Category: Graham’s Cafes

Skipton Coffee House, Roastery and Shop | Graham’s Guides

Travel back in time to a lovely warm lounge with freshly roasted coffee from the shop downstairs.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee5* (Normally)
Food4*
Conversation4*
People Watching4*

The prevailing design of the current generation of coffee shops is sleek, simple, minimalist with a heavy dose of stark white and millennial grey. Sometimes the decor can feel a bit like you have been transported into the Heart of Gold on the TV version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (old man reference), or the Tardis in series fourteen and fifteen of Dr Who (for the younger ones).

The Skipton Coffee House is about as far removed from this design ambiance as it is possible to be.

The Coffee House is situated within a small set of terraced shops on the outskirts of Skipton on Gargrave Road.

There is room for a couple of cars on short-stay parking just outside, but this is the type of place where it’s worth lingering a while. I recommend finding parking on one of the streets opposite, this has never been a problem when we’ve visited. It is worth saying, though, that the street opposite are steep so you’ll need to be able to navigate a bit of a hill on your Shanks’s pony.

The cafe is upstairs which you access via a narrow stone staircase at the rear of the shop.

Before you dash upstairs, though, it’s worth taking a look around the shop. I suspect that apart from the point-of-sale machine (cash register) little has changed in many decades. It has been operated by the Exchange Coffee Company since 1997 before that it was owned by one Charles A Hallas who roasted on this site for many years.

The decoration upstairs is also little changed, other than in the kitchen area, which you pass on your way to the cafe seating at the front of the building. Here you will find an ambiance that owes much to William Morris and his bold, colourful, intricate wallpapers which adorn several of the walls. The unmatched furniture looks like it has seen all of life several times over. It feels like you are sitting in a lounge than a coffee shop, only it’s a lounge from over 50 years ago. If you are fortunate the fire will be lit and the picture will be complete.

This is only a small cafe but its situation means that there’s normally somewhere to sit, especially if you are willing to share with another customer.

Can I suggest, this isn’t somewhere to take your laptop and definitely not somewhere to join a video conference. Those activities would, for me, feel disrespectful to what this place is. This is more of a book and newspaper place.

The house expresso coffee is good, but I recommend that you take a little time and choose a cafetière with a bit of something locally roasted in it. You could even choose something even more adventurous from the micro-lot board. I can highly recommend the toasted fruit teacake and personally, the cheddar, chive and Marmite scones are lovely but I know that one will split the crowd.

I don’t normally comment on tea, but this is an excellent place to choose a darjeeling, Ceylon, gunpowder or breakfast blend.

You know that this is a place that’s about the drinks when you look at the menu, five pages are dedicated to drinks, a single page covers cakes and toasts.

As for people watching. This is a small room in a friendly Yorkshire market town. It’s often less about people watching than about having a chat with the people in the room. Last time we were there was a bit of an exception to this rule, the other couple who were in had already ordered before we arrived. The woman sat and drank her coffee while looking at her phone, the man arranged to have his four car tyres replaced while on the phone. Even in Yorkshire people don’t always want to engage in a chat.

Can I apologise for the lack of pictures in this post. I’ve realised that I need to get more purposeful about getting pictures I can put in a post. I have pictures, just not ones that I want to put here, fortunately there are some really good pictures via Google Image search. I hope my words are enough to intrigue you into going.

Skipton Coffee House, Roastery and Shop
10 Gargrave Road
Skipton
BD23 1PJ

Mathilde’s, Grasmere | Graham’s Guide

A great place to sit and enjoy the ambiance with an excellent coffee and an exquisite cake.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee4*
Food5*
Conversation3*
People Watching5*

Grasmere has several excellent cafes and is, thankfully, devoid of corporate establishments.

Mathilde’s is on the same site, and shares the building with the Heaton Cooper Studio which is itself a Lake District icon. It also has the advantage of being on the route for several great walks from Grasmere. It’s right next to Easedale Road which is on the route of both the Helm Crag and the Sourmilk Gill/Easedale Tarn routes.

