Lets find a Cafe (or tearoom)

Lets find a Cafe (or tearoom)

Locations of reviewed cafes

For more information on the Cafes I have visited and the latest cafe cycle news go to http://www.cake-crusader.co.uk/

Cake Crusader Book

There is now a Cake Crusader book available where you can follow my journey from humble local trips to world record attempts and near-death experiences. How did a simple method of keeping track of decent cycling café pit stops turn my life upside down? Track my adventures into Europe, up mountains and right across Great Britain as I become a 'rising star' on social media. Will I prove my critics wrong? Should cheese scones be served hot or cold? Do I really have nothing better to do with his time? A must read for lovers of cycling and cake or anyone wanting to make it big in the virtual world

Available on Amazon


Showing posts with label 32 mile Norwich - Loddon loop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 32 mile Norwich - Loddon loop. Show all posts

Friday, 17 September 2021

Damn Knees (Terrace, Loddon)

The Terrace,
Loddon,
Tue-Sat 8.30-4.00, Sun 9.30-3.30
 Highly Recommended

This may look like an ordinary knee to you but apparently it has got a degenerative meniscal tear and a patella problem. This means that this knee can’t do running and only possibly gentle cycling until it’s fixed. Sadly it’s my knee so I’m having to take it easy at the moment which is not my specialist subject. However I have been told that gentle cycling might be ok so when yesterday I got an offer of joining a ride down to Loddon I decided it was a good time to test things out and it would also be a chance to check out the Terrace cafe too, as I have been meaning to for sometime. 

My right knee

Regular Cake Crusader Cycling guest Mike had invited me to join him, and friend Roberta, for an afternoon pedal. He, coincidentally, had a bionic knee put in a few years ago so knows all about dodgy mid leg joints. He is also a qualified British cycle level 1 ride leader and has a hi viz jacket to prove it. So he was clearly in charge.

After a cold morning we certainly had the best of the day as it was a warm late summer afternoon. I was taking it very cautiously knee wise so the other two were often up the road but at least I was still going.

My fellow cyclists were often someway ahead

We soon arrived at the Terrace in Loddon which has a nice location overlooking the high street. Mike had been here before and, despite knee issues, made as carry our bikes up the steps to the terrace area. 

Up the steps with bike onto the terrace

After we had humped our bikes up a very nice chap told us they had a ramp at the other end of the terrace which led to a lovely garden area and that normally cyclists took their bikes that way. I blamed our tour leader.

The garden outdoor seating area which most cyclists use

As we had gone to all the effort of clambering up the steps we decided to stay put. Both the terrace and garden outdoor seating areas were excellent so I awarded a high atmosphere and ambiance mark.

Delightful terrace area

Next it was inside to check out a nice little cake selection which although not large covered most bases. 

Cake selection 

It was now, when ordering, I made a terrible blunder. As I haven't been able to do many reviews recently I completely forgot to order a hot chocolate and went for tea and scone instead. Later on I did investigate what type of hot chocolate I would have had and was told a nice Italian one. As I recognised it I knew what score it normally gets. So I gave it that mark and promised to come back and have an actual one soon. (I returned a coiuple of weeks later and can confirm it was an excellent Italian style Hot Chocolate which attracted a very high mark).

Mike went for a flat white and coffee and walnut cake. While Roberta had a cold drink and no cake which was no help at all. I decided to have some brownie as well as a scone to make up for  her lack of cake action.

Our refreshments soon arrived. Mike thought his flat white was only ok but we both agreed the cakes we excellent with the brownie being deceptively good. Regular readers may remember that Mike is my go to coffee and walnut cake expert. His feedback was overwhelming positive but would have liked some butter cream in the middle as well as on the top of the cake.

Today’s drinks and cakes. But where is the hot chocolate 

Overall the Terrace at Loddon was an excellent stop and I plan to come back soon to have a hot chocolate and make use of the ramp facility. I would highly recommend a visit.

Mike proposed return route would mean going back on the same road we had come on for some of it so I offered an alternative as I do like a proper circular ride. So tour leader duties were passed across, although sadly not the tour leader hi viz jacket. 

With knee starting to tire we made it safely back and hopefully it won’t be too long before the knee fancies another go.

