Out & About July 2017

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have a bite...
We all know about the ‘make this year the year you run a marathon’ articles. Relax! A much gentler start to
2017 could be resolving to start supporting more independent businesses. And when those businesses are
foodie places, well here’s one resolution that’s guaranteed to last well past February. Hilary Scott looks at
some independent cafés that all offer something unique – they are not bland chains but vibrant places you’ll
come back to time after time, even well into 2018.
The Tea Cosy
Hurstbourne Tarrant
T: (01264) 736644
If gigantic – and we mean gargantuan – cakes are your thing, then
The Tea Cosy tearoom in Hurstbourne Tarrant can satisfy your
appetite.
Especially when the cakes come in flavours like chocolate orange,
Ferrero Rocher and Walnut Whip.
Owner Jenni Danks explains Big Friday Cakes obviously happen
on a Friday, and customers make a beeline for the pretty tea rooms,
bedecked with bunting, colourful furniture and squashy sofas.
Said Jenni: “I started the Tea Cosy because I had young children and
wanted a meeting place in the village.
“At the time there was no pub and I wanted a welcoming place.”
The Tea Cosy opened its doors in May 2014 – and immediately
the customers poured in.
The menu is light lunches and afternoon teas. Open Wednesday
to Sunday, 9.30am-5pm, you won’t see chicken nuggets on the
children’s menu, but healthier dishes like boiled eggs and soldiers.
Adults can indulge in this childhood favourite as well as choosing
from a range of sandwiches on good bread, paninis (most popular
– brie and bacon), cheese on toast, salads and soup.
Said Jenni:” We do loose leaf teas, teacakes, scones and more and
afternoon teas which vary in price from £12-£15 a head depending
on the size of the party.
“What we like at The Tea Cosy is we have a lot of generations coming
in, from grandparents to mums and dads with their children.
“And even if you don’t come
on a Friday for Big Friday
Cakes we’ve always around 11
varieties of cakes – made by
a lady in Andover – to choose
from.”
Cosy comforts: Bookings
taken, crafts on sale, free
wi-fi, USB and charge points.
Eliane
High Street, The Courtyard, Hungerford RG17 0NF
T: 01488 686 100
‘A happy place to meet and eat’ is Eliane’s strapline – and with its
sunny décor, healthy food and relaxed atmosphere it can’t fail to
bring a smile to your face.
The brainchild of Rafia Willmot and Mark Kimchi, the doors opened
in 2014. Following Rafia’s husband John’s battle with cancer in 2010,
Rafia set about to understand and alter the dietary eating habits of
her entire family. Having met and consulted with Mark – a researcher
into corrective diet for diseases – she and John radically changed the
way that John ate, and he finally came through and now, thankfully,
has a clean bill of health.
So, said Rafia: “We are organic wherever possible and as much as
possible. We specialise in allergen-sensitive fare, so that we can offer
something for everyone. And because we are a health-conscious
café/restaurant, you can be sure your lunch dish, cake, quiche, tart,
cookie or croissant, baguette, brioche, flapjack or figgy pudding will
be lower in cholesterol too.”
All the food is homemade on site and Eliane is a 100 per cent
non-Genetically Modified zone too, preferring to use local suppliers.
Expect colourful and pretty as well as tasty food – a zingy spring
salad with green beans and jicama for example, or Persian rice with
herbs and roasted vegetables.
You will find meat and fish dishes, but at Eliane
they prefer to use a wide variation of organic
vegetables and legumes (red kidney beans,
lentils, chickpeas, soya beans, adzuki beans,
cannellini beans). And instead of refined sugar in
the cakes and sweet eats, organic coconut, palm
sugar, dates, agave syrup, raw coconut nectar
and stevia, is substituted.
Rafia has now written a cookbook, Food to Make
the Soul Smile, which is available at Eliane and
other outlets.
Eliane enjoyment: Happy staff, open seven
days a week, private catering available.