The decor of the cafe is heavily influenced by the Heaton Cooper artwork with prints on the wall, in the colour pallet of the furniture and even in the print on the light shades.

There’s a good seating area outside, but my favourite seat is right next to a large window with a view across the fells towards Stone Arthur and Rydal Fell.

Mathilde’s is named after the Norwegian wife of Alfred Heaton Cooper the patriarch of the artistic Heaton Cooper dynasty. Mathilde’s Scandinavian roots are also reflected in the menu at the cafe – here can’t be many places in the Lake District that offer smoked trout with the brunch menu. They do also serve Cumberland sausages and bacon.

The cakes at Mathilde’s are exquisite and just right for an end of walk celebration. This isn’t the place for giant slabs of cake, but is the place to possibly experience something a little different.

The coffee is good, serving Carvetii which is roasted in Threlkeld outside Keswick to the north.

Mathilde’s is an excellent place for people watching, particularly if you convince the people you are with to let you have a seat overlooking Moss Parrock, the small square opposite the cafe. Grasmere is a wonderfully eclectic mix of people on most days.

There are the walks, like myself, who are only passing through the village or stopping for a short refreshment break. Many of the walkers are families with plenty of children being chivied along by parents, promising a cafe stop on their return from whichever route that has been chosen.

The village is also a regular on the coach tours frequented by an older clientele. Last time I was sat at Mathilde’s there was a moment when everyone outside appeared to be walking slowly. It was only on closer inspection I realised that it was a squadron of zimmer frames making their way to somewhere in formation.

Grasmere, mainly because of its Wordsworth connections, is also a favourite of groups from more eastern countries. When I see the volume of photographs being taken I do feel sorry for the friends who will have to look through them on their return.

There are many cycling routes that pass through Grasmere making it a favourite of the lycra-clad-two-wheel-gangs.

The area also has a reputation as a great place for a romantic get-away, last time I was in Mathilde’s there was a couple for whom that was the case, although, from the conversation all was not going quite to plan.

Mathilde’s is definitely worth sitting a while.

I’ve marked this one a 3* for conversation, but that’s only because I was in there on my own. Although, having said that, I do quite like talking to myself.

Mathilde’s Cafe,
Heaton Cooper Studio,
Grasmere,
Ambleside LA22 9SX

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KNd1VXrheTgpt8oY9

Enjoying the Scandinavian vibe with some Carvetii coffee

No.15 Cafe House, Macmillans, Penwortham | Graham’s Guides

It’s time for brunch, and a glorious brunch it was too.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee4*
Food5*
Conversation5*
People Watching3*

It’s Saturday morning and we are looking forward to spending most of our day as guests at a wedding. The timing of weddings makes for interesting eating. It’s called a wedding breakfast but that’s happening later in the day and it’s traditional that the wedding itself happens at about the time you would normally be eating your lunch. Experience has taught us that the best way to prepare for a wedding is to have a good breakfast, or brunch, which will see you through to the wedding reception.

Our chosen location is not new to us, we’ve been on many occasions. I suspect that Sue and I have had a similar brunch on a similar occasion, Sue might even remember the exact day and occasion but my memory doesn’t work that way.

If the truth be told, we’ve visited often enough that we know the menu and our order is set before we’ve walked in the door. That doesn’t stop us both reading the menu thinking that we might do something different. We don’t, we know what we like. It’s poached eggs on granary toast with bacon or sausage and topped off with mushrooms. To drink we will both have some orange juice and a black americano. The coffee is Carvetii which is roasted in Threlkeld, not too far from where Sue spent her early years. It’s a full body roast which is well prepared in the No. 15 espresso machine.

No. 15 Cafe House is a cosy place hidden away from Penwortham high street on the quieter side of Priory Lane adjacent to, and connected with, Macmillans gift shop.

The display of cakes is always a delight, but they aren’t on the order for today.

There’s normally parking available on the street outside, but even if there isn’t there’s plenty of on-street parking around.

It’s advisable to book, we didn’t, but there were only the two of us.

