The snow has all melted now and left muddy puddles along the river footpath so we didn’t walk far…

But it was nice to be out in the sunshine and fresh air 🙂

There’s a couple of pubs on the riverbank which I’d like to try at some point- I imagine they get pretty busy in the summer! Today it was pretty deserted with just a few rowers on the river…

After reading/hearing a fair amount about Harris and Hoole in the news we thought we should give them a fair trial to make up our own minds.

If you’ve missed the drama here’s an article explaining things. Basically, Harris+Hoole are 49% owned by Tesco but are portraying an independent “indie” coffee shop vibe and don’t really advertise their association with Tesco- something which has angered a lot of people who purposely avoid big chains such as Starbucks etc.

Three Australian siblings (the Tolleys) own the majority stake in the company and founded the existing Taylor Street coffee chain in London (which has great reviews). They say that Tesco have made a non-controlling investment into their business in order to allow them to realise their dream, and that their aim is to keep quality coffee at the heart of their business. This is a great article illustrating the other side of the argument, and I have to say I mostly agree with the positives.

The Tolleys already have a track record of creating great coffee, and also (and importantly) “direct-sourcing” their product. They obtain their beans from Union Hand-Roasted a small company known for it’s ethical buying model, whereby they develop long-term relationships with small coffee growers, promoting sustainable livelihoods and price transparency.

Many people are saying that if Tesco can keep to the ethics of the current Taylor St Baristas this will be a massive step forward and that perhaps the Tolleys stance on good coffee and ethical sourcing will filter through into general retail.

Mark and I went into the cafe with an open mind, and were reasonably impressed. It did have a larger more commercial feel than other smaller local coffee shops we’ve tried, especially with features such as the vibrating order ticket (seen above) which told you when your coffee was ready to collect at the counter.

The design was minimalist with bare brick walls, metal fittings and fairly sparse tables and chairs.

But the coffee itself was very good- I had a latte (served in a proper cup instead of a tall glass for a change!) and could drink it with no sugar. It had a smoky taste and was infinitely better than any other chain store coffee!