Month off

Back again.

I've been trying to detox, but it's no good.

I saw 21st Century Mummy's post about Tickety Boo and the cakes on offer therein and knew I had to get out there again.

Nero in Abbeygate Street was the bad boy - and I now have a card full of little stamps to enable me to get a freebie next time I go down there.

Popped to one of those huge out-of-town shopping centres last night and the appeal of good old Bury St Edmunds was really missing.

They are impersonal, shopping wastelands - not a bit like Hatter Street, St John's Street or Langton Place, all of which I love.

Frankie & Benny's

This is the men's - quite a shock to the system when you first go inside...

Frankie & Benny's got my custom in recent days - and what an impressive set of toilets (men's and women's).

The men's are a riot of black and white (very this season, I gather, darling) and the tops of the walls are decorated with old newspaper cuttings.

In the women's, apparently (I didn't venture in, but had a spy) there is the option to learn a dash of Italian while you, err, do whatever women do.

The coffee (espresso) wasn't great though - bit stewed and bitter. Probably had it on boil for too long. Not strong enough, either and no water provided with it.

And while we'er on it, the £10.95 sharing platter was a real disappointment. The chicken wings were ok-ish, but the chikcen pieces were more frozen nugget appearance and taste. One of the reasons for going for the dish was the lure of the onion rings - and, sorry, they were very poor. Need improving. If you were a school report, you would get C+ (Could do better).

Atmosphere nice, kids' meals ok and bottomless kiddie drinks were well received by both young and old.

Well fancy that . . .

Coffee shops are now Britain’s fastest-growing retail business.

There are already more than 3,000 on the High Street, clocking up sales of £1.3bn a year — and experts say those numbers will double by 2017.

As a nation, we polish off 70 million cups of coffee a day and health specialists YorkTest reckon as many as one in 20 of us has an intolerance to it.

Well fancy that . . . now Waterstone's is moving to the new Cattle Market development and Debenhams is moving in, too, does that mean we will get two 'new' coffee shops in Bury?

Hold on to your cups - we could be heading for a coffee price war.

RIP

Another reference on today's Google alert for coffee - I'll raise a cup to you later, Alf.

Alfred H. Peet, the son of a Dutch coffee merchant who pioneered a revolution in roasting exotic dark beans that led to America’s love affair with high-end coffee, has died. He was 87.

Alfred H. Peet is often called the “grandfather of specialty coffee”.

The cause was cancer, several friends said. His death was announced Friday by a representative of the company he founded, Peet’s Coffee and Tea Inc.

Did you know?

My Google alert on coffee tells me today:

Coffees and tea

• Decaffeinated coffee is only 97 per cent free of caffeine.

• While the average iced tea has 47 milligrams per 12 ounce serving, Snapple contains 31.5 milligrams per 16 ounces and Lipton Brisk has only 9 milligrams per 12 ounces.

Sweets

• Dark chocolate has considerably more caffeine than milk chocolate. A 60-gram bar of Hershey's Special Dark has 31 milligrams; the same size milk chocolate bar has 9 milligrams.

I'll be ordering some of that Hershey's stuff - they make those delightful little 'Kisses' shaped like a bell dome and wrapped in silver foil. Scrummy.

Costa blank-er

Sorry, Costa...Tickety Boo has been my best espresso this week.

You tried, you tried hard, but despite a very competitive £1.70 for a dopio you left me unimpressed.

The natty little biscuit selection (four for a little over £2.50 in a pretty little box) did almost tempt me but I had my eye on your off-centre saucers and a sniff of coffee.

Ms Bean had a dash of Earl Grey, which probably stole my attention.

Never mind - I'm sure you will redeem yourself soon.

Walking back to work, I see the new Cattle Market is starting to take shape - there's the beginnings of a shop next to Palmers Homestore.

Anyone know what that's going to be?

Boots and W H Smith have excellent sales on, too, at the moment.

I nearly fell for the under-a-tenner yoga starter set in Boots but just managed to say a laid-back 'no' in time.

And I can't resist stationery ( 'e' for envelopes ). Erasers, books, diaries, rulers, folders - my desks are full of them, all at reduced price, but none of them touched.

What a consumer.

Summertime

Everywhere you go, everyone you talk to ... 'where's the summer gone?' they ask.

For sure, it ain't in Bury today.

It's grey, it's mizzling, it's overcast.

The Parkway multi-storey car park attendant - who keeps that place so very tidy - gave me a cheery-ish 'Morning', but I think the weather had even gotten to him.

Those cheery, new little 'publicity' signs bordering the Cattle Market didn't even make me smile this morning.

I should imagine some PR firm in the smoke was paid thousands to come up with the idea of cutting out an arc shape for people to look through.

Very clever.

(The fact the design apes others should, of course, be overlooked by any lawyers.)

I might pay a return trip to HaGa today, on Moreton Hall. Went earlier in the week and they had a very reasonable crockery set (6-piece) which I snapped up...and there were other things which my sticky fingers really wanted to pick up, too.

Spending always brings a ray of sunshine to a damp day.

Along with the first coffee of the day, which I'm just off to make.

