Morrisons supermarket

A small hurrah for Morrisons in these austere times!  I got a chunk of Battenberg and a big cup and a half of tea for just £1.54 today.  The surroundings are clean and tidy.  The staff are efficient.  And what's more you can afford to go out for coffee with friends!

Locomotion, Shildon, County Durham

So where do you take a retired railway employee for the day?  Somewhere train-related is usually a winner, and when I found a guided walk round a railway museum and through railway history-soaked countryside I thought I was onto a racing certainty.  A few holes in the plan appears when we read the small print about what is acceptable attire on a County Durham guided walk.  We concluded that we wouldn't pass the kit inspection in our jeans and trainers, so maybe it was just as well that we parked in the wrong car park and missed the walk altogether.

I have to say that Locomotion is great (and free to visit!).  There is a big engine shed and then a walk along the track side to more historic buildings and the story of the Stockton and Darlington line and the huge railway sidings at Shildon. There is something definitely heroic, romantic even, about the trains, from the early Sans Pareil to modern high speed trains and seeing them in close up makes you more aware of their sheer power.  We shunted (technical term) into the Platform 7 cafe to take on coffee and cake on arrival.  Where else could you enjoy food and a view of a snow plough from Percy Main?  It was basic cafe tables and chairs in a corner of the engine shed with a helpful volunteer to point out where we should ring for service.  We later saw a meals on wheels van parked round the back, so maybe they do community meals as well, maybe not...  There are also tables on the other side of the shed where you can eat your own picnic and watch the trains go by (we did that later).  So, hurrah for Locomotion, a good place to visit!

From there we headed towards Bishop Auckland before branching off on a whim (mine) to visit the gorgeously atmospheric church at Escomb and walk to the river. The church is part of the small pilgrim places network which also includes St Pancras in Exeter (another favourite place).  And so to Bishop Auckland for a trawl of the charity shops and afternoon tea.  And who better than a retired railway employee to point out that in Morrisons you can get two mugs of tea from a teapot for one?  As the economic crisis deepens this knowledge may be crucial.

Tea at Morrisons, West Denton

Sometimes it's not the most expensive, most well-recommended or even the most trendy place that is the best.  Instead it's the place where you had a good laugh with friends, a place you made special with your memories.  Today Morrisons at West Denton became such a place for me.

Now, even before today I had nothing but good things to say about Morrisons cafe food.  It's tasty, moderately priced and the surroundings are kept clean and tidy.  You know what to expect.  So what did we do to make today different?  In a nutshell, two friends dared me that I wouldn't turn up there with a tablecloth and other bits and pieces to transform Morrisons into a dining experience.  Dear reader, I did it, I did it.  Here's the proof -

I'm sure you'll agree that the cakes look fab!  We three can recommend the belgian buns, the carrot cake and the Eton mess cheesecake.  And fine dining need not cost the earth.  The tablecloth was 50p from a charity shop and the table centre (which doubled as a leaving present, not for me, for a friend but we won't dwell on that) was a similar sum from a 'junk' shop in Adelaide Terrace.  The mats and coasters are family heirloom, embroidered by an aunt in the first half of the 20th century.  We did talk about bringing our own china but I think that might have pushed Morrisons a bit too far.  As it was, the staff seemed happy to have eccentrics eating with them and we suspect that we will be the talk of the staffroom for weeks to come.

So Grace's homely advice this week is make every place you visit special in some way.  If this weather holds we could be looking at a picnic next week and I can think of one or two places that would just suit!