We settle down and talk through the people we think are going to be at the wedding. Weddings are great occasions for reconnecting. We’ve known many of the people who will be there a very long time.

It was quiet on this particular visit which meant that the people watching was somewhat restricted. Everyone quietly getting on with their Saturday morning. The most notable thing was a man who had the full breakfast, which is substantial, buying some of the rather large scones, on his way out, stating that he would be eating them for his mid-morning snack. I was impressed by his ability to eat anything mid-morning after such a feast.

The food is, as ever, excellent, the staff are warm and friends, and the coffee is good.

Food eaten, I decide to indulge in a second cup of the Corvetii while Sue does a tour of the gifts having previously reminded herself of the upcoming events requiring a card, gift, etc.. If it was left to me we wouldn’t send anything like as many cards even though I know how much people value the connection that they bring.

Coffee drunk it’s time for the rest of a very special day knowing that we’ve taken on the calories we need to see us through to breakfast.

No. 15 Cafe House,
Macmillans of Penwortham
15 Priory Lane,
Penwortham,
Preston
PR1 0AR

No. 15 Cafe
In the conservatory

Atkinsons The Castle, Lancaster | Graham’s Guides

One of Lancaster’s emporiums for the coffee lover

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee5*
Food4*
Conversation5*
People Watching4*

Atkinsons is a highly regarded, award winning, coffee roaster in Lancaster, also known as coffeehopper on social media due to their logo. They operate three cafes within quite a small area of the city. On this occasion we are visiting Atkinsons at Lancaster Castle, we’ll cover The Hall and The Music Room another time. There shop, near to The Hall, is itself a wonder to behold.

Each of the Atkinsons cafes in Lancaster serves the same great coffee, but has a different feel. Atkinsons The Castle is, as the name suggests, within the grounds of Lancaster Castle which has stood on these ground for nearly 1,000 years dating back to the Normans and probably before. Prior to its most recent refurbishment the castle was, until 2011, a prison. One quirk of this history is that Lancaster Castle is still owned by the Duchy of Lancaster and hence by the Sovereign (the King).

As you enter the castle square through the imposing keep you can feel the history everywhere. The Castle Cafe is in an opposing corner to the castle keep to the right. The cafe sits in what was a portion of the castle kitchen and a newly covered area with glass doors opening out into the square. The seating is within the new area with additional seating outside in the square. If the weather is good you should expect to loiter for a while to get an outside seat. The whole place looks particularly atmospheric on a dark winter’s day.

On this occasion we are making a quick visit for coffee and cake. We are rewarding ourselves having just been to give blood at the local hospital.

This isn’t a place to visit for a huge lunch, or even brunch, the food menu is limited to cakes, pastries and sandwiches, which are always excellent.

Today we are sticking to the house Americano based on their Archetype blend, but this wouldn’t be Atkinsons if there weren’t choices for the coffee connoisseur and here at the castle they are offered as speciality pour-over brews. The menu of pour-over changing on regular basis depending on what is in season.

They also do speciality teas at the castle, but I’ve never tried one so couldn’t comment. If I’m coming to the castle I’m here for the coffee.

Each of the Atkinsons cafes attracts an eclectic mix of people making for excellent people watching – the flirty couple on the high table, the family outside over-reacting to a solitary wasp, the two ladies in dry-robes on a glorious warm and dry day in the middle of a city, the arty student in the corner typing away on his MacBook wearing expensive beige coloured over-the-ear headphones, the older gentleman sat outside in his summer hat.

You do have to be able to walk up a short steep hill on cables to get to the castle whichever way you come.

We normally park just down the hill from the entrance on Castle Hill, accessed via Market Street, where there are a few roadside pay-and-display/RingGo spaces.

