FOOD REVIEW: Vanilla Kitchen, The Woodhouse, Queen Street, Tideswell
IT was the perfect chocoholic moment… an award-winning triple chocolate brownie and a mega-sized cup of hot chocolate.
My Peak District travels had taken me a little further than normal to Tideswell and its imposing 14th century church known as the 'Cathedral of the Peak'.
The target, however, was something you don't come across every day – a licensed coffee shop, the Vanilla Kitchen.
Situated on the main street and also home to an adjoining Bradwell's ice cream parlour, it's the type of place where cyclists, walkers, day-trippers and the locals can pop in for a drink and a cake, a snack or a meal – with or without wine.
Louise Sharpe, if you'll excuse the pun, is very much at the sharp end. Family days out from her Leicestershire home fuelled her fondness for the Peak and four-and-a-half years ago she and her husband Ken followed their dream.
She's got a background in catering and the hotel trade and it shows with a winning combination of the right ingredients – tasty, freshly made home-cooked food using local produce whenever possible, with a wide range of vegetarian options plus some gluten-free. They even make their own chutneys and salad dressings – really good organic, fairtrade coffee and a warm welcome from very pleasant, helpful staff.
It's also family friendly. A selection of children's books are always available in the caf while every Friday morning a parents and toddlers get-together is held in the parlour from 9am-11am. Once in a while there's even a kiddies' singing session.
On a more adult theme a very popular Supper Club, with the emphasis more on restaurant-type cuisine, features every month.
During the day the specials board takes pride of place and both our choices came from it – the warm, smoked bacon and mature cheddar cheese tart (6.25) and the avacado, tomato, mozzarella and basil panini (5).
We mixed and matched the two and agreed the tart had a light texture with bags of flavour and a lovely crisp pastry while the well-filled panini was a little too 'mild' for our liking – it needed something to give it a little extra zing. Both came with a mixed salad while the tart also had herby roast potatoes, which prompted me to have a side order of homefries with herby sea salt (1.50).
The other choice was lentil chilli with basmati rice, sour cream and jalapenos (7.50) plus two soups – broccoli and stilton and tomato and tarragon, both with warm bread (3.75).
As Louise changes the specials every few days you may well find such things as homemade beef burgers, a pumpkin and feta tart and slow cooked sausages in apple gravy on the board. Children's portions are available.
A hot pudding is always on offer. In our case it was Derbyshire slice with creamy custard (2.95) but look out for the vanilla rice pudding with jam, cherry pie and sticky toffee pud.
There's also a printed menu which includes various sandwiches, paninis and jacket potatoes plus a hefty range of breakfast options (served until noon).
Drinks-wise there's something for everyone from wine and bottled Peak ales to cold drinks, drinks that bubble, iced milkshakes and frappes, alongside numerous coffees, chocolate and teas.
Wine is sold by the bottle and by the glass – five white and red, a rose and a sparkling white. M had a glass of Pinot Grigio (3.80 and 4.80) while I plumped for a taste of Italy with a glass of Sicilian lemonade…
Louise really enjoys baking, which is reflected in the cakes, so forget the willpower and make your choice. Pear frangipan tart, chocolate and orange shortbread, Mars bar slice, chocolate cake, cup cakes, museli slice, scones and the intriguing Bird Trill were all on display along with the ever-popular triple chocolate brownie.
It's a decadent, lip-smackingly moist slice of indulgence for 1.65 which, quite rightly, has won a Great Taste Gold Award. A gluten-free option is also available.
My 'overdose' was completed by another VK speciality, a deluxe hot chocolate in a soup bowl(!) at 2.45. The secret's in the 40 per cent cocoa and natural vanilla – it came with a small jug of cream and a chocolate flake – but it's the enormous cup that draws everyone's attention. Funnily enough I'm not complaining.
M's cappuccino (2) is deemed excellent but she would have liked more of an almond 'bite' to her pear frangipan (2.80).
The total cost of food was 17.20.
Verdict: Fresh is best and that certainly applies here. Plenty for everyone to enjoy at this very friendly establishment – and it's only 20 miles from the city centre.
Opening times: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday:10am-4.30pm; Friday: 9am-4.30pm.
Vanilla Kitchen, The Woodhouse, Queen Street, Tideswell; telephone 01298 871519; www.vanillakitchen.co.uk
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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