Valley Coffee began as a small church cafe funded by members of the Valley Church, but has grown into so much more, and the large cafe is now complete with kitchen, head chef, outdoor area, and playground.
On a cold Thursday, we thought we’d try it out for a family lunch and as we wandered in, we were greeted by a warm, welcoming, relaxed atmosphere with a range of different seating areas to choose from. However, all the seats were taken. Brilliant to see, but where would we sit? Very unlike me, I didn’t panic and luckily by the time we ordered at the counter, Simon and B had claimed a newly empty table.
The menu has a selection of breakfasts, brunches, and lunches but the children’s section was slightly limited, so we opted for the small breakfast off the normal menu for little B (£8.50), and she picked a Fruit Shoot (£1.60). There is a kids lunchbox option available too but although B likes the box, she’s not a fan of the contents. I chose the Grilled Smoked Haddock (£12) with an Iced Cinnamon Latté (£4.75), and my husband Simon went for the Double Steak Burger (£14) with a Pepsi (£2.50).
The play area was closed for refurbishment, which given the weather was probably a good thing, but there were some books for everyone to read, so I took B to pick a couple to keep her occupied whilst the food arrived. We only got through one book, which was brilliant service.
My fish was really tasty; the hollandaise sauce was one of the nicest I’ve had but I could’ve done with a little more toast to improve the topping to toast ratio. B is still in fussy toddler eating phase, so it wasn’t an egg or hash brown day. Who leaves hash brown?? It was, however, very much a beans, some sausage, some bacon, and a lot of toast day so I would say this was a success. I had a try of the hash brown of course, yum, and I also pinched some of the flavourful sausage. Simon was impressed with the juicy, well-seasoned burger topped with lashings of cheese and bacon. The crisps accompaniment was a little puzzling beforehand, but thoughts of ‘why no chips’ instantly disappeared – they weren’t required, and he struggled to finish it.
The cake counter had already caught my eye whilst ordering and there was no way I was leaving without indulging. We had a slice of the Gingerbread Loaf (£3.25), which B picked because it had stars on it, and the Dubai Pistachio Chocolate Cake (£3.50). The loaf was literally gingerbread in a loaf, delightful. The cake was delicious and wasn’t overly chocolatey, which was nice, but I’d have liked a little more Dubai pistachio texture and taste.
Totalling £49.60, it was a little on the expensive side for lunch though Simon’s burger was huge and he didn’t need any tea. I’d probably go with a hot sandwich next time, which I think might be better value for money. The service was friendly and fast, and I really enjoyed our visit, so I’d definitely go again but pick cheaper options next time.
Have you visited Valley Coffee? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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