Atkinsons The Castle
Castle Hill,
Lancaster
LA1 1YN

https://www.thecoffeehopper.com/locations/lancaster-castle/
https://maps.app.goo.gl/soF71NU7pD6Vfc7T9

The Castle Square
Atkinsons The Castle on a Wet Lancashire Day
A day for sitting out
Looking up at the keep on the way in

The Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden, Portinscale, Keswick | Graham’s Guides

A great place to start a walk, a good stop part-way through a circular ramble and an equally great place for sustenance after a bimble.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee4*
Food4*
Conversation5*
People Watching4*

The Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden sits near to the shore of Derwentwater just outside Portinscale which itself is just outside Keswick. It’s location sites it just off the circular walking route of the lake and not far below Cat Bells making it an ideal start, finish and stop-off point on several walks.

On this occasion we were meeting some good friends who were just finishing off a week’s holiday in Keswick. After warm hugs I was greeted by the words “‘You’ll struggle to get lost’ you said” as one of our friends lifted up her arm showing a graze on her elbow. It felt strange having my words repeated back to me. While in the area our friends had decided to follow my Tarn Hows Circular via Tom Gill guide, a confusion at the beginning had led them along a completely different path to the one I’d intended them to follow. It turns out that their route was a lot steeper than the one I’d guided and some water on a rock had resulted in a fall and the displayed wound. I’ve always regarded the beginning of any walk as the most dangerous part for navigation, get it wrong then and you are always going to be wrong.

We laughed a lot during our time together and it was wonderful to catch up.

There’s a good car park at Lingholm which you do pay for. The parking fee is currently £5 for 3 hours and has been for a long while, but you will get £4 of this back when you pay in the cafe. The car park is a short walk from the cafe itself, but there is also accessible parking which is accessed via some electric gates for which you need a code. The code is obtained by calling the cafe.

You access the car park from a driveway that is well signposted from the Portinscale to Grange road which winds around the ‘back of the lake.’ I’ve always known it as that as that’s what the Keswick locals call the area on the other side of Derwentwater. The car park is near to the end of the driveway with additional room running alongside the driveway itself.

Further along from the car park is an entrance through an archway which takes you into the grounds of the Lingholm Estate. Follow the path along the stream, around the field where there are often Alpaca, past the entrance to the walled garden and up onto the veranda entrance to the cafe.

Take time to look around as you walk though, this place has an interesting history. The large house behind the cafe was a regular holiday rental for the Potter family. From the age of 19, Beatrix Potter spent 10 summers here, over a 20 year period. These are the days when a summer holiday lasted a couple of months and the house had to be big enough for servants. Some of Beatrix’s most popular stories were inspired by these grounds. The drawings of Owl Islands in The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin were based on St Herbert’s Islands on Derwentwater which is just across from the shoreline. The cottage gardens at Lingholm was one of the inspirations behind Mr McGregor’s garden in Peter Rabbit.

It’s worth wandering around the walled garden and imagining being here at the end of the nineteenth, start of the twentieth century, before either world war.

The cafe itself is constructed with a glass wall down one side giving views of the Skiddaw range of hills and making them some of the best cafe views in the Lake District.

Lingholm Kitchen is another cafe that serves Carvetii, which is roasted just the other side of Keswick in Threlkeld, they know how to make a good coffee. The cakes are always good with the scones being a particular favourite. Sue and I have been known to order a cheese scone and a fruit scone then split them half-and-half. We’ve regularly used Lingholm as a lunch stop, there’s always something interesting on the specials board with the soup being a regular choice there’s also much that we like on the regular menu.

I’m a few cafe guides in now and I’ve realised that I need to do a better job of taking pictures that show the places themselves. Apologies if the few in this one don’t really give you a good view of what type of place it is. I do have lots of pictures of shelves of cakes, but that’s not very helpful if they have different cakes on when you go. Why do I have lots of pictures of cakes? It’s the easiest way of explaining to people what the options are without each one of us going to the counter to see. Did I mention that the scones are always a good choice?

The Lingholm Kitchen and Walled Garden
The Lingholm Estate,
Portinscale,
Keswick,
Cumbria,
CA12 5TZ

https://thelingholmkitchen.co.uk
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GKvMm1VV595duogP9

Scones are always a good choice

Roberts & Co Coffee Roastery & Espresso Bar, Cedar Farm | Graham’s Guides

For us, these seats carry a lot of nostalgia.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee5*
Food4*
Conversation5*
People Watching4*

There are some cafes that are just right for a summers day with great outdoor seating and fabulous views, there are other cafes that are a cozy place to hide on a duller day. The Roberts and Co Roastery and Espresso Bar at the back of the Studios at Cedar Farm is lovely at any time but comes into its own when the weather is more inclement.

