Mrs G’s. 18.2.23

I woke up really hungry this morning and decided I’d head out and find a breakfast.

In the past I’ve seen signs outside one or two local Rugby clubs offering a breakfast on a Saturday morning, so I thought I’d check them out.

Aretians in Patchway have advertised and I think there is a Cafe in Little Stoke Park that also offers a brekkie but I decided to check out Chipping Sodbury Rugby club, so I could drop off Blakes Golf Clubs en route.

But when I got there there was no advertising sign, and there didn’t seem to be any car’s either. In fact it all looked dead. Maybe the Team are away this week?

So I headed for Mrs G’s in the hope that they would be open.

When I got there they were already very busy with several large groups already enjoying some early morning grub.

One group of ladies were obviously on a Hen-Do with the accompanying ‘cackling’ as several inflatables made the rounds.

At the other end of the dining room was an even larger group of blokes on a ‘Stag’ who were also lining their stomaches before an all day ‘Sesh’.

In between were the casual customers like myself.

The menu is on the wall behind the counter and i found myself staring intently at the options, having realised I had come in without my glasses.

I chose the large breakfast and a mug of Tea, which was served up at the counter where I poured my own milk and added two saccharin’s before dumping the T bag.

However, when the food arrived I realised I had chosen the wrong option.

The large Breakfast (£7.00) comes with Chips, which I really didn’t want and it automatically comes with Fried Bread rather than Toast.

The plate was impressive, a huge oblong thing about the size of a Paving Slab allowed the food to be laid out neatly.

The chips were crisp and dry and it was a good size portion, if unwanted.

The black pudding was cooked nicely as were the mushrooms. Two decent fried eggs sat on top of a slice of Fried Bread with a single piece of Hash Brown. Two rust coloured sausages of variable pedigree, two thick slices of Bacon and a portion of Baked Beans were accompanied by one lone tinned tomato.

This is a large breakfast (but not a huge one) and it looked bigger because it was served up on a large plate, but it was much nicer to look at and easier to manage.

The level of produce offered here doesn’t match the quality I’ve sampled on my last two outings but I suspect they target a different clientele and the price is significantly lower.

Whilst I ate, I studied the Menu and realised I should have ordered the ‘Special’ which came with Bubble and Squeak.

That said, the food hit the spot and I enjoyed my breakfast.

The service was functional, the venue clean and comfortable but this place has no ‘aires and graces’, it is a working Man’s ( Woman’s) Cafe that doesn’t pretend to be anything else.

The menu has plenty of other options available though thankfully I didn’t see any Avocado or sour Dough.

If your hungry and want a meal that fills a hole. This is the place to come.

Wickwar Coffee shop. 15.2.23.

Wickwar Coffee shop

High Street, Wickwar.

The Fat Boys were out again and this time it was Petes turn to source a venue.

It was all a bit mysterious as we drove out through Iron Acton, Steve was watching the Sat-Nav which Pete had deliberately set to the wrong location in order to confuse.

When we arrived at the Cafe there was a parking space right outside the door so it made life fairly easy.

There was no one in the Cafe when we entered but worryingly most of the tables had ‘Reserved’ signs on them, Luckily they had times on them and it looked as if we could eat and be gone well before they were needed.

So we chose a nice big oval table whilst one of the staff brought the menu’s. I swapped my wooden chair for one with a cushion, just in case.

We obviously went for the usual fare, two Big Breakfasts (£9.95) and a small (£7.50) but strangely we had to add extra Black Pudding (£1) to the Big Breakfast and a Hash Brown (£1) to the Small which seems s bit odd. These are usually part and parcel of a full English so makes these breakfast’s rather expensive at £10.95 for the large and £8.50 for the small.

The first thing I noticed was the single large sausage which was particularly good, very tasty without the skin being too tough to cut. One of the pitfall’s of most home made sausages. A portion of crispy Hash Brown. Two nicely cooked fried eggs. A small portion of fresh Mushrooms and a selection of small tomatoes on the vine. Plus two slices of delicious Bacon.
We asked where they sourced the meat and we were told they came from a Butcher in Cam a local village not too far away.

Sadly they served the toast (we were offered a choice of white or granary bread) and the pats of Butter on the same plate which meant the butter had gone soft. It was easier to spread but there was no space to do it and it got messy.

Give us a side plate!

My other pet hate is a Pot of Baked Beans. This seems to be becoming more and more a feature?

Tea was served in a pot with tea leaves and a built in strainer. It was great flavoured and strong and i loved the patterned tea cup and saucer. Sadly they still used sachets of sugar which ran out on our second brew and I had to take some from an adjoining table.

This quiet little Cafe suddenly filled up when Several cycling groups arrived (one from as far away as Chepstow ) a walking group and a group of young ladies all demanding feeding.

