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?
In search of a great Breakfast 