An Edible Voyage

April 2021 A friend who recently moved to Bollington has excitedly been telling me about No 74 Delicatessen whenever she embarks on a trip for treats (which seems to be at ever decreasing intervals during lockdown!), so it was inevitable that during my post-lockdown visit to the Peak District, No 74 would be on the agenda.   This is one of those places that's excellent at everything - milk is expertly steamed for the espresso based coffee; interesting sandwiches are fresh, flavoursome and served on chunky rolls advertised as made from flour, water, salt and nothing else; cakes are exquisite - towering layers of airy sponge sit alongside zesty lemon squares and Malteaser tiffin; and Happy Belly supply delicious sweet potato and feta scotch eggs with soft, golden yolks. Turn up with several bags! No 74 is the kind of place where you go in for a coffee and come out with all manner of local produce.  Beers from Manchester micro-breweries, black garlic ketchup, bean to bar cho...

January 2021 Having living in Melbourne for several years, the coffee bar was set high and I became a bit of a coffee snob.  This definitely has it's disadvantages as it makes finding a coffee that I really enjoy tricky.  I had sort of given up on finding one in Banbury, satisfying my cravings on visits to Oxford, London or in the nearby village of Great Tew at Quince and Clover (you can read all about that in a separate post).  One day I was cycling to the swimming pool early in the morning when I passed a coffee cart.  It was still closed at that time but I stored it in my 'to be tried at some point' part of my brain (although I must admit, I didn't have particularly high expectations) and then promptly forgot about it.  A few weeks later, an article popped up on my phone about it.  Reading that Harriet had worked as a barista in London for 12 years got me excited - it seemed she could be the one to make me a great flat white! From her small cart, The Bar...