Bus Pass. (Tea and Bunns Tea rooms, Taverham)

Tea and Bunns Tea rooms,

Taverham,

Opening times Mon-Sat 09:15-16:00,

Sun 10:30-15:30  

After all the bad weather it was good to be able to get back to some cafe cycle riding as today wasn't to be any old cafe cycle ride but a very special one because it was the day that regular cycling guest Barry qualified for his state pension, and other old people related benefits.

Barry has never been a fan of the cafe part of a cafe cycle ride and often refuses to take part in any cafe rating activity and rarely has cake. Therefore as a birthday treat I agreed we could do a two refreshment centre ride. The first stop would be a new cafe of my choice to add to the other 150+ I have visited so far. I would then allow Barry to take the guiding reins and lead us to a refreshments venue of his choosing. To make sure we had enough party guests we were joined on the ride by Helen (Mrs Barry) and their tandem plus Chris (Mrs Crusader).

When Barry and Helen and their Tandem turned up at Crusader Towers for the start of the ride Barry was already in a bad mood. Not only was he now officially old but he had wanted to try out his shiny new Bus pass to get to today's start point, whereas Helen and their Tandem (who are too young for free travel) insisted they cycle the 5 miles from their house to here instead.

So it was under dark clouds, both actual and metaphorical, as we set off on part one of the ride, out to Taverham.

Dark clouds hung over us as we set off on our ride

I had planned a short 14 mile leg after reading that old people should be careful not to wear themselves out, so we took it nice and slowly. 

Today's cafe was Tea and Bunns tea room that we found at the Taverham craft and country shopping complex round the back of Taverham garden centre.

Outside Tea and Bunns Tea room 

Although there was a small outside seating area it would have been reckless for me to have allowed us to sit outside on a cold day so we went straight into the warmth. At this time of day Tea and Bunns Tea room was mainly filled with a similar demographic to Barry so I thought he happy having a nice cup of tea and a good natter. 

First I checked out the cake selection, which had a good range plus, to avoid doubt, every item was clearly labelled as home-made. I awarded a good effective cake selection (ECS) mark.

Good cake selection clearly all home made

I opted for cherry and almond home made cake and Chris went for home made fruit scone. Despite the fact I had brought plenty of candles Barry, as usual, refused to have any cake. 

On the drinks front we noticed that there was no proper frothy coffee machine which led to today's cycling guest cycling top tip.

Cycling guest cycling top tip no. 45. If your cycle cafe stop doesn't have a proper frothy coffee machine it is best to stick to a basic coffee and not a fancy one.

Foolishly Barry, Helen and Chris had not followed cycling guest cycling top tip no. 45 and therefore only had themselves to blame when the mochas and cappuccino were not up to standard.

I on the other hand found my hot chocolate to be pretty good. I also enjoyed my cherry and almond home made cake, and Chris said her home made fruit scone was nice too.

Cakes and drinks pre reviewing

As usual Barry didn't take part in any cycle cafe reviewing as he was too busy comparing his bus pass photo with a group of elderly ladies at another table.

Barry's new Bus Pass

It was now time to head off to our second centre refreshment stop. Barry revealed the destination he had chosen was the Greenman Pub in Rackheath. He suggested it would be quickest if we went on the Bus but despite it being his Birthday we all insisted we stick with bikes.

As his refreshment centre choice was a pub and doesn't have a cake selection it will play no part in my cafe cycle review blog although we did have a very nice Birthday lunch.

From here we headed back to Barry and Helen and their Tandems house where Barry announced that the ride had ended. Barry then went straight inside to put the heating on up to full blast before heading off to the bus stop for a quick ride, just because he could.

Scores

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.50	4.00	7.00	7.00	6.00	6.10

Route

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