Nice day in York

Dug the car out from the icy driveway and made the effort to go to York today. If nothing else it would be a few hours away from the cold miserable house. I was half planning to go to the vintage fair which was on today but first on the agenda was a warming coffee at Spring Espresso.


Steve and Tracey who run Spring are entering the UK Barista championships and they very kindly did us a sample of their cappuccino blend for starters which was absolutely lovely. I also had a very nice Java pour over with a piece of Traceys white chocolate caramel shortbread.
As some folk may know, I'm quite into my coffee and Steve asked if I would like a go on their super dupa espresso machine. Well it would have been rude not to accept so with a bit of guidance from Steve, the crazy guy in the photo, I got stuck into the industrial size 3 group head espresso machine. 
I don't normally reveal myself as I hate having photos taken but you can't see me terribly well which is why I let this slip through the net.

Next I texturised the milk, their steam wand is very powerful.

Here is my result, it's kind of a cappuccino / flat white and not too bad an effort, tasted really good too.

It was fast approaching lunchtime and I was thinking less of the vintage fair and more about food so Tracey rustled up some delish sandwiches, they are experimenting with fillings at the moment and this was a type of cheese with some lovely fruity chutney and salad, as you can see my little friend approved!

Full of lovely food and coffee it was time to go, it had been such a nice few hours that I didn't fancy a frantic rush around the vintage fair so that can wait until next time.
If you're in Fossgate do look up Spring as they are open 7 days a week and it's a great place.

Bob the bunny's visit to the best coffee shops in York

What a lovely autumnal day it turned out to be. Just as well as Bob had planned a trip to York to sample some of the best coffee shops his owner knows.

This was no ordinary trip, this was purely a coffee trip, no shopping, just a peaceful potter around the streets with juice from the bean to keep us going.

First off was the newest coffee shop in York, Spring Espresso on Fossgate. So new, they haven't got the sign up yet but Bob had no trouble sniffing out the espresso!

Spring is run by the lovely Steve & Tracey who we had briefly met at The Attic before. This is Steve preparing a flat white.

And here is the delicious drink.

Not only do they prepare fantastic coffee, they have the most amazing tea and Piao-i tea infusers. This is some jasmine pearl tea infusing, ooh it was so fragrant, mmmm, like spring (pardon the pun) flower meadows.

The shop has some interesting handmade furniture from reclaimed Yorkshire timber, it was a fascinating start to the day.

Swiftly moving on, Bob and I headed towards the river, our destination Lendal Tower.

New to us, although pretty well established already is The Perky Peacock, run by its namesake owner, Nicola Peacock.

What a quirky little coffee shop, housed inside the tower. Bijou but beautifully formed, full to the brim with customers so we sat outside in the sun and sipped our delicious flat white and homemade ginger biscuits.

Nicola popped out to say hello but Bob had bounced off to admire the river at that point so he'll meet Nicola next time!

We were just starting to get that caffeine fueled buzz, but that wouldn't deter us from scuttling across town to our most frequented venue, yes you guessed it, The Attic above Harlequin.

The doors had more or less just opened but someone had beat us to being first up the stairs. no problem, still plenty of seating.

We were tempted by a sweet sounding Mexican espresso, we weren't disappointed, it was very palatable indeed. The water was divine too, it had turned quite warm so the cooling and caffeine diluting effect was much appreciated.

All this scurrying about had made Bob quite peckish so no trip to the Attic would be complete without a portion of our favourite snack, herb & garlic bread, excellent fodder for a young rabbit like Bob.

Our trip had drawn to a close, the money was all gone, we were high as kites on caffeine, The Attic was now very busy and it was time to go home for a rest. 

Bob enjoyed meeting all our coffee friends, old and new, sampling some wonderful, drinks, hospitality and service. York is certainly becoming a hot spot for good coffee.

Bye bye Bob.