Coffee break

As I am still feeding my baby, I need to keep my energy levels up. This means as I go out and about, I have to make regular pit stops for coffee (or tea) and a nibble of cake. Now, if that sounds like a great big excuse to eat cake and drink coffee, then you would be fairly close to the mark. But, it has made me take notice of the different places I can get a quick snackette.

I thought I would share a few of my recent experiences and recommendations on this blog. These are just a few from Leicester city centre.

Carluccios, Highcross, Leicester
Carluccios offers one of the best cups of coffee around. You can have either a rich or smooth blend. I have the rich latte. It tastes great and comes in a glass cup. It may sound strange, but it adds to the experience, like tea drunk out of a china cup. There are always a selection of cakes on offer and they are displayed by the entrance so you can really check what you are getting. As a chocolate cake lover, I am surprised that I tend to go for their fruit tarts. They have crisp pastry, lots of filling and a the fruit really tastes of fruit.
The only problem is that it is popular and you usually have to queue at peak times. They are good with children and babies. Little ones get breadsticks and a colouring pack when they arrive and have their own menu. There are baby changing facilities too.
This isn't the actual tart we shared. We ate it so quickly that we had to take a picture of one on the display. This is a recurring problem.

The Almanack, Bathhouse Lane, Leicester
The Almanack describes itself as a modern gastropub. As well as going for lunch or dinner, you can go for a coffee during the day or a drink at night. I have been with my parents, with friends, for Christmas parties, with babies and with eight year olds. My son is a big fan of their ham, egg and chips. Their deli boards offer a bit of everything and their roasts are pretty good too. The staff are very helpful, but the young men behind the bar have been a little surly in the past. Their coffee is nicely presented but is fairly milky. The sugar, quirkily, comes in golden syrup tins. You get smarties too!

Eat, Highcross, Leicester
Eat offers no nonsense sandwiches and coffee. My family all love their cheese and ham baguettes. I can only manage half (probably because of all the cake I have eaten elsewhere), but for daddies and big boys who have been playing football, it's just right. The lattes are big and of medium strength.
There aren't any specific facilities for children and you need to use the Shopping Centres toilets and baby changing facilities. Despite that, it is where you will find us having lunch on Saturdays.

I will now make it my mission to explore what is on offer further afield. I am going to head much further out to begin with. To Norfolk.....