The staff coped admirably and everyone seemed satisfied though the noise made it almost impossible to have a conversation.

We had a second round of drinks before taking our leave.

The food was good, service friendly and unobtrusive, the venue was clean and comfortable and the price even with the extras was about what we would expect to pay for a good breakfast.

So this place gets the thumbs up from us and I am happy to recommend it.

Easter Compton Farm shop. Bistro Cafe,

10/02/2023

Joanna’s Free Range Kitchen.BS35 5RE

I regularly meet up with my Sister but I dont often see my Brother so it was great to meet up with both of them this week.

It was a bit difficult finding a suitable venue as my Sister doesn’t like driving anywhere unfamiliar or too far away and my Brother is a Vegetarian so ordinary Greasy Spoons aren’t an option. I had suggested the Bristol Sports and Community Hub at Shirehampton where they offer warm space and a full English Breakfast for £3 but my Brother wasn’t very impressed.

I offered several other venues but in the end he suggested Easter Compton Farm Shop where he knew the Veggie options were good.

This was also close enough for my sister and a new venue for me so I was happy to try it out.

My car was in for an MOT on that day so i borrowed Jaki’s little car.

Unfortunately she keeps the clock in the car set on British Summer Time (as she doesn’t know how to re -set it) and over the years it has gotten so far out of sinc that the time it shows was about 15-20 minutes fast. Which is why I arrived way too early!

I had intended to start work on my travel blog whilst i was waiting but when i switched my phone on, the battery was almost flat. I had plugged it in over night but forgot to switch it on.

So i sat in the car and listened to the radio before deciding to go explore the farm shop.

I was tempted to stroll across to WAVE and see what was happening but it looked a long way and as it turned out, you have to pay to go in and watch so I’m glad I didn’t.

The farm shop is full of the usual Artisan foods you would expect. Meats and Cheese from the local area, plenty of Game, Fresh Eggs as well as Bread and some local Black Pudding.

But, it was all quite expensive and in the current climate, beyond the reach of most people.

I was soon bored so I made my way into the Cafe, ordered a cup of Tea and sat down to wait for my guests.

It wasn’t long before i changed tables. The one I had chosen was by the door and there was a strong draft whipping across the floor which soon made my ankles ache. Im not good with the cold these days.

I sat at a table tucked away as far from the door as possible until the guy’s arrived and my Sister suggested we change tables as she didn’t like the one I was sat at!

Once we were settled we looked at the menu. My Brother already knew what he was ordering, Eggs Benedict with Mushrooms (£9.59).

This was a good hearty meal with a choice of White or Wholegrain Toast and either Ham or Mushrooms though I’m not sure why there was a salad with it?

My Sister and I took a bit longer to peruse the menu and the Specials on the black board before deciding on a Regular Breakfast for her (£9.20) and a large for me (£10.80).

With a fresh round of Tea (£2) and Coffee (Flat white £3.20) we were good to go.
The bill shows a Filter Coffee and a decaf `tea’ were free, so i am assuming they came with the breakfast?

Large Breakfast
The large breakfast was a bit of a conundrum for me. It had everything a good breakfast should have.

The ingredients were, local, artisan, and i suspect excellent quality, plus they were cooked adequately.

So why did i not enjoy it as much as some other breakfast’s of a more dubious quality?

The Hash Browns were great. Good size, crisp and relatively fat free.

The Bacon (which I assume came from the Farm shop) was good, though I didn’t get very excited about it which is a surprise.

The Black Pudding was ‘good’ and I ate my Sisters slice as well as my own. I swapped her my Grilled `fresh ‘ Tomato which I’m not really bothered about.

The ‘Butchers made Sausages’ were meaty but I thought they were overcooked and a bit tough.

The Beans were in a pot right in the middle of the plate which meant I had to continually spin my plate round to get access to the various components.

In fact the plate was just too small and everything was a bit cramped.

Luckily the toast was served on a separate plate or there would have been no room to move.

However, my main criticism was reserved for the egg which was undercooked so the white was slimy.

Regular Breakfast
The regular breakfast was a smaller version so the size of the plate was more suited.

My sister said, without prompting that she didn’t really enjoy her breakfast either, which is a shame.

Our criticism doesn’t seem to be universally shared as the place was extremely busy.

There were large groups of work men in reflective jackets sitting at long tables in the room next door and people were coming in and out for take away constantly.

There is a large covered area at the front which would be great on a summers day as well as the two dining areas.

Seating was comfortable if a little drafty, service was friendly and there wasn’t a long wait for food even though they were busy.

I think I would give this place another try particularly during the summer when I could sit outside.

However, I would go for some thing off the Specials Menu rather than a breakfast next time?

Helpful information

With the school holidays coming up this might be of interest?