You may already know that I like places where they roast their own coffee, and as the name suggests the Espresso Bar is inside the Roastery. There’s an antique industrial feel as you sit amongst the roasting equipment. Behind the bar are old style coffee storage canisters that remind me of a shop I used to go into as a child. The chalk board above outlines the array of single-origin and blends that are available. The walls are decorated with old coffee bags from around the globe.

If you are looking for sleek modern straight lines and matching furniture this isn’t the place for you. The Espresso Bar is a quirky selection of sofas and chairs, some made out of shipping pallets, interspersed with similarly eclectic tables. There are shelves loaded with items that I’m quite confident were there when we first started coming which must be more than 20 years ago.

We are fortunate today, one of the voluminous sofas are free. We ask the people sat on the facing sofa whether they mind us joining them – they aren’t going to say “no”, and we know they aren’t going to say “no”, but it’s the British thing to ask.

We choose a muffin each and one of the South American single origin coffees, it’s normally Columbian. It comes in a cafeteria with enough for at least four people, we sometimes feel a bit guilty at the amount we leave.

If you want something more substantial than a cake or some crisps then I recommend that you head out of the Roastery, down the corridor and into The Barn which is the adjoining building. Here you will find a wide selection of food options including another outlet for Roberts.

When the children were younger Cedar Farm was a place we would come on a wet Sunday afternoon to catch up with each other’s lives. These days it’s more often a trip with just the two of us, but the purpose is the same – we regularly have the diaries out or sit and complete a crossword together. There’s often a recent newspaper left by someone who no longer has a use for it.

There’s always an interesting group of people in the Roastery, on this occasion it was a mum, dad and two daughters discussing the challenges of student accommodation.

Having relished our coffee and savoured our muffin we head over to the counter to order some beans to take home with us, it’s normally the Napoli Blend and some Dark Decaf.

Coffee Bags

Three Sisters Coffee Shop and Kitchen (Fulwood) | Graham’s Guides

Yay, at last, a good local independent coffee shop.

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee5*
Food4* (see note)
Conversation5*
People Watching3*

Some months ago we were delighted to hear that one of our favourites – Three Sisters in Penwortham – were in the process of opening a second outlet within easy reach of our house.

There are several coffee shops a short distance from our house, but they are all corporate ones – 3xC and 1xSB. I don’t like the SB coffee roast, never have. The C coffee roast is OK, but it’s only OK. I can’t recall the last time I went to the SB, even though I pass it on my morning walk regularly. I reluctantly visit one of the Cs every couple of weeks.

I prefer an independent coffee shop, one that understands coffee, if they roast their own that’s even better.

Three Sisters in Penwortham is only 6 miles away, however, it is on the other side of Preston, making 6 miles a journey of more than 20 minutes drive. In the preceding sentence “more than” is a very important phrase, Preston is not designed for people who want to go from one side to the other, at any point and without warning “more than” can be “double” or even, when the M6 is closed “triple”. To put it more succinctly – getting to Penwortham is regularly a faff.

This last weekend it was the glorious open day for Three Sisters Coffee Shop and Kitchen in Fulwood.

Sue and I went on Saturday morning, and I went again on Monday morning.

The coffee was wonderful; there own roast. The cakes selection fabulous; the carrot cake lovely. The custom steady.

As you can see from the pictures they’ve created a great space to sit and relax, and also work. As well as the room in the pictures, there’s also a more enclosed quieter room further back. While I was there on Monday morning it wasn’t so busy that I felt the need to retreat into the back, but it’s nice to know the option is there.

There are several small businesses in the area and some came in while I was there, all of them enthusiastic about the new option available to them. Hopefully this results in even more custom for them.

