What To Have For Breakfast in Cheltenham This Weekend

It's The Most Important Meal of the Day!

Breakfast; Where To Go in Cheltenham

There’s been a lot in the news lately about breakfast perhaps not being the most important meal of the day and the diet advice of having breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper being incorrect (See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/breakfast-health_b_4436439.html and http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/08August/Pages/Breakfast-not%20the-most-important-meal-of-the-day.aspx as well as http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/08/23/why-breakfast-may-not-be-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day/ ) but whatever your opinion is on the topic, most people love a great brunch at the weekend, whether it’s in the house or popping into town to try somewhere new. I’ve found five really great places whilst I’ve been munching my way around Cheltenham’s various breakfast joints. I’ve also been to a variety of places with a wide range of budgets in mind.  

I’ll start at the top, Gusto at 12 Montpellier Walk in Cheltenham was a great new experience for me that I only discovered by writing this blog.

 

            

Watch the world pass by in Montpellier   

They’re open from 9am – 5:30pm Monday to Saturday and on Sundays between 10am – 4pm. Parking isn’t too bad on a weekday, but I know from experience that it’s rather tricky there on Saturday. It’s the perfect spot if you have the day off and you’re looking for a walk through town up to The Prom and Montpellier followed by a delicious breakfast treat.

It has an extremely varied menu with a great new vegetarian breakfast option; the Gusto veggie bowl which is wilted kale, pine nuts, roasted tomatoes, avocadoes and poached eggs with toasted sourdough is delicious and nutritious! And it’s also suitable for vegans! What’s really great about this place is that on a crisp autumn morning you can sit outside and watch the world pass by as you munch away. I opted for the blueberry pancakes with banana and crispy pancetta, which was lavishly drizzled with maple syrup. This was sheer indulgence!

 

 

A delicious treat after a week’s hard fitness training!

They do have quite a pricey menu, my breakfast was £10, not including the freshly squeezed orange juice I had on the side, and most of the other breakfast options come in over the £7 mark. If you want to sit inside, i.e, when the British weather catches you, then there are some interesting pieces of artwork for sale on display. They also do outside catering for events and private functions. If you work near Montpellier and are looking for a new lunch treat, they also do takeaway food like toasted focaccia sandwiches and salads.

At the other end of the price spectrum, there’s Anderson’s at 16 Regent Street in Cheltenham. They’re open 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm.

 

Cheap and cheerful in the centre of town



They certainly provide very generous portions, which you can order to double up as well so you’ll never leave hungry! I ordered Eggs Benedict on a toasted muffin with a cup of tea, which came in a pretty, white teapot, cup and saucer and little milk jug.

 

 

 So yummy I only remembered to take a pic half way through!

Admittedly the décor is rather dated, particularly upstairs, but it’s clean and friendly and the staff are very helpful. The food is all homemade, which is always a treat in these days of shipped, pre-prepped food, which even some of the more upmarket places provide now (I won’t mention the restaurants here, I’m not going to give an exposé!). They’re also pretty centrally located so it’s very convenient if you’re already in town, or if you’re looking for a pre-matinée nibble before popping to the Everyman Theatre. Also, the millionaire's shortbread is an unbelievably delicious gooey must, so if you're looking for cake then this is should be at the top of the list! There's so much caramel squidged into the centre that it spurts out on to the plate if you try to cut it, or goes all down your chin if you munch into it!



Then there’s Smokey Joe’s on Bennington Street in Cheltenham. I know I reviewed this place last week under great places for tea and coffee, but it’s a really great place for a wide variety of occasions. If you want to read last week's review on Smokey Joe, follow this link:  http://amyeholleygloucestershirefood.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/cheltenhams-tea-and-coffee-is-there.html

 

Fab ’50s interior!

 

As usual they had great music with the same friendly, helpful staff. They still have a well-priced menu, which is made even more appealing by their frequently posted offers on Facebook. Keep your eyes peeled before you go! Oh! And by the way, they’ve completely nailed waffles and the smoked salmon with scrambled eggs is a real beaut!

Smokey Joe’s is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 6pm and Sunday 11am-3:30pm.

 

 

A newcomer to Cheltenham is Bill’s Restaurant on Regent Street, which has replaced La Tasca. Bill’s is open Monday – Saturday 8am – 11pm and Sunday 9am-10:30pm.

 

 

A bright, happy morning spent breakfasting at Bill’s

Their veggie breakfast is a definite winner! Poached free-range eggs, tomatoes, hummus, mushrooms and guacamole, sweet chilli sauce, basil and sourdough toast with well-priced extras, like the crispy potato and baked beans at £1.25 and £1 respectively. This breakfast is in the medium price range of £7.95 (without the extras) and it’s such a treat.

 

Feels Naughty But Really It’s Nice!

