An Edible Voyage

October 2020 I was so excited to come across this peaceful and cosy cafe with it's roaring fire and dappled light pooling on tables by windows.  Hidden down some stone steps within the unassuming Temple Guiting Pantry, discovering it felt like my own little secret. There's a good mix of staples as well as inventive offerings, alongside coffee, tea and freshly squeezed juice.  Eggs Royale with brown butter Hollandaise or corn and kale fritters with black bean and pomegranate salsa, aji verde and chipotle... there are some hard choices to make here!  This is a place to linger, to absorb the tranquility. Find the cafe inside Temple Guiting Pantry, on the square of the village of the same name.  They can provide a leaflet suggesting a 1.5 hour walk through the beautiful Gloucestershire Cotswolds for a pre or post breakfast/ brunch/ lunch stroll, and the shop itself is well worth a browse.

April 2021 Eyam is a sweet little village in the Derbyshire Dales, and Village Green Cafe is it's charming cafe.  Watch the world go by from the tables and chairs scattered on The Square, or read up on the history of the bull ring stone which lay hidden beneath the road for 40 years and now stands outside the cafe. Enjoy excellent flat whites made with Huddersfield roaster Dark Woods beans, huge slabs of towering sponge - the Victoria sponge filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries is particularly noteworthy, or why not go for a homemade Bakewell tart whilst you're just up the road.  For something more substantial, you can't go wrong with the toasted sandwiches made with bubbly focaccia - there are meaty, veggie and vegan fillings so everyone's covered. Find Village Green Cafe on The Square in Eyam.  Browse the beautiful homewares collection inside and then grab a locally churned ice cream to take on your Peak District walk.

December 2020 Carmarthen has quite a few cafes ready to satisfy you if you aren’t too bothered how you get your caffeine fix.   However, for the coffee snobs amongst us, it has to be Finn’s Coffee Shop.   Hidden away down an alleyway, this small but perfectly formed café has expertly crafted, silky but robust flat whites alongside a tantalising display of the most divine Edan Ash chocolates.   Seriously, these chocolates, crafted just south of Carmarthen in Kidwelly, are exquisite.   The smoothest ganache is combined with exotic flavours which hold their own without overpowering the flavour profile of the high quality cacao, and enrobed in a crisp chocolate shell which shatters as you bite in to it.   Seasonal cinnamon toast, and warming rum and ginger were my favourites. Upstairs is a small, industrially decorated seating area where you can enjoy coffee and chocolates alongside homemade vegan banana bread and toasties.   There is a also a small selecti...