Scores based on 2 visits

Hot Choc Quality
Guest Hot Drink Quality
Effective Cake Selection
Cake Quality
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Café Rating
8.3
6
6.7
7.9
7.89
7.36

Route

Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS

Friday, 4 January 2019

Debt. (Ber Street Kitchen, Norwich)

The Ber Street Kitchen,
Norwich,
Mon-Sat 8:00-6:00, Sun 9:00-3:00
Highly Recommended
Since the exciting end to 2018, of the Brownie of the Year (#BOTY) ride, I have had a break from the world of cafe cycle riding. However as we now enter a new year it is time to dust off the bike and get back on my mission; to finding the best cafes and tea rooms to visit on your cycle ride.

Being the first ride of the year it was time to announce what my thing of the year would be. So this morning I took to my twitter feed to announce that I would be searching for the best fruit scone (#FSOTY pronounced fsoty) on this years rides. As most outlets offer a fruit scone option I hope to be able to check out a lot more than the 50 brownies I managed last year. 

I was pleased that Big George would be today's cycling guest. For anyone who read the exciting BOTY post they would know that Big George fell off and broke his bike. I had helped repair it but needed to use my spare chain as his had bent and was now useless. He therefore owed me nearly £30 for a new one and promised to pay up on our next trip (ie today).

The plan for our ride was to do a 30 mile loop, involving Loddon, before returning to Norwich to test out the Ber Street Kitchen of which I had heard good things. When Big George arrived I casually mentioned the £30 debt and he assured me he had come ready with reimbursement. I assured him that there was no hurry to repay me (which was a lie) as I did again on the other 10 occasions I mentioned it during the ride.

It was very very very cold today but Santa had done us both proud on the cycle clothing front so we were as warm as current technology could make us although by the time we got back to Norwich we were no longer in contact with our extremities.

As we were cafeing in a big town I had brought along my super strong gold rated belt lock which I had worn throughout the ride. There was a cycle rack thing outside the Ber Street Kitchen which meant we could keep an eye on the bikes anyway meaning I needn't have bother lugging an extra 3kg round with me.
In the continental style outdoor pavement seating area at the Ber Street Kitchen
Even in these Siberian conditions the Ber Street cafe had set up their continental style outdoor pavement seating area although surprisingly it was free from any patrons today and we were certainly not going to use it.

Inside I checked out the cake selection which had some excellent looking sponge cakes so I awarded a good effective cake selection (ECS) rating despite there being an absence of fruit scones.
A good looking cake selection
There was hipster feel to interior which was right up Big Georges atmosphere and ambiance (AAA) street so got high marks in this category too.

With my hot chocolate I had chocolate cake while Big George went for a fancy named cheese sandwich thing (which is not cake) with his americano.

Big George thought his coffee was excellent and awarded a high guest hot drink quality (GHDQ) mark. My hot chocolate was one of the best I can remember and got a massive 9 out of 10. The chocolate cake was nice but not exceptional enough for top cake marks.
Today's cakes and drinks
The Ber Street Kitchen had scored really well just missing out on a place in my coveted top 10 by 0.06 of a mark. I will be surprised if I visit many better cafes or tea rooms this year so I highly recommend a visit.

It was now time for the main business of the day when Big George would release himself from his debt. As I waited Big George started to check his pockets with increasing urgency before announcing that he couldn't find where he had put the money and now suspected that he he had forgotten to pick it up when he left home. I told him it didn't matter (it did) and urgently arranged another ride with him so he could cough up.

Not long after returning to Crusader Towers I got a text saying that he had found his money in his jacket sleeve when he took his coat off (sure he did) but it will be a full body search if he tries to pull this trick off next time.

Scores

Hot Choc Quality
Guest Hot Drink Quality
Effective Cake Selection
Cake Quality
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Café Rating
9
8.5
7.7
7
8
8.04

Route
Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

Am I still creaking? (Teles Patisserie, Surlingham)

Teles Patisserie,
Surlingham,
Tue-Sun 9:00-5:00,
Highly Recommended
At the end of my last post I left things on a real cliffhanger. I thought I had found the source of my annoying creaking noise in the rear wheel skewer of my bike but it was yet to be tested. So was it fixed? Had my greasing and spring replacement strategy done the job?