They are doing a progressive opening, with drinks and cakes for now – lunch options and their famous cinnamon swirls on a Saturday will follow at a later date.

I really want this place to succeed. The lack of a decent coffee shop in the area has been something that has irked for quite a while. I will be back, C will see even less of me now.

Following our trip on Saturday a neighbour visited on Sunday and simply text “10/10 🥰”.

Three Sisters Coffee Shop and Kitchen
159 Garstang Rd,
Fulwood,
Preston
PR2 3BH

https://threesisterscoffee.co.uk/

Three Sisters (Fulwood)

Header Image: The view from my table, there’s another room beyond this.

More? The Artisan Bakery, Staveley | Graham’s Guides

Graham’s Guidelines* Rating (1 to 5)
Coffee5*
Food5*
Conversation5*
People Watching3*
Graham’s Guidelines for More?

Well, here we are with my very first Graham’s Guides.

If you are expecting pictures of food, sorry, I don’t do pictures of food. Go to the web site you’ll see plenty.

If you are expecting technical details about the food, again, sorry, these posts are really about my feelings about a place. You’ll have your own feelings.

Also, I don’t do comments about “value for money”, it’s such a subjective notion. What I’m willing to pay for a really good coffee may not align with your idea of value.

This morning Sue and I awoke with a clear diary and fine weather, something that hasn’t happened at the same time for a little while. We knew the weather was going to turn later, so headed out first thing.

As there was just the two of us, we thought we’d grab a bit of something on the way at one of our favourite places. There are several favourite places that we could have chosen, but recently we’ve loved dropping into the Mill Yard in Staveley where More? The Artisan Bakery has become a repeat visit.

Today was about simple, yet wonderful, delights – a good coffee and an excellent pastry. For me an almond croissant, for Sue a plain croissant. I didn’t ty the plain croissant, so can’t comment, but this is the second time I’ve had the Almond Croissant and both times they were a delight. This isn’t a small delicate pastry, it’s more like a second breakfast. Crisp almonds on the outside, a creamy almost paste on the inside and delightful flaky pastry that is flaky but doesn’t feel the need to explode the moment it encounters a mouth.

The coffee is from True North Coffee which is a sister business to More? I meant to look up what the blend was but forgot so can’t give details. I’m not sure I like it when coffee is described, like wine, by relating it to various other flavours, but I get why people do it. I know what I like in a coffee, I’m not sure I could describe it other than to say that this was a very enjoyable brew. I’m a plain coffee drinker, I take it black and can’t understand why anyone would want to mess with the flavour by adding various syrups and milk concoctions. A good black coffee should have a full flavour that isn’t too bitter, or too smooth. It should be strong, but not too strong. It should linger on the pallet in a good way. I think as I write these posts that I might need to develop my explanation of good coffee, but that’s all you are getting for now.

Although it’s almost in the Lake District, More? isn’t situated in a quaint little slate cottage, it’s in a former Bobbin Mill so is more Industrial Chic, set amongst a set of other businesses. A good café should have an atmosphere, there needs to be people, good service, and something that makes you want to come back. Despite the industrial chic More? always has a good group of people and the service has been excellent every time we’ve visited which has been a few. I like it when a cafe has a mixed group of people, it says something about its appeal. I like to guess what people have been up to and what their plan is for the day. I guess that today was a combination of people who had already been for a run, people planning a walk with the dog, family people with a baby taking a break from doing the Saturday jobs and people, like us, on their way into the Lake District for various adventures.

There’s ample free parking, and you can normally park quite close, which fitted in perfectly with our plan to drop in and go elsewhere. As you enter the Mill Yard More? is at the back.

Sometimes when I go walking, I like to go a bit upmarket with my lunch and More? has provided some of the best packed food I have ever tasted. The Katsu Chicken sandwich I picked up last time was wonderful.

It’s a favourite and we will be back.

More? The Artisan Bakery
Middle of the Mill,
Staveley Mill Yard,
Staveley Cumbria
LA8 9LR.

Header Image: This is Tarn Howes where we started our walk today. A topic for another guide? Perhaps.