American History. (Lincoln's Tea and Coffee Shoppe)

Lincoln’s,

Hingham,

Opening times Tue-Sun 

Big George, today's cycling guest, was already 15 minutes late for the start of our ride when I got his text telling me he would be late as he had a puncture to mend. I thought this a little ironic as the cycling guest top cycling tip he had offered up last time we went out was to put on thicker winter tyres to avoid punctures at this time of year, which he had done. I was now looking forward to what useless tip he would be offering in today's cycling guest cycling top tip feature later in the post.

When he eventually arrived we set off for a ride out to Lincoln's Tea and Coffee Shoppe In Hingham. For History buffs I had done some pre ride research and apparently Abraham Lincoln, the famous American President, had ancestors who emigrated from Hingham to America in 1637. If they hadn't Abraham Lincoln would probably have become our British Prime Minister or King instead of their American President, and Hingham would be our capital city, makes you think. Sadly there is no evidence that Abraham Lincoln ever visited the Tea and Coffee Shoppe named after his family. Probably because it wasn't opened until 130 ish years after he was shot.

President Abraham Lincoln who despite the Family connections
has never been to Hingham and is unlikely ever to visit as he is now dead. 

On the way out I asked Big George for his useless cycling tip suggestion for the new feature so here it is.
Guest cyclist top cycling tip No 4. In summer, to make yourself visible when signalling to other road users, wear fluorescent yellow or orange cycling mitts. 

This seemed a very good idea although it transpired that Big George only purchased his hi-viz mits as they were on special offer and not for health and safety reasons.

Despite not wearing his safety mitts today (as it was not summer and therefore too cold), we still managed to arrive at our destination in one piece.

Outside Lincoln's Tea and Coffee Shoppe in the outdoor seating area

Lincoln's have cleverly called themselves a Tea and Coffee Shoppe (no its not a typo) to give it an olde worlde feel. This is just the sort of thing Big George hates so we were not off to a promising start. Outside there is an outside seating area overlooking the green and inside are some comfy chairs by the door or a more formal dining area. Big George refused to go into the dining area as it looked too twee for him so we sat by the door.

The cakes were behind the themed Victorian style internal window so were a bit hard to see (or photograph). There were some nice large scones (cheese and fruit), one slice of ginger cake or red velvet cake. Not a big choice so not a big effective cake selection (ECS) rating. Although I did still struggle to choose between cake and scone but in the end went cake while Big George went cheese scone.

Difficult to photograph cake selection

I think we discussed the finer points of 19th Century American History and its impact on the development of Western civilisation, or possibly football, until our cakes and drinks arrived. The best thing was the warmed cheese scone which was very large and tasty. The red velvet cake was pretty good as well but was a little icing rich. My hot chocolate and Big George's filter coffee were fairly standard but decent drinks.

Cakes and drinks on table by the door

Overall Lincoln's Tea and Coffee Shoppe proved to be a good solid cycle stop if not of a style that Big George particularly approved of. 

The way back was uneventful as we kept racing each other whilst pretending we weren't so I was rather tired when I got home and ready for my afternoon nap. 

Ratings based on two visits to Lincoln Tea and Coffee Shop

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.0	6.0	5.25	6.75	6.0	6.00

Route

Click link to down load 34 Mile Norwich Hingham loop gpx file for your GPS

Cake Tuesday. (Frog on the Pond Coffee Shop, Poringland)

Note Frog on the Pond Coffee Shop has closed and been replaced by the community cafe at the same location.


After Black Friday and Cyber Monday I decided to make today Cake Tuesday. Despite telling all my twitter followers and Facebook friends I was unable to get Cake Tuesday to go viral and get it recognised as a national occasion. However this was not going to stop me celebrating it and I may have more luck next year.

Even though it was drizzling and there was a poor weather forecast I still managed to persuade Chris (Wife) to join me on Cake Tuesday as today's guest. We were planning to find cake at the Frog on The Pond coffee shop in Poringland and would be going there on a nice 25 mile loop.

As part of my new blog feature 'guest cyclist top cycling tip' I asked Chris for her top tip. Which she instantly gave me.

Guest cyclist top cycling tip no 3. To look fashionable whilst staying safe in the winter make sure you wear your high viz overshoe booties. see photo

With the help of top tip no 3 we safely made it to Poringland despite getting rather wet. We found the Frog on the Pond coffee shop at the back of the Poringland community centre. As well as the Frog on The Pond coffee shop there is also the library and police station in the building so I felt our bikes would be very safe in the covered bike rack (although I still locked them up).