As I set off on today's cafe cycle ride to Surlingham it soon became apparent that my diagnosis had been wrong as within a few minutes the creak was back. I stopped several times on the route to make further adjustments but to no avail. By the time we got to Teles patisserie, next to the Surlingham farm shop, I was more than a little frustrated and had a headache from the din.
Outside Teles Patisserie in the outdoor seating area overlooking the farmyard
I don't believe there can be many Portuguese patisseries at the end of a track by a farm shop but that is where I found this one. There was a nice outdoor seating area but being November we went inside.
Indoor seating area
The cake selection was definitely more patisserie than tearoom but it was nice to see something different. Today's cycling guest, Mrs Crusader, went for a fruit tart with her americano while I picked the traditional Portuguese tart. I also had a Pao de Deus or bread of God (looked like a Portuguese scone) with cheese for my lunch while Mrs Crusader had a cheese and ham croissant.
Great selection of pastries and tarts
I noticed the 7 tables used a Portuguese municipality table identification system (PMTIS) and were at Sesimbra. However on further investigation only 5 of the 7 tables had been named. As everyone knows there are 308 municipalities in Portugal so hopefully the other two tables can easily be named and the PMTIS can be put into full operation with scope for another 301 tables in the future. Despite this we both liked the set up and awarded a high atmosphere and ambiance (AAA) score.
Our table name
When our food and drink arrived my Pao de Deus had only gone and been served on it's serviette (aghhhh!!!). I decided to forgive this as strictly speaking a Pao de Deus is not cake and it tasted fantastic. 
My Pao de Deus served on its serviette
Mrs Crusader thought her fruit tart was the best one she had ever had and my Portuguese tart was fabulous. Mrs Crusader was also impressed with her coffee but I felt my hot chocolate was only average and not up to the high standard of the rest of our refreshments.
Todays drinks and cakes
Teles Patisserie was a great find and I highly recommend a visit. It is probably the best Portuguese patisserie in the Surlingham area.

I spent the way back in silence (unlike my bike) as I planned a series of approaches to try and eradicate the bike creak, most of which seemed to involve a hammer.

Scores

Hot Choc Quality
Guest Hot Drink Quality
Effective Cake Selection
Cake Quality
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Café Rating
6.8
8
6.65
8.5
8.0
7.59
Route

Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS

Thursday, 30 March 2017

Sausage roll of the year update. (#SROTY)

SROTY update
As we reach the quarter point of the year I decided to focus today's cafe cycle ride on Sausage Roll of the year (SROTY) and give an update on where things stand including my current 10 finalists. For the ride I returned to two previously reviewed cafes which people had recommended to me as places where I could expect to find excellent sausage rolls.

I was joined by cycling guests Mrs Crusader, Barry and Helen and their new tandem. Barry is a well renowned sausage roll expert so I was pleased to have him on board.

We set off on a 32 mile loop via Loddon and headed for the Gardeners Kitchen at Green Pastures garden Centre in Burgh Apton (see Puncture repairs for previous review). It came 22 miles into the route which caused my guests to repeatedly ask "are we were nearly there yet" once we had past half way mark.

On arrival, despite a strong wind, Barry and Helen insisted we sit in the outdoor seating patio area which had to be opened by the friendly staff especially for us. 
Waiting for Sausage rolls in a windy outdoor seating patio area
The sausage rolls looked excellent and were delivered to us nicely warmed. In fact they were so tempting that we had eaten them all before I remembered to take a photo. I'm sure you can imagine what a very big sausage roll looks like as I have published enough photos of them recently, including one later in this post.

It scored very highly with the only debate being around the flakiness of the pastry. I like it very flakey so gave a high pastry rating but Barry was not happy that his pastry crumbs kept blowing of his plate. I didn't deduct any marks as it was him who wanted us to sit out in a gale in the first place.

The SROTY score easily put it into my current list of finalist, although it's still early days so who knows if it will still be there by the end of the year.

From Burgh Apton it was only a short ride to collect some more sausage rolls from Little Pigs cafe (see Spooky for previous review) in greater Poringland. 
Collecting sausage rolls from the Little pigs
I took these ones home to test with Mrs Crusader as an afternoon snack. Again the recommendation I had been given proved to be a good one as they also went into my current top ten.
Little Pigs sausage rolls about to be warmed
I have included a quick reminder of the rules for SROTY through this informative set of frequently asked questions.

Q. What is the scoring criteria for a sausage roll?
A. I shall be using the internationally recognised sausage roll rating system which rates meat, pastry, roll aesthetics and overall taste. The first 3 categories are out of 10 with overall taste being out of 20 to give a total mark out of 50. If my cycling guests have a sausage roll too then I tell them that I take the average score between all of us (although in reality I just ignore them).