It’s probably the most convenient being just seconds from Marks and Spencers, as you can see in the picture above. Bills is definitely one to try and a very good chain with decent prices.

 

Finally, there’s Cafe Rouge on The Promenade in Cheltenham. This is a much forgotten restaurant amongst my friends, which is a pity as this place is consistently tasty and good value.

Another perfect people watching patch!

They do great croque-madames (or should that be mesdames?) and croque-monsieurs as well as other lighter nibbles, if you’re just after coffee and patisseries instead of the works, as we were when we went.

BBB: Big, Beautiful Breakfast at Café Rouge

Definitely affordable, most of the breakfasts come in at around £6. It’s obviously a franchise but a good one nonetheless. Not one to miss if you’re after a quick brunch and want to please a few people! They’re open Monday to Saturday 9am-11pm and Sunday 9am – 10:30pm.

I hope this post has given you a few new ideas for brunch this weekend, whatever your budget! And remember, no one has disproved that breakfast is the most important meal of the day yet, so enjoy yourself! Have breakfast like a King, ... or Queen!

 

 

Cheltenham’s Tea and Coffee: Is there anywhere good for Joe?

Everyone loves a ‘cuppa’, whether that’s a cup of tea or a cup of coffee (or even a hot chocolate or a pond-like cup of hot nettle juice for the health conscious) and in Cheltenham there are a few really good places, which can cater for this most basic, yet surprisingly demanding desire. Sometimes you just don’t want a Starbucks on the run, or even want to support a massive chain like Costa or Café Nero, so where do you go? Well, in my quest to find the perfect cuppa I tried quite a few places. In the top five, there's The Well Walk Tea Room on Well Walk in the centre of town conveniently close to the newly spruced up museum. It’s an American’s idea of British heaven, think Sense and Sensibility slash Miss Haversham’s house slash kitsch vintage crockery. It’s just a short stagger from the shops and as I said the shiny new museum and art gallery so it’s great if you have tired tykes who need food fast that’s not fast food, although do bear in mind that you’ll need to keep your eyes on younger children in case of breakages. They provide a homemade quiche of the day, pasta salads, sandwiches (try the coronation chicken – delicious!), cakes and scones as well as other delicious comestibles with, of course, a wide variety of hot and cold beverages. And it’s all served on pretty vintage tea ware! It’s the perfect place to go with your mum or even with the girls!

Boston Tea Party is also conveniently situated for the museum or equally for after a visit to the shops on The Prom. This is tea, coffee, cake and sandwiches at its metropolitan, distressed urban finest! An Unusual decor with a retro twist, rather industrial but remaining very cosy. It's not as intimate as The Well Walk Tea Room is, you feel a bit like you're eating in a big school canteen but the food is fabulous! A bit pricier than The Well Walk too but there's far more choice, especially for the health conscious. Try one of their freshly made juices, they've got a zing that really perks you up! So much so that you might not need the coffee! Definitely one to try but still part of a chain, albeit a small relatively newly founded one so if you're keen to support local businesses think again! 

There's also J’s Cafe in Charlton Kings, which was quite a surprise to me. I was taken a long by a friend who informed me that they cater raw, vegan food, juices and smoothies, cakes and yummies. Because I was hungry, I didn't stop at a cup of tea and a nibble here and went for lunch too. I had the Greek salad with the, I felt, naughty addition of grilled chicken breast. Whilst J, the owner, is a vegan he still provides meat for the carnivorous customers like myself. It was really tasty and a well sized portion too, which is always a plus. The prices are good and there's plenty of room for small children and pushchairs so it's okay for families but being in Charlton Kings a bit out of the way if you're shopping in town this weekend. 

Then there's Smokey Joe’s on Bennington Street, which is right in the centre of Cheltenham just off the Lower High street. Now they should definitely be on your list of places to go for a nice nibble! They have got retro '50s dining down! A fabulous decor, random vintage events on throughout the year so you might stumble happily on that when you pop in, out of this world sundaes and delicious paninis and drinks. Extremely well priced too, friend them on Facebook to keep an eye on their frequently posted offers to make your trip even more of a bargain. They also hold Laptop Fridays where you can bring your work with you for an altogether pleasanter working environment. 

Smokey Joe's Mint Choc Sundae

 

Last but not least, there's Huffkins, which is a small Cotswold based chain of bakers. They do a wonderful cream tea as well as the best Lardy cakes known to man, which take 3 hours to make! Huffkins is right on the Prom a couple of doors down from Waterstones so it's probably one of the most central places on the list. A little dear but it's a lovely treat on a day off or for a special occasion. They also do food to go, which as far as I'm aware, none of the places on the list do! 

 

Huffkins' Cream Tea

If there's somewhere amazing that I've overlooked, please let me know! But I hope that when you're next looking for that great cup of Joe, it'll be easier to know where to go! 

 

Next week: where's good for breakfast? It's the most important meal of the day, so they say!