The fledgling was having her hair cut at a salon in Ripley, and it was a jolly cold day for us older adult birds, let me tell you. So the boy wonder suggested we go and have breakfast ...Well I was up for filling my beak with delicious tit-bits

Someone had suggested The Brown Bear Cafe as we picked up some candles in Scented Willow (amazing shop, just for the record), so off we flew. If you’ve never been before, the cafe is actually located on the top floor of Hurst’s Chemists in Ripley centre. We got upstairs to find a really light, airy, calm little oasis. The tables are cleverly arranged so that even when all the tables are occupied you aren’t hemmed in by anyone, and have both maroon and cream checked oilcloth covers, or plain cream covers which creates a lovely cottage–y vibe.

We were welcomed with a lovely smile and invited to find a table and a waitress would be with us shortly, so we found a table on the raised platform near the window so that I could people watch. We had a quick glance at the menu, and then our waitress came over to take our drinks order. All the staff in the cafe are very smartly turned out; clean uniforms, fresh smelling and wearing light day make up. There is a selection of papers and magazines to read as well, so you really are invited to take your time and savour the experience in the Cafe.

When our waitress brought our pot of tea over, we ordered our food - I went for Eggs Benedict and hubster had The Brown Bear Traditional Breakfast. Everything is cooked fresh to order and they try to use local produce where possible, as well as selling locally made items to take home. The tea they use makes a really tasteful brew, not wishy-washy at all -  just what you need to refresh your thirst. My eggs arrived, and they were superbly presented; fresh toasted muffins topped with fat, bouncy eggs and thick rashers of back bacon then covered with a lovely thick, glossy hollandaise sauce ( just the right amount, and not watery ). It was honestly the tastiest eggs Benedict I’ve ever had, you could just taste the quality of the ingredients. The man’s breakfast was equally impressive; chunky bacon, thick meaty sausages, 2 eggs, mushrooms, black pudding, beans and oatcake (although you could have toast if you prefer, and tomatoes instead of beans). From the murmurs of appreciation and the lack of conversation for a few minutes I think it safe to say he thoroughly enjoyed his offerings from The Brown Bear Cafe.

Honestly, we savoured every mouthful.

It was really nice to see families being welcomed too; all too often young children are just tolerated in cafes. There was a wide cross section of society in the Cafe from pensioners to female friends having a catch up, as well as families shopping in town and just having a lazy breakfast all together. I should just mention too that the toilet facilities were spotless.

Keep up the good work team “ Brown Bear “, you’re in the premier league among cafes, and your tag line sums you up perfectly – “ Honest Food, Done Well”.

Find out more about The Brown Bear Cafe

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