Outside the Frog on the Pond Coffee Shop
standing where the outdoor seating area would be on a nice day

Although there is an outside seating area available we decided that we would be better off drying off inside. There are lots of comfy sofas as well as standard tables and chairs so we used the standard chairs to dry our jackets and sat on the sofas.

It turned out that today was also Toddler Tuesday as a lot of mothers and toddlers were also enjoying the coffee shop and community centre. I'm always pleased to see a busy coffee shop and vibrant local community full of nattering mums and happy children although preferably when I'm not there as it was a bit noisy.

There was a nice selection of cakes available including a very large chocolate cake and Victoria sponge as well as cup cakes and scones. I therefore awarded a decent effective cake selection (ECS) rating.

Out of focus photo of cakes but gives the idea of what was available

As it was cake Tuesday I rather surprised myself when I chose a cheese scone to go with my Hot Chocolate. Chris had already picked the chocolate cake but as it was a very large slice I was confident I would be given some, especially if I got our conversation on to topics such as diets and healthy eating.

Drinks and very large slice of cake

My plan worked well and I was able to have plenty of cake and all of my scone. They were both of a good standard although I was slightly disappointed that my cheese scone had not been warmed.

Chris thought her Mocha was the best she had had for a long time although my Hot Chocolate was fairly ordinary.

Overall the Frog in the Pond was a good stop providing a nice standard of cakes and drinks.
The one problem was the obvious spoon vs cup mismatch issue which, as you can see, made it impossible to stir your drink without burning your fingers. 

Cup vs spoon mismatch issue

From my cafe cycle reviewing experience I have seen other establishments solve this particular issue with the introduction of longer spoons or shorter cups. I'm happy for either of these ideas to be adopted without being credited with them.

The short ride home got colder and wetter and as a result I didn't stop to tweet an Egg News flash about the eggs I found in Poringland, that will have to wait for a warmer day. 

With cake Tuesday out of the way for another year I can now turn my attention to the other big day in December. The announcement of the Cycle Cafe Tours 2014 award winners. I have not much time left to gather in the votes and make the certificates before the big day.

Scores for Frog on the Pond Coffee shop

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.0	8.0	6.5	7.0	5.5	6.60

Route

Click here to dowload 25 mile Norwich Poringland loop GPX file for your GPS

Black Friday (Itteringham shop and Cafe, Itteringham)

Itteringham Village shop and cafe,

Itteringham,

Opening times Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00,

Sun 09:00-16:00

Recommended 

I returned to Itteringham Village shop and cafe today (February 2017) to show my support for their Save our Shop (SOS) campaign and also take the opportunity to try one of their excellent sausage rolls as part of my search for Sausage Roll of the Year (#SROTY).

It was a very successful trip and, reassuringly, not much had changed since I last visited or probably in the last 380 years since it first opened. 

About to help save Itteringham Shop and cafe 

When I looked up at the sky before my first visit back in November 2014, I noticed just how dark it was. During our trip it just seemed to get darker and darker. This is why I have called this post Black Friday and it is not some cynical attempt to use the current most popular search engine term in order to get more hits on my blog. 

Despite getting him soaked on our last ride, and the Black Friday sky, Big George agreed to be my guest for a 50 mile loop up to Itteringham just North of Alysham.

On the way I told him about my new feature; cycling guests top cycling tip. He was very excited and after much consideration came up with his tip.

Cycling guests top cycling tip 2. To avoid punctures and skidding on your winter rides it is worth fitting some heavy duty 700c-25 winter tyres on your road bike.

I didn't like to point out that despite following this top tip at the start of the winter I had had a puncture on yesterday's ride but as it was my first one in over 500 miles on these type of tyres I thought I wouldn't undermine his top tip (even if I just have).

Once we had crossed Norwich the ride out to Itteringham was very pleasant, if a bit dark and we arrived successfully at Itteringham cafe and shop. It is easily the smallest cafe I have found so far on my cafe cycle quest so not one for a future sportive. There are two tables in the corner of the shop and a couple of tables outside. It has a lovely cosy country folk atmosphere and so got a high Atmosphere and Ambiance (AAA) score.

