Macmillan Coffee morning

As you will know, in this blog names are changed to protect the guilty. It would be impossible to do that for this piece as too many guilty parties are involved. So, suffice it to say that I found myself in a house in South Shields with present and former work colleagues and people I had never met before and we all drank coffee and ate delicious cake to raise money for Macmillan Cancer research charity. The lady of the house bakes a mean coffee and walnut cake, let me tell you. The chocolate cake, scones and well, everything else looked great too. And afterwards, oh joy! A nosy parker's delight! We were offered a tour of the house. It was gorgeous. Not only does she bake, she decorates and dusts as well. Thank goodness for people who are generous with their time and talents for a good cause. And who are welcoming and hospitable too. May your efforts be rewarded and may a British Bake-off soggy bottom be far from you.

The Plant Cafe, Cathedral Green, Exeter

Looking back nostalgically over last week spent in Devon, Exeter comes top of the sighs league.  I love the city because I was born there and because of happy family memories and special places.  That said, it is always nice to find somewhere new, and when my relative and I were looking for a place to grab a quick coffee we noticed The Plant Cafe tucked into a little corner.

We sat outside and enjoyed views of the wonderful cathedral.  I munched a slice of raspberry and beetroot cake and sipped a chai latte. M chewed on a buzz bar (plenty of healthy things) and drank coffee.  We were both pleased with our choice.

Right:  on to the pen picture.  Small, historic-looking building in a quiet area of the Green.  Tables outside - ideal for this weather.  Inside it's cosy and crowded -  a mix of locals and visitors.  The food is wholesome - possibly organic, possibly vegetarian (how vague!) - and you could certainly try something a little different here.  It's also a bit of a community hub by the looks of the huge noticeboard advertising all manner of events and services locally.  Again, I didn't examine in detail but it would be a good place to start if you wanted to get to know what's on in the city.

Yes, The Plant Cafe has atmosphere.  Exeter was once castigated as a clone town.  Hmmm.  Cafes like this give the lie to that.

Bubble Cha: traditional Taiwanese bubble tea, Stowell Street

I spotted this one a few weeks ago and resolved to visit as soon as possible.  Bubble tea?  Neveer heard of it!  However, thanks to the wonders of the internet I was able to read that it is a relatively new phenomenon in the tea drinking world, and the sheer variety of ingredients made my head spin somewhat.

So, today I approached Bubble Cha in the sunshine and was relieved to see that others (young, Chinese and European) were also beating a path to the door.

Inside the cafe is compact with a stunning array of colour-changing bubble lights over the counter.  We had lampshades like that in the bathroom at home when I was young, but there are no more similarities between the cafe and my childhood home.

I was slightly perplexed by the choices on offer, but the young friendly staff helped me choose black tea with milk and coconut and small tapioca and ice.  Yes, the black stuff you can see at the bottom of the cup really is tapioca.  You get a huge straw to suck them up with.  The cake deserves a mention too - lovely cooked cheesecake - absolutely delicious!

I sat at one of the bench seats and wrestled with my drink.  You see, the cup comes sealed with cellophane which I tried to peel off - wrong!  The correct way is to stab the cellophane with the straw and then drink.  So now you know, don't make my mistake.

We have established that the cake was delicious.  Now to the drink.  Did I really sit in a cafe sucking up tapioca through a straw?   It sounds so improbable but yes, I did that thing.  Did it taste like tea?  Well, not Ringtons, but it was tasty and refreshing - more like a milkshake.  And there are seemingly never ending possible combinations of black tea, green tea, fruit tea, fruits, beans, stuff I've never heard of and an array of toppings.  It seems that savoury snacks are served too.  All of which adds up to very good reasons to go back and try something completely different.  You could probably visit every day for a month and have something different each time.

Oh, and the prices are reasonable too.

Tutti Frutti Ice Cream Parlour, Whitburn

The first time I tried to sample the delights of Tutti Frutti it was closed following a break-in.  Break-in at an icecream parlour?  It wasn't me, but I could almost applaud this as the perfect crime without of course condoning all the inconvenience and loss of trade etc etc, especially at the hottest time of the year.