Q. Surely a sausage roll isn't cake so why has it been selected for 2017 thing of the year?
A. Although sausage rolls will never be part of any self respecting cafe cake quality rating system I have noticed that many of my cycling guests prefer them to cake so as an equal opportunity blog I felt I needed to recognise this as part of my diversity programme. Although I will still insist on having a cake, scone or traybake at every cafe review I undertake.   

Q. Do vegetarian sausage rolls count?
A. Although several of my cycling guest are vegetarian and the Cake Crusader is an equal opportunity blog, with a diversity programme, there is a limit. So no.

Q. How does a sausage roll qualify for the competition? Can it only be from a cafe you are reviewing that day?
A. No. Any sausage roll bought from a cafe or tearoom will qualify but I must cycle there to pick it up. I don't have to stop for a cake or hot drink if I have previously reviewed the establishment. I plan to do some rides to take in several cafes to pick up a clutch of highly recommended sausage rolls. I will be testing some live at the cafes and some back in my secret underground bicycle workshop at Crusader Towers.

Q. Do all sausage rolls need to be eaten warm?
A. No although I will always go for warmed if offered and may warm them up if I take them back for testing, it is not compulsory.

Q. Are accompaniments such as pickle, chutney or mustard taken into account in the scoring.
A.No

Q. How will the winning sausage roll be decided?

A. Over the year the sausage roll's score will be added to my Sausage Roll of the Year mobile spreadsheet. Then in December 2017 I will revisit the cafes (by bike of course) that provided the best 10 sausage rolls and purchase some more. I will then hold two semi finals before the final sausage roll off to decide the winner.

Q. Is it the maker of the sausage roll or the cafe that sold it who will win the prize?
A. I am only interested in cafes so if you want to start awarding manufacturers prizes I suggest you start your own butchers based blog.

Q. What is the prize?
A. The winner will receive one of my coveted home made cake crusaders winner certificates which they can put on display (or in the bin) forever. 

So far this year I have had checked out 20 Sausage rolls for SROTY but I hope to get through about 100 before holding the Sausage roll off finals. The current leading ten cafes (in no particular order) are:

1. Little Pigs, Poringland
2. Gardeners Kitchen, Burgh Apton
3. Goodies, Pulham Market
4. Cley visitors centre, Cley
5. Itteringham community shop and cafe, Itteringham
6. Wymondham Garden centre, Wymondham
7. Byfords, Holt
8. Horatio's, Holt
9. East Hills Cafe, Brundall
10. Rocket Cafe, Cromer

I will give my next update mid year.

Todays route


Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS

Friday, 27 January 2017

The mystery of the disappearing overshoe (In-a-spin, Loddon)

In-a-Spin,
Loddon,
Opening times Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00,
Sat 09:00-17:00, Sun 09:00-14:00
Highly Recommended 
Recently Mrs Crusader decided it was about time she had a new bike as her current one was dirty and no longer matched her favourite cycling outfit. It was hard to argue against her rationale so I was tasked with getting her a suitable replacement that matched her criteria (clean and blue).

I had been very happy with my last new bike purchase which I had got from In-a spin near Loddon so we set off their to see if they could satisfy her demanding spec. Not only did they have just the right bike but I discovered they were now doing hot drinks and cake as well. I promised I would return on another day for a cafe cycle ride to do a proper review.

Well, today was that day and I was joined by cycling guest Big George for the trip. Once again it was a cold one, so we layered up before we set off. We hadn't gone far before Big George started to have cleat problems as his shoe kept slipping out of his pedal. I was keen to bring Big George up to speed with details from the recent Marathon that I ran in Gran Canaria and the pedal issues were distracting him from my story. At first I suspected he may have been making up the problem but when he insisted on stopping and removing both his overshoe and shoe, in this weather, I knew it was for real. 

After much huffing, puffing and fiddling we were good to go again and I could at last continue my mile by mile update (restarting from mile 7). I felt I now had his full attention until I got to the bit about the excellent water bottle snatch I performed at the half way drinks station as he suddenly announced that one of his feet was now much colder than the other. On closer inspection it appeared that this was because one foot no longer had an overshoe to help keep the heat in. Despite his claims that he clearly remembered putting it back on the evidence suggested that he must have left it while fiddling with his shoes earlier.