Outside the Itteringham shop and cafe

Once inside I checked out the cake selection so that I could award the effective cake selection rating (ECS). It was not surprisingly a small selection for a small cafe but still very interesting. I went for almond and apricot gluten free cake and Big George had tiffin.

Cake selection on top shelf of refrigerated display unit

We also decided to have sausage rolls. After being given a long and informative explanation about each roll on offer I decided to try the one made from rare breed pork. I wasn't surprised that it was now a rare breed if they kept turning the pigs into sausage rolls. I felt very guilty eating it as this rare breed of pig had now become one sausage roll nearer extension. Surely it would be better to use 'plenty of this type of breed pork' in sausage rolls. I worried that it was like eating a Dodo roll knowing they were about to die out. However it was one of the best sausage rolls I have had so it was worth it and my guilt soon passed.

The drinks were very hot, which is good and Big George thought his filter coffee was excellent. My hot chocolate needed to be a bit stronger. The apricot and almond cake (despite its lack of tasty gluten) and tiffin were both excellent and scored highly.

Drinks, cake and tiffin

Overall the Itteringham Shop and Cafe is well worth a stop as it not only serves good cakes and drinks but is a bit different from your run of the mill cafe. While we were there much local village drama was played out and it was a bit like listening to the Archers (which I have never actually done) in real time. I can't tell you what I heard because what happens in Itteringham stays in Itteringham.

On the ride back the Black Friday sky got darker and blacker but fortunately the rain held off so I was nice and dry ready for an afternoon of on-line discount shopping.

Ratings based on 3 visits

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
5.83	8.17	5.33	8.33	7.67	7.07

Route

Click link to download 50 mile Norwich Itteringham Loop GPX file for your GPS

Cycling tips. (Jesters of Bungay, Bungay)

Jesters of Bungay,

Bungay,

Open Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00.

Open Sunday during BST

 Highly Recommended

Things have been quite on the blog front over the last week. Due to the bad weather and lack of cycle guest availability I haven't been able to get out for a cafe cycle review for over a week. Also blog traffic has fallen from it's peak of a few weeks ago. I assume this is because not so many people are looking to get out on a bike ride at this time of year. I decided to discuss this issue with today's guest, Andrew (who is notoriously hard to please), as we went for a ride down to Bungay.

He was full of ideas to freshen up the blog. Most of them centred around writing less about cake and more about things he was interested in. Although I won't be including any obscure Italian poetry in future posts I will be introducing a new feature to try and re balance the cake vs cycling ratio. It is called cycling guests cycling top tip. In each post I will be asking my guest for a top cycling tip to pass on to like minded blog readers.

Here is the first tip from Andrew. 
Cycling guests cycling top tip 1. For a smoother and more efficient ride, make sure your tyres are pumped up to the correct pressure.

There will be more excellent tips like this to inform you in future posts. If you want to share a cycling top tip then send me it at norfolkcafecycle@btinternet.com (or tweet cakecrusander@cafecycletour) and I will include the best ones.

With Andrew continuing to share his blog improvement ideas the ride down to Bungay flew past and we soon arrived at Jesters of Bungay in Bungay. It turned out that not only is Jesters of Bungay a cafe in Bungay but also doubles up as the visitors centre for Bungay castle.

Outside Jesters of Bungay in the outdoor seating and castle information area

On arrival we found a large outside seating area which also provided information on Bungay castle via a multi media model castle display exhibit (MMMCDE). Before going inside the cafe area I studied the MMMCDE and discovered that Bungay Castle was built in the 1100's by a chap called Hugh Bigod who used Bungay as his power base to try and overthrow the King. He, not surprisingly, failed but if he had won Bungay could now be the Capital of England. I think it is a good job he lost as I'm not sure that Bungay could have coped with being a capital city as it doesn't have enough shops or an underground transport system.

Informative model of how Bungay looked in medieval times
available to view in Jesters courtyard

We went inside to find it very full, so we grabbed the last table. Jesters of Bungay had a lively and friendly atmosphere and we felt comfortable in the surroundings. By the door was the cake shelf display unit so I was able to award the effective cake selection rating straight away. There were a number of cakes in various states of completeness and it was a good solid selection, although it again lacked anything chocolate based. 

A nice cake selection but lacking anything chocolate

It was great to see that Jesters offered a wider range of Hot Chocolate's plus a red warning that the hot chocolate was very hot. I therefore had high expectations of a very high quality drink and was also ready to take the necessary first hot sip precautions to avoid a nasty burnt mouth incident.