(The picture is from my summer trip to Thetford's gig by The Feeling - it was sunny that day)

No boo-hoo with Tickety Boo

What a find!

One of the replies here had suggested I trot along to Tickety Boo's cup cake shop, in St John's Street.

Wowee!

I couldn't face one of their lovely looking cakes - someone in the office had just celebrated his 29th with a fine array of delicacies from Waitrose - but I did try a double espresso at £1.75.

Best in Bury, or at least as good as Nero on a very good day.

Apparently, the very nice chappie in there confirmed they were using their hand-roasted coffee (from Union Coffee Roasters) before anyone else in town got into using Fairtrade varieties.

And it was the first place I have been offered a glass of cold water with my espresso in Bury.

Nice art on the walls, too, by a lady who had been to West Suffolk College then on to study in Herts.

Nice chairs, very clean, cool atmosphere. And as it is a cold, miserable, gloomy sort of day outside, the warm welcome inside was very cheery.

9/10...very well done and worth a visit.

(Cakes next time!)

I have a question

Why is that the shop-bought varieties of coffee (Starbucks, Nero, Lavazza) never taste the same when you make them?

My hopes were high with a packet from Nero - and my pockets empty - but it was very disappointing.

I guess I forgot to spit and hiss and make lots of lots of tapping noises when I made it (and ask myself if I wanted any pastries).

Any tips?

Ho hum.

Bean - and come back again . . .

It's good to be back.

Mr Bean and his little Beanies have been away getting roasted for a few weeks but we're back to run the rule of thumb over the coffee houses of BSE.

Today was Caffe Nero, in Abbeygate Street, and a takeaway expresso.

Workmanlike and tasty - but you don't get the lovely froth you get in the china cups. I love swirling it around in them and dislodging this froth so it goes back into the main coffee. Scrummy.

8/10 - will try a proper one next week when I have more time.

How have you all been/bean in my absence? Anyone back from any great coffee hotspots?

I'm afraid Wells-Next-The-Sea failed to live up to my coffee expectations, but a smart deli on the seafront looked good for olives and the like (and olive oil). Bought a very reasonable fly-swat for 75p, too.

Southwold produced the goods, though, in a natty underground cafe.

A more mundane trip to Ely also threw up an unexpected treaure - a Starbucks in a very nice corner spot. I had an iced coffee (it was really hot that week) sitting on the low wall outside and it was scrummy. Sucked the caramel up through the straw and it tasted yum.

Mamma mia!

Double espresso is £1.80 a cup in Cambridge's Grafton Centre - at Mamma Amalfi.

The service wasn't great - they ignored me at the self-service counter.

Then they didn't provide a bill - had to go to the till inside to try to pay them. They smarmily asked if I actually wanted to pay - I didn't but they took me by surprise and threw me somewhat.

Not great service, not a great coffee - not a place I'll be going back to.

And the atmosphere outside on the 'terrace' with the smell of Burger King mingling with the stench of popcorn from the Vue cinema was not what I wanted.

Wish I had stayed in the Costa queue or tried the new Starbucks on the trading estate in Newmarket Road...

Harry along to see this one . . .

What a film!

Even if you don't like Harry Potter - and I know the little one with the rimmed glasses can be somewhat annoying - this is quite an offering.

It's a bit darker than the rest, as the cast are getting older, but that adds to the appeal.

And I got it wrong - Harry doesn't snog Hermione (sorry!).

I can't believe my eldest got through the amount of popcorn he did...now I know he has hollow legs.

What a relief

There are days when only Nero can deliver.

Today was one of those days . . .

It was espresso, it was £1.60 and it was worth every penny.

Last night made me realise just how much this little tasse means to me.

Small, round and perfectly formed. I'd like to say just like me...it wouldn't be true.

Tomorrow is another day and I'm off to see Harry Potter - or Barry Trotter as the kids refer to him.

I gather Hermione and Harry have a snog...whatever next!

What a Feeling

Not the sort of steaming offering you expect on a coffee blog, but I thought it was relevant.

Drove out to see The Feeling at Thetford Forest last night - and what a gig! (and what an impressive set of toilets, too)

Those guys know how to rock; the sound was fabulous and the atmosphere electric.

My only gripe as the lack of a Starbucks/Nero/Cafe Rouge-type coffee stand...or am I being a bit picky?

There was a hog roast and a first-aid tent along with somewhere selling 'hot drinks'.

I didn't venture along - had a Double Decker, packet of Hula Hoops and a bottle of water.

Now choccie bars - there's another great topic (oops, no pun intended) for a blog. Do you think Mars bars have gone downhill since they stopped those crinkly wrappers?

And how do you eat your Twix? Bite off the chewy bit and then eat the biscuit? Both together? Or just let it melt in your mouth?

Cadbury Boost has to be my fave though - bite into one of those and chew and it feels as if your teeth are going to come out.

Mmmmmmmmm...........

G&B

Mmmmm...

Guess where this is and I'll be dead impressed.

Went out last night to a swish eaterie and went for espresso (double) at the denouement of a very nice meal.