With mismatching feet, temperature wise, we continued to In-a-spin and got there just as I completed telling him about the final mile of my race.
At In-a Spin with equally warm feet
Once inside I immediately headed for the cakes and was impressed by both the number and quality of those on offer so awarded a high effective cake selection (ECS) mark. I went for coffee and walnut cake with my hot chocolate and Big George had an Americano and fruit scone (with raspberry jam).
Excellent cake selection
We sat down in the window seating area and awaited our refreshments. Owner Simon clearly felt obliged to ask how the marathon had gone as I may have mentioned that I was doing it (several times) during the recent bike purchasing activity. Big George went pale at the thought of hearing about it again so immediately suggested he gave a summary while I went to look at the bikes on display.

On my return the cakes and drinks had arrived, the coffee and walnut cake had expertly been placed the correct distance from my serviette, almost as if to make a point. I was lapping up the cycling chat whilst enjoying the bike based atmosphere and ambiance so completely forgot to take the obligatory drinks and cake photograph. It wasn't until I had finished my cake and drink that I noticed my gaff so this was all that was left when I eventually got round to taking a picture.
What was left of cakes and drinks when I finally remembered to take a photo

The drinks were very good with my hot chocolate being a proper Italian one. The coffee and walnut cake was a triumph, just a shame there's no photo. I thoroughly enjoyed my stop at In-a-Spin and would highly recommend a visit especially if you like bicycles or want to see what the cake actually looks like.

It was an uneventful ride back but once I got home I received a text from Big George saying that he had found his missing overshoe which led to today's cycling guest cycling top tip.

Cycling guest cycling top tip no 59. If you have to remove your overshoe during a ride and want to keep both feet equally warm then remember to replace it on the shoe without an overshoe and not on top of the foot that already has one.

Note I returned with a large group of cycling guests in spring 2017 who thought the cake was some of the best they had had thus pushing up the scores further

Scores based on 2 visits
Hot Choc Quality
Guest Hot Drink Quality
Effective Cake Selection
Cake Quality
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Café Rating
7.0
7.5
7.5
8.25
8.5
7.75
Route
Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS

Monday, 22 August 2016

Puncture repairs. (Gardeners Kitchen, Burgh Apton)

Gardeners Kitchen,
Bergh Apton,
Opening times Mon- Sat 9:30-4:30, Sun 10:00-4:00
Highly Recommended 
I have cycled to the Gardeners Kitchen at Bergh Apton twice. Once in October 2015 and again in August 2016. As seems to often happen the one criticism I had on my first visit (no where to safely leave bikes) proved to be totally wrong on the second visit. I have therefore updated the original post below with combined findings from both trips.


October 2015: I'm not having much luck with my cycling guests at the moment. First I was meant to ride to Sheringham with Andrew (who is notoriously hard to please) but he had fallen off his bike the day before and so was too stiff for a ride (bless). I have rearranged for next week when he will have loosened up and fitted stabilisers on to his bike.

Then yesterday I was meant to be going on a long 65 miler with Big George but just before he was due to turn up I got a text saying Mrs Big George had hurt her back and was taking the day off work expecting Big George to look after her. He had explained to her that he was meant to be on an all day ride with me. She did say that if he went she would be fine, but he wasn't going to fall for that as like all experienced husbands he knows that 'fine' doesn't mean 'off you go, and have a lovely time' but that it is actually a test and it isn't fine at all.

So as a compromise Big George asked me if we could go on a short morning ride so he could do the nursing bit for most of the day whilst not letting me down, in a display of good husband solidarity I obviously agreed.

I was aware of a newish cafe at the Green Pastures garden centre Burgh Apton which we could take in on a 30 mile loop down to Loddon. To make sure he wasn't away too long we went at our fastest pace and were well ahead of schedule as we approached our stop.

At this point disaster struck as we both heard a loud pop and hiss to find Big George had a rare front wheel puncture.

As Big George started his repairs I though I would take the opportunity to publish a Big George puncture repair master class (BGPRMC). 

BGPRMC Step 1. Take the wheel off. For some reason Big George spent sometime stroking his tyre before he actually took it off saying he was looking for the cause of the puncture. This is a waste of time at this point in the puncture repair process but seemed to get him in the right frame of mind for the task ahead.

BGPRMC Step 2.  Once wheel is removed take just one side of the tyre off the wheel using tyre leavers and remove the inner tube. For some reason Big George decided to stroke his tyre again before eventually getting on with tyre removal. Fortunately I had brought a short novel with me and settled down to read it.