Menu with selection of Hot Chocolates
plus Hot Chocolate Hotness warning

I ordered some Victoria sponge to accompany my drink and Andrew (who is notoriously hard to please) ordered Cappuccino and Almond and Apricot slice.

Whilst waiting for our cakes and drinks to arrive Andrew once again revealed his anti cake views. On our last trip he had shockingly revealed he was not a fan of cake queen Mary Berry and today, followed this up with the suggestion that there should be fewer blog cake photos as when you have seen one cake etc. I decided to ignore his worrying cakist views and took some more cake pictures for you to enjoy.

Another super photo of cake for you to enjoy

The Hot Chocolate did not disappoint and was, as promised, very hot but also nice and thick and chocolaty. The warning had proved worth while as I could have easily burnt my mouth area if I had not known of the temperature issue in advance. I was therefore able to award a 9 out of 10 for a hot chocolate for the first time in ages. The coffee was also nice and hot although Andrew (who is notoriously hard to please) thought it could have done with a touch more coffee and milk (or less water). He still thought it a was good drink. 

Our cakes were both nice but not exceptional and I awarded a middling cake quality score.

Overall Jesters of Bungay proved to be a very good stop and worth a visit especially if you want to combine your visit with some history as entry to Bungay Castle (50p for Adults, 20p for children) seems very reasonable.

We decided to leave history for another day and set off on the return journey. With Andrew ranting on a number of topics we soon got back and agreed it was a very fine route. The only disappointment was the lack of eggs available at the end of garden egg outlets. Remember for up to date Egg News Flashes (and other cafe cycle updates) you need to follow me on twitter (cakecrusader@cafecycletour).

Tomorrow I hope to be riding with Big George and look forward to finding out his cycling guests top cycling tip.

Score for Jesters of Bungay based on two visits

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
9.25	7.0	6.0	7.25	7.5	7.40

Click here to download 40 mile Norwich Bungay loop gpx file for your gps

Extreme reviewing (Butterflies Coffee Shop, Blofield)

Butterflies Coffee Shop,

Blofield,

Opening times Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00,

 Sat 10:00-16:30, Sun 10:30-15:30

Recommended 

During the winter I find that cafe cycle reviewing becomes an extreme sport for adrenalin junkies. The thrill coming from not knowing if your chosen venue will be open or not. As you approach a new cafe for the first time you never know if, the website you carefully checked before setting out, is correct for winter openings. Rounding the corner the tension mounts until BOOM, you find the cafe is shut until the spring and you have to go to plan B. Life doesn't get more exciting than this and today's ride was no exception.

For today's extreme winter cafe cycle ride I was joined by guests Chris (Mrs Crusader) and Barry and Helen and their tandem. This was Helen and their tandems first cafe cycle review for sometime as she had recently had a bionic knee fitted. We were therefore keeping the route a bit shorter than usual and had an 18 mile loop planned from their house in Thorpe End out to Ranworth and back. We were going to the Granary Store Tearoom but with the added winter jeopardy of would it be open or not.

Shortly after we set off I heard a loud bang at the back of the bike. Sunday's Cyclocross had obviously not just taken it out of me but my bike as well. One of the spokes on the back wheel had snapped. Fortunately using all my bike maintenance skills and some duct tape we were able to continue the journey.

Taping up broken spoke before continuing

It wasn't far to Ranworth and we soon located the Granary stores tearoom. As we approached the tension mounted and then Boom, it was shut. Catching my breath after the open or closed excitement I informed my guests I did have a plan B which was to go to Blofield and the Butterflies Coffee Shop at Norwich camping and caravan. 

After another short ride we arrived at Norwich camping and caravan and parked our bikes. We found Butterflies Coffee Shop at the back of the huge camping shop. It was very busy and the outdoor seating area seemed to be shut or too cold to sit out. Fortunately we were able to find a recently vacated table in the corner.

Outside entrance to Butterflies Coffee Shop
at the back of the Norwich Camping and Caravan shop

I made for the cakes counter display unit where there was a good selection of cakes but only a few of my favourites, I awarded a good Effective cake selection score (ECS).

A large selection of cakes available.

My guests had chosen a wide range of coffees and I had gone for luxury hot chocolate. I went for the Dutch apple cake, Chris the white chocolate and raspberry cake and Helen millionaire shortcake. Once again Barry opted out of any cake based activity and picked a sausage roll. Barry and Helen's tandem decided against refreshments and waited patiently outside for us.

