Out & About Summer 2018

FOOD & DRINK

Café culture

Continuing our feature on independent cafés that offer a welcome alternative to the high street chains. These popular meeting places provide individuality, as well as homemade, healthy treats. We visited outlets in Newbury and Yattendon

The Tea Shop By The Canal The Stone Building, The Wharf, Newbury, RG14 5AS T: 01635 522609 Open: Seven days a week: Summer 9am-5pm; Winter 10am- 4pm weekdays, 9am-5pm weekends www.teashopbythecanal.co.uk / free wifi / vegan and vegetarian options / cream teas T raditional tea served in a fine china teapot, complete with tea

strainer to catch the loose leaves, is all part of the charm of The Tea Shop by the Canal. Paul Barclay has been running the popular spot – that attracts coach parties passing through and local visitors – for the last nine years.

The Flower Pot Café Market Street,11 Inchs Yard, Newbury T: 01635 46439 Open Monday-Saturday 9am-4pm (8.30am on Saturdays) FB The Flower Pot Café / free wifi / vegan and vegetarian options J uliette Davenport is rightly proud

“My wife runs the kiosk in Victoria Park and I noticed this building, which at the time was shut and thought was a great place for a café.” He and his wife have now established a loyal customer base, as well as the aforementioned passing trade. The Tea Shop by the Canal is a quaint old-time tea shop that offers so much more, with a mouth-watering menu that includes breakfast – the eggs benedict are a particular highlight – light lunch and their trademark tea. Bread and cakes are all made on site and they offer a tea package which has proved extremely popular. With 30 covers downstairs there is also an upstairs area, which can be booked for baby showers or birthday parties. There is also outdoor seating along the canal, facing the park, and on a hot day, the 50 or so seats along there are quickly snapped up.

of The Flower Pot café, which takes centre stage in Inchs Yard, where she has created a small haven of calm. “I want people to feel like they are a guest in my home, rather than a customer,” enthuses Juliette. This is a place where people can sit and not feel rushed. Everything is homemade on the premises and Juliette also offers a takeaway service. As we sit talking, a group of ladies enjoy a coffee and a chat and people walking past wave good morning. “Inchs Yard has a really good vibe, it’s like a little subvillage”she says. Juliette took over the café three years ago and has transformed it into the welcoming breakaway it is today. “I called it the Flower Pot because of my love of gardening and I wanted to reflect that in the style.” It does indeed have a kitchen garden feel to it, with wooden-slatted chairs, old-fashioned china and the proverbial flower pots filled with seasonal blooms. The café gets particularly busy at lunchtime, and at weekends families and shoppers flock to sample the homemade wares.

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