salad was supposed to be little gem and beetroot, which it did contain, but not in such significant quantities as the other stuff that fell out of the salad bag (slightly slimy tasteless watercress mainly).

AS also had a salad; - halloumi, cous cous and whatnot in a spicy dressing. She liked it but it looked to be suffering from the same slimy salad affliction from where I was sitting.

We paid around £33 including a couple of alcoholic drinks each. The service was lovely.

6/10 (would have been less but for the black pudding)

256-260 Byres Road
Glasgow
G12 8SH

Thieving Harry's, Hull

Seven months into the blog, I've finally made it to the Eastern extremity of the M62. On Saturday I went for a day out in Hull. Now before anyone thinks 'Why the hell would you want to do that?', don't be dissing Hull round here. I'm a staunch defender of Hull, primarily because I was born there. I only lived in Hull for the first 18 months of my life, but for some reason I've always felt a strange sense of allegiance to the place.

I think it's partly underdog syndrome. If ever there was a perpetual underdog, it's Hull. It's one of those much maligned places that only ever appears in the national media for negative reasons, flooding and a failing education system being two particular examples that spring to mind from over the years.

But there's plenty to like about Hull. It has a spacious and in parts attractive city centre, a pleasant marina, interesting history, good museums, an excellent theatre, and the people are nice too, friendly and unpretentious. I was pondering this as I wandered the streets, and thinking that the down to earth attitude was also part of the city's problem. Laid back and unassuming, but also a bit behind the times and lacking in innovation.

And then I stumbled upon a pop-up café, as if straight from the streets of Shoreditch, and realised my theorising was probably a load of old cobblers. The whole set-up was the epitome of urban cool in 2011. Decrepit former commercial/industrial building: check. Vintage/charity shop mismatched furniture and crockery: check. Funky name: check. Tea and home-made cakes: check. Obviously the people of Hull have their fingers very much on the pulse, and I'm an idiot.

Taking tea

Anyhow, the cakes looked good, and there were tables free outside in the sun, so I decided to stop off for afternoon tea. A colossal pot of tea and a fat slice of coffee and walnut cake really hit the spot. The cake was fresh and moist, and had what I think were caramelised walnuts in it, which was a nice touch.

Thieving Harry's

Of course this being Hull the blokes serving were characteristically friendly and down to earth, and the prices were cheap. £2 for the tea (which would have served at least 3) and £1.80 for the cake. The area around the café was interesting too, right by the marina and the Humber riverfront on a street full of half-abandoned looking warehouses. I spotted at least a couple of little art galleries in addition to the café, it brought to mind a sort of fledgling, maritime version of the Northern Quarter in Manchester.

Did I eat anything else worth shouting about when I was in Hull? Not really, I certainly wouldn't describe it as a foodie destination but it's well worth a visit for a day out.

And finally if you've got half an hour to spare before the the train home the bar at the Hull Truck Theatre is just up the road from the station and has some decent bottled beers and good olives.

Hull. Go on try it, it's great.

8/10 for Thieving Harry's, and the same for Hull in general!

73 Humber Street
Hull
East Yorkshire

Twitter: @ThievingHarrys
http://www.facebook.com/thievingharrys

Laynes Espresso, Leeds

Ever since opening its doors on New Station Street a few months ago Laynes Espresso has been getting rave reviews. On Saturday I had half an hour to spare between trains so thought I'd go and see what all the fuss was about.

Having done so I can wholeheartedly add to the chorus of praise. Everything about the place was very, very good. A flat white coffee and a slice of Bostok came attractively served on a sort of wooden platter. Attractive, but functional too, taking up much less space than individual plates and saucers. A great idea in a very small room.

The coffee was wonderful, also beautifully presented and tasting divine. I'm no coffee expert, but this was definitely the best I've had in Leeds. Rich, smooth and complex.

I'd never heard of Bostok before, and a quick internet search suggests it might be Canadian? Wherever it's from it's delicious. A thick slice of brioche, spread with a sort of almond paste/cake mix and a few raspberries, baked, then dusted with icing sugar. The almond stuff forms a sort of crunchy, sweet crust that gives way to rich, buttery brioche, the raspberries adding occasional bursts of tart fruitiness. Really, really lovely.

Service was friendly and the prices are more than reasonable. The coffee was £2.00 and the Bostok £1.80. Don't waste your money in Starbucks or any of the other chains. Go here. It's far, far better and costs less too.

9/10

16 New Station Street
Leeds
LS1 5DL

http://www.laynesespresso.co.uk/

The Sunshine Bakery, Leeds

So far I've eaten four different things from the Sunshine Bakery, and every one of them has been excellent.

 

Their black pudding sausage rolls are officially my second favourite sausage rolls ever (just pipped at the post by the porcine glory that is the Ginger Pig sausage roll). The pastry is lardy yet crisp and light, the sausage filling is porky, generous and well seasoned, with added iron-y depth from the black pudding.  Very good indeed, and good value for the quality at £2 a pop. Lardy in this context is a compliment by the way, in case anyone was wondering.

 

Cupcakes. First a confession. Cupcakes aren't really my favourite thing. It's not that I don't enjoy eating them, they're just a bit showy and American for my tastes. The focus is often on how they look and how much icing can be shoehorned on top of the cake, which itself is sometimes little more than an afterthought. I like to think of them as over-iced buns.

This was a damn fine cupcake though. Peanut butter flavour, with a whipped icing that was salty but barely sweet at all. The cake beneath was dense, moist and very chocolatey. Pretty as you'd expect from a cupcake, but backed up by really delicious and interesting flavours. £1.50 each.

 

Sandwiches are available too, today I opted for a pastrami and salad sandwich on basil, olive oil and cheese bread. The photo doesn't do this sandwich justice at all. It was huge. An absolute beast, almost like an American deli sarnie in proportions.  The bread was very tasty, sort of like a slightly denser focaccia. The filling comprised pastrami, pickle slices, tomato, cucumber, salad leaves and some sort of dressing (maybe a flavoured mayo?). Again, excellent value at £3, sandwiches half the size with poor ingredients go for this price.

 

And finally, a stem ginger brownie. Couldn't fault this. Classic crisp exterior, fudgy centre, a generous spread of ginger chunks, and a good strong chocolate flavour with just a hint of bitterness. I've no idea what chocolate (or cocoa) they're using, but it's good quality stuff. £1.50 for a large slice. 

The Sunshine Bakery is actually in Chapel Allerton, but I haven't been there yet as I bought all these things from The Source in Leeds Market. For more about The Source read my post about it here, and check out their website here. 

The Sunshine Bakery seem to be a fairly regular fixture at The Source now, so you should be able get your mitts on their goodies in town or Chapel Allerton. For market dates check the website here.  I would imagine a wider range of goods is available in Chapel Allerton, and they also run a supper club some evenings. If the baked goods are anything to go by, this could be an outstanding dining option. I'm hoping to check it out sometime soon.

9/10

The Sunshine Bakery

182 Harrogate Road

Chapel Allerton

Leeds

LS7 4NZ

http://www.sunshinebakeryleeds.co.uk/