Cakes and drinks ready to taste. Barry had already scoffed his sausage roll.

All the drinks were very hot and the coffees all got the thumbs up and a high score. My luxury hot chocolate was a little weak and I didn't notice anything particularly luxurious about it but it was a perfectly acceptable drink.

Overall Butterflies Coffee Shop was consistently good and had the added advantage that you could buy a tent and camp overnight if the long walk back out of the shop was a bit too far to do in a single day. 

The journey home saw me complete my week long winter cycling feast having completed 200 miles, 5 rides and one cyclo cross event. I will now have a few days rest before once again setting off on my mission to find more top cafes or tearooms for you to try out on your bike rides (first checking they are open of course).

Scores for Butterflies Coffee Shop

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.5	8.0	7.0	7.0	6.5	7.00

As the route changed I don't have a suggested route for the ride

Proper job (Mad Hatters Tea Shop, Wymondham)

Mad Hatters Tea Shop,

Wymondham,

Opening times Mon-Thur 09:30-16:30,

Fri -Sat 09:00-16:30

Recommended 

Yesterday saw the 4th of my 5 ride winter cycle feast as I set off with today's guest Chris (Mrs Crusader) on a trip to Wymondham via Hingham. The plan was to go to the Bridewell Museum tea room which (according to my I-spy book of cafes and tea rooms) was the final remaining cafe needed to complete my Wymondham cafe and tea room set.

As an added extra to my winter cycling feast I had entered my first ever cyclo cross race on Sunday at Hempton cross near Fakenham. It was very enjoyable but a bit more scary and faster than I had imagined. I exceeded all expectations finishing a very credible 23rd out of 25 in the 50+ category. At one point I was even challenging for 22nd but he got away on the final lap. But then after a restless night  I took the difficult to decision to call time on my cyclo cross career. I wanted to finish while I was still at the top of my game. So to the shock of the cyclo cross community I announced my retirement from the sport on my Facebook page.

Today we would be sticking to roads and except for Chris whinging about how far we had to go before a coffee stop, we successfully arrived at the Bridewell museum teashop. Unfortunately I had made a classic cafe cycle review school boy error. Although I had checked the website for opening times I had failed to notice it is shut all winter. I decided we didn't have time to hang around until it reopens in March so implemented plan B. 

You may remember that when I was away on my search for Cake Crusader European cafe of the year 2014 back in August, that Chris had arranged a ride and review to the Mad Hatters Tea Room (see Rebel tour). I had not been convinced that the cafe cycle reviewing that had occurred that day had been performed with the necessary rigour and care. I had noted that each category had been awarded 7.5 suggesting a rather slap dash approach. This was now my opportunity to do a proper job.

Outside the Mad Hatters Tea shop in my still faulty gilet (arms missing)

On arrival we locked our bikes, using Alarmio, by the tea shop. There was one table in use on the pavement but it was occupied and as we were freezing we went inside. It is one of the smaller and cosier tea rooms but we found a space near the counter and opposite a wall full of tea pots.

I immediately checked out the cake selection which was very good and I felt a higher effective cake selection (ECS) score could be awarded than had be done by the rebel tour.

Excellent cake selection

I ordered bread pudding cake and Chris coffee cake to accompany her semi skinny mocha. Again I thought the cakes were excellent and deserved a higher mark than the amateurs had awarded. The only slight disappointment was my hot chocolate, which had a lot more hot than chocolate about it so I had to mark this down a bit on it's previous score.

Cakes and drinks, well presented

Chris, on the other hand insists on a hot drink being scolding hot and was very happy with the nuclear thermal temperature that her mocha had reached. Later I tried to fake sympathy when during the ride home she announced she had burnt her mouth on her drink, but I think she may have spotted my sniggers.

Overall the Mad Hatter Tea Shop lived up to it's previous review by my B' team of reviewers and maintained its place at the top end of my cafe ratings table.

Tomorrow is the final day of my week long cycling feast with a short ride out to Ranworth Broad. Barry and Helen and their Tandem are making a return for the first time since August.

Scores based on two visits (albeit one was by the reviewing reserves)

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.5	7.25	7.75	7.75	7.25	7.30

Route

Click link to down load 34 Mile Norwich Hingham loop gpx file for your GPS