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.