Best bit was they brought some Green and Black miniature chocs with the coffee. No white choc ones though, so slightly disappointing, as they really are my favourites.

Lovely!

It was dire in Newmarket.

Got there early (about 7.30am) and was soooo looking forward to a good 'kick' from my 'doub-esp' - but the blooming shop was shut.

How do they expect to get early morning trade?

Did walk past the named shop (not wishing to name and shame the offending establishment - it was Costa) later on, but snubbed it out of principle.

However, I did manage to get to the Grafton Centre, in sunny Cambridge, on Saturday morning (again really early) and Costa was open and running.

Changed the habit of a lifetime and went for the medio Americano for a reasonable £2.

One thing worries me about Costa though - why are the saucers off-set? I like a saucer you can put the cup in the middle of. Call me old-fashioned but this off-centre thing really puts me ill at ease.

And they always put the receipt in the well of the recess for the cup.

a) You can't read it again as the cup always oozes some liquid on to it;

b) I do like to read receipts (I'm a weirdo like that) and see what info is on it.

While we're on that, don't you just love reading other people's shopping lists?

Whenever someone has left one in a trolley or on one of those clippy things on a trolley, I always pocket it and read what they have bought. You can find out some really interesting things about people on those...

Anyhow, back to me at Costa.

Read the property supplement which was the only freebie paper hanging around and found a lovely new pad - a cool £4 million horsey establishment in Chippenham (think that's out near Newmarket, which would make sense).

If we can get enough together, I'll turn it into a Nero franchise...any offers?

Here's my coffee from Saturday and the napkin. Just for proof.

Not a great day.

Computer problems all round have meant I have not got away from the office and Tuesdays are normally a great day for finding a good seat at a local coffee house.

So it's Original or Gold Blend. But it ain't quite the same.

There's somethnig about the theatre of those people in Starbucks or Nero or Costa and the hissing and spitting. Then there's the machine noise . . . LOL.

I live to fight another day though - I'll be in Newmarket on Friday at the strangely re-named Guineas shopping centre (the old Rookery Centre). All locals will forever refer to it as the Rookery - in the same way that Bury's Cattle Market will never, ever be called the arc.

And there's a gleaming, shiny new Costa in the Rookery (sorry, marketing gurus, Guineas).

I'll do a comparison between that one and the Bury one and report back.

Hope the double espresso costs more for all those well-off horsey types...

And apparently there is a special offer for workers from the Rookery (sorry... Guineas) so I'll try to blag my way into some money off.

That's better

Funny, but some people's cheek never ceases to amaze me.

I'm one of these blokes who would never dream of going into a shop (like Nero), use the toilet and then walk straight out again. But that very thing happened this lunchtime.

Brazenly, she hurried in. She had to wait an eternity but persevered - and then she was gone.

Wish I had the b***s myself to do that but I would have had to have bought a double espresso like the one which left this rather fetching ring on my napkin.

Wet, wet, wet

Darned English summer!

My lovely Abbey Gardens 'gig' featuring the old Bard himself was rained off on Saturday night.

Went home in disgust - sorry, organisers, didn't fancy the school hall you offered as a substitute and will be after you today for my money back.

I did manage to have several decent coffees over the weekend - but nothing from a shop so will be off to Nero today with camera in hand and try to place my first picture on here.

Cool eh!

Weekend

Looking forward to a wet weekend.

I've got tickets for the Midsummer Night's Dream gig in the Abbey Gardens but I suspect it'll be rained off, judging by the forecast.

The only good thing about that is that I can double back to Cafe Rouge for a quick bite to eat - now they serve some serious coffee in there, too.

It used to be a bank, apparently, and the little room off to the left as you go in was the manager's office. There's still a safe in there, I think.

Anyone know which branch?

Early evening Bury

I love the way Bury smells . . .

And it smells differently whenever you walk through the town centre.

Wednesdays - market smells. Saturdays - McDonalds smells. Thursday nights - fresh.

Last night, I had a late espresso (double of course) at Nero and managed to grab a window seat. Is it me putting on weight, or are those brown chairs getting smaller? One too many cakes - I'd best take note.

The atmosphere in Nero changes in relation to the time of day. Grab an early coffee and everyone is rushing around like blue-aXXXed flies. Lunchtime is fight for a seat time. Evenings are mellow, though, and I love them.

Best bit is getting to look in the Quest window - I want one of those bird boxes with the natty roofs. I bought a smaller one out of there a few weeks back for just a fiver (what a bargain) but these are over the £10 mark. Not sure I can stretch to that.

Walking back to the car park, Sneezums has a sale on - lots of money-off deals. Might have to treat myself to a shiny Timberland watch (always fancied one of those). Bought a pair of Timberland boots back in the 90s when they were de rigeur but never been able to afford a decent watch.

Welcome!

Over the next few months, I'll be commenting on the coffee shops and cafes of Bury and its surrounds.

I love coffee - the stronger the better - and a double espresso usually does it for me.

But how often have you been disappointed by a mocha or infuriated by a frothy frappe?

Coffee shops of Bury beware - I won't be taking any prisoners.