Mr Positive. (Groveland Cafe, Roughton)

Groveland Cafe,

Roughton,

Opening times Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun10-4

After a couple of weeks off the bike it was good to get out again. Unfortunately I had picked the coldest day the week for the ride so had put on several layers as I set off to Hard to Please House to meet up with yesterday's cycling guest, Andrew (who is notoriously hard to please).

It was the first time I had seen Andrew this year and I was greeted with the news that his New Year's resolution was to be more positive and look for the upside, apparently his notoriously hard to please days were behind him. 

I had asked him to prepare a 30 mile loop taking in the the Groveland farm shop and cafe at Roughton which he had willing done. Full off positive vibes we set off and caught up on recent news but only the upbeat stuff. However the further we went the colder it got and we lost connection with our extremities. Andrew tried to stay positive as he complained that he couldn't feel his fingers before remembering to add how nice it was to be out on the bikes again in these lovely crisp conditions.

We arrived at Roughton and easily found the cafe and Farm Shop as there were a number of giant signs directing us there. 

Outside Groveland Cafe in the outdoor seating area

Inside it was a bit dark and we were the only customers so it wasn't a surprise to see a rather small cake selection with the only cake on offer being a Victoria sponge. This led to a rather low effective cake selection (ECS) score. Andrew opted for the millionaire shortbread with his capuchino claiming there is nothing he liked more than a chocolate caramel based biscuit with his coffee.

The cake selection which included Andrew's 'favourite' type of biscuit

We chose to sit  in the conservatory indoor seating area as it was near a radiator and Andrew could demonstrate today's Cycling guest cycling top tip.

Cycling guest cycling top tip No 66. To regain feeling in your fingers when on a cold ride try placing your gloves on the cafe radiator to create an electric blanket effect for your hands when you put the gloves back on.

Cycling guest cycling top tip No 66

Now we were warm it was time to try our refreshments. Sadly my hot chocolate tasted like a Cadburys one which never scores well and by now Andrew's new found positivity had started to wear off as he returned to his notoriously hard to please ways when telling me about his coffee before remembering his resolution and added it was well presented. The Victoria sponge was a nice piece of cake and attracted a decent cake taste quality (CTQ) mark.

Todays cakes and drinks

With warm gloves we returned to the bikes to complete the loop which was 31 miles and well with in the 10% route distance tolerance so surprisingly Andrew had delivered on that part of the brief for once. Although Andrew had avoided any full blown rants I could begin to see the cracks in his new positive attitude and am now looking forward to seeing how this progresses. I have therefore started to log his positivity coefficient (pc) for each ride so I can plot a graph. Today his pc was a high 8.84.

Scores

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
4.75	4.5	4.95	7	5.5	5.34

Route

Click here to download 31 mile Aylsham Roughton loop GPX file to your GPS