BGPRMC Step 3. Check inside tyre for flints and thorns that are still in tyre and then put in a new inner tube. Despite much searching and more tyre stroking Big George never did find the guilty object. I had finished my book by now but luckily had brought an easel and water colours so decided to paint the landscape.

BGPRMC Step 4.  Push tyre back into rim. Getting the last bit of tube in can be quite tricky but as a rule the more expensive the tyre the easier it pops back in. These were clearly very cheap tyres. My art work was complete but fortunately I had brought with me a note pad and pen so while Big George struggled with his tyre I started writing my memoirs.

BGPRMC Step 5. Put the wheel back on and pump up the tyre. Unfortunately Big George has an overly complicated pump and it took a few minutes to get it out of crossbar mode to pump mode, but once set up he quickly filled the tyre with air. I spent the time starting to write this years Christmas cards.

Hopefully Big George's puncture repair master class was useful to you but I hadn't realised just how useful it would be for me later in the ride.

With repairs complete it wasn't long before we arrived at the Gardeners Kitchen at the Green Pastures garden centre and farm shop.

On arrival we couldn't find anything to lock our bikes to so locked them together at the front entrance and went inside. However on the August 2016 ride I had warned my cycling guests of the potential security issue only to find that on arrival the nice people at the front entrance said to bring our bikes through the shop and escorted us to the outdoor seating area where we could safely leave them. So thumbs up to the gardeners kitchen and thumbs down for my previous remarks.
Outside entrance to Gardeners Kitchen
With or without bikes you have to go through the garden shop to find the large Gardeners kitchen restaurant. Here we found an exceptional cake selection which covered all the basic cakes and scones plus some unusual things like snickers cheese cake. I awarded a very high effective cake selection (ECS) rating. (The range was equally as good on my second visit).
Just some of the excellent cake selection
I went for a chocolate cake (on both occasions) and cheese scone (as part of my cheese scone serving temperature research, served cold) but the choice was too much for Big George who couldn't cope with the large selection so ordered a fried egg sandwich instead.
Big George's posh fried egg sandwich which clearly isn't cake
The outside seating area looked a bit too cold in October and too windy in August so we opted to sit inside in the large indoor area. It was nice but lacked a bit of tearoom character and charm. My 2016 cycling guest thought this comment was harsh, especially after the excellent customer service with the bikes, and made me up the atmosphere and ambiance mark.
Indoor seating area
My hot chocolate was a good one being nice and strong and not too sweet, Big George found his filter coffee a little too weak for his tastes. (In August 2016 we cycling guest all rated their coffees more highly upping the guest hot drink quality (GHDQ) score). The portion size of the scone and chocolate cake were certainly on the large side which got my approval although size is not always a good indicator of cake taste quality. However on this occasion I thought the chocolate cake was very nice retaining enough moistness and having a good chocolate flavour plus the added benefit of a lump of cadburys flake on top.
Cakes and drinks
Cakes and drinks from August 2016 looking remarkably like the October 2015 ones
As I had 3 cycling guests in 2016, including coffee and walnut cake expert Mick, I was able to have a wider range of cakes tried and they all scored well. Chris (Mrs Crusader) and Ali both went for coffee and Walnut Cake, Mick was obviously a little put out and had Almond slice instead. However he insisted in trying their cakes and passing on his expert opinion, which was that the cake was good, so I then didn't need to know what the others thought rendering their input useless.

Overall the Gardeners Kitchen was a good stop that scored well especially on the cake front. Now I know that I know you can safely leave your bikes their I would certainly highly recommend a visit.

Back in 2915 we set off on the short ride back and despite the earlier puncture drama Big George was confident he would not be in too much trouble for being out for too long instead of on nursing duty. This was until I too got a puncture, my first for ages*. Fortunately I had been paying attention to Big Georges puncture repair master class and got it mended in no time at all enabling him to get back for brow mopping on time. 
Mend puncture after seeing BGPRMC
Hopefully next week I will have more luck with my cycling guests and get a full ride in. (Which I did).

*Records show this was the first time both me and a cycling guest had had a puncture on the same ride since 26th February2015

Scores based on three visits
Hot Choc Quality
Guest Hot Drink Quality
Effective Cake Selection
Cake Quality
Ambiance and Atmosphere
Café Rating
7.25
6..17
9.00
7.42
6.75
7.32
Route
Click here to download Loddon - Norwich loop GPX file to load on to your GPS