On my return visit, order had been restored and a sprinkling of locals were enjoying not only icecream but coffees and sandwiches.  What to order?  This recent heat has fried my brain and I really couldn't decide between the variety of cleverly named ices  - all of which seemed to feature a fearsome array of sprinkles, crumbs, mini pieces etc etc.  So I opted for the good old fashioned banana split!  I got the choose my three scoops of icecream and soon a banana smothered in toffee fudge, lemon meringue and white chocolate and, naturally, squirty cream was mine!

I enjoyed every mouthful seated on a 50s style bench seat and listening to The Carpenters blasting the past down the airwaves.

I reflect that Whitburn is turning into a bit of a teashop heaven.  You can of course have your walk along the cliffs,beach or in the countryside first, but there's plenty of free parking if you just want to make straight for the food!

Valley Gardens tearoom, Saltburn

Yes, I've been on tour today, and what with railways, sun and cakes a day out feels like a month's holiday!  I have to confess that on my previous visit to Saltburn I wasn't over-impressed (I think we arrived late and it was closed).  Today it was vibrant - queues for fish and chips, yarn bombed pier, a better shopping experience than I remember, and the Valley Gardens.  We certainly didn't venture down into those the last visit.

After a little local difficulty (signposting isn't all it should be), I managed to negotiate the steep, unmade paths to the valley floor.  Lots of play equipment for the kids - I was particularly impressed with the miniature watermill, most educational!  And then a few more false starts and dead ends (and a chain link bridge!) until I finally made it to the tearoom.

The tables were set out in a pleasant grassy area, and I honestly only intended to have an icecream - until I spotted the Victoria sponge.  When the book of Victoria sponges comes to be written, this will feature highly.  Homemade, of course, thick layer of jam in the middle, thick layer of buttercream icing on top.  The spaniel from the neighbouring table eyed the cake longingly but he didn't get a look in.  The British may be a nation of animal lovers, but this Brit ain't sharing any cake!

Traveller's Rest cafe, Middlesbrough railway station

To me it's always a railway station, never a train station.  And railway stations are always exciting places, an air of purpose, arrivals from adventures, departures to visit old friends, somehow the romance of steam lingers on in diesel.

And the cafes, now they used to be known as the buffet, when did that change?  And when did the stale sandwich and slopped cup of stewed tea poured from a huge pot combo change?  1964?  Ah, nostalgia!  The Traveller's Rest shows us the modern face of railway catering.  We're talking privately run, with wooden floors, with sofas, with neat little tables from those of us who like to do things properly, with newspapers to read.  We're talking light and airy.  We're talking special offer on toasted teacake and hot drink AND they bring it to your table so you don't have to struggle AND both teacake and drink were lovely.

It was just so civilised, so railway!  And on a quirky note, a pigeon walked (yes, walked) in, roamed round the sofas and finding not so much as a crumb to tempt him, he walked out again.  They train their pigeons well down in Middlesbrough,

Bill Quay Community Farm cafe

The sun is out!  The first time for about 18 months, it seems. I'm on holiday!  And here is the first of a crop of new cafes!

I discovered Bill Quay a few weeks ago when looking for a secondhand book shop (another story, possibly another blog) and was quite taken with the views down the river and the general atmosphere of the place.

Going back to explore further on a fine summer's day, I strolled round the community farm (free entry) and felt totally relaxed in beautiful countryside.  And after a stroll I needed refreshment, so luckily there was a cafe...

The cafe boasts that it uses fine local ingredients, has a low carbon footprint  and so on.  This translates into Ringtons tea in your cup and homemade cakes.  I was tempted to try the rhubarb cake (never had that before) but in the end played safe with a rather delicious carrot cake.  There were a few tables inside but on such a gorgeous day there was only one place to be - out in the sun admiring the wonderful view down the Tyne.

The tables were in great demand as families came to enjoy the farm and the cafe.  There was a picnic area too for those who like to bring their own.

What more can I say?  I've already recommended it to anyone who'll listen.  And as if the atmosphere, animals and view weren't enough to draw me back, I'm still intrigued by the thought of rhubarb cake...