A review of Lee Rosy’s

17 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AJ

Seeing as I recently wrote about Yumchaa tea (my new London loose leaf tea supplier), I thought I’d better get around to writing about Nottingham tea shop Lee Rosy’s given my infatuation with loose leaf tea can be whittled back to a chance encounter with this outlet back in my uni days (which ended all of a year ago).

I have previously written about my quest to find decent cafes in Nottingham on returning from studying in Melbourne and Lee Rosy’s was a happy output of this period of exploration. Conveniently located opposite one of Nottingham’s independent cinemas, this little tea shop hits the spot whether you’re after afternoon tea or pre-cinema snacks and is open until 10pm most days of the week.

Apple cake: http://flic.kr/p/5bVdAp

Primarily serving loose leaf teas of various assortments, you can have a sniff of the blends on offer before placing your order for a mug or a pot and perusing the decadent display of cakes. Carrot and apple cake are amongst my favourites of Lee Rosy’s sweet treats, but they also do hearty sarnies earlier in the day if you get there early enough – once they’re gone, they’re gone. Other snacks include hummus and pitta, toast, or crumpets.

Once you’ve made your selection it’s time to fight your way to a table as this tiny tea shop is often overrun by trendy types from Nottingham Trent University, or wannabe trendy types from Nottinham Uni who actually study politics... Tables are at a premium and you often have to loiter for a while before finding a seat, but the atmosphere is great and most people are happy to share their personal space if you ask nicely.

One of the great things about Lee Rosy’s is that the walls are adorned with a forever changing display of local art so that one day you may come in to find an array of stag’s heads, and the next, a series of light boxes. As well as keeping you on your toes, the wall space is a great forum to show off Nottingham’s talent and means there’s always something new whenever you visit.

You can buy Lee Rosy’s amazing home-blends of loose leaf tea on the premises or from this website. My favourites are their berry teas.

You can also find them on Facebook.

A review of Jam Cafe

12 Heathcote St, Nottingham, NG1 3AA

Returning from Australia fully versed in the attributes of Melbourne cafe culture, I found myself eager to seek out a replica breakfast-eating, coffee-drinking experience in my University hometown of Nottingham. A place which would fit into the everyday furniture of my life would be hard to find, or so I thought.

Picking up a copy of Impact, the uni’s surprisingly insightful student magazine, I found Jam Cafe featured as ‘Cafe of the month’. I soon worked up the courage to explore the rain-soaked, warren-like streets of Nottingham’s Lace Market, and managed to find Jam Cafe relatively easily.

Although marketed as an art/music/film cafe, Jam Cafe is nowhere near as pretentious as its image might suggest to the unaccustomed punter. Playing a sound track that could easily have been lifted from my own Ipod, I felt immediately at home slipping into a chair, being greeted by the friendly staff and offered a well needed menu. Familiar films playing on a screen at the back of the cafe, you can easily while away a few hours here alone without feeling like a lemon/plum/other suitably lonesome fruit. 

On opening the menu I was pleasantly surprised - great value for money, 10% student discount and loads of choice for any time of day. Homemade baked beans, dippy eggs with soldiers, salads, soups, sandwiches and a selection of hot pots can usually be found on the menu as well as more experimental dishes such as curried haddock... 

Jam cafe is probably my favourite cafe in Nottingham. I say probably because there are so many amazing ones in the city it makes it rather hard to choose. But Jam Cafe wins on its versatility alone, setting itself apart by covering all bases – quirky style, a great selection of fresh teas and coffee, a varied savoury menu as well as amazing cakes. This, along with the fact that it’s open in the evening with alcohol served and live music makes Jam Cafe almost too good to be true. 

Check out their website, Facebook and Twitter.

A review of Alley Cafe

Cannon Court, Smithy Row, Nottingham, NG1 6JE

I can’t remember how it was I came to hear about Alley Cafe in Nottingham, or even if it was a happy accident that I stumbled down the small alleyway in which it’s nestled only to be pleasantly surprised. 

More than a mere eatery, this cafe-come-restaurant-come-bar is a radical vegetarian space. It is an ideal, a cluster of social and political morals bound up into an eclectic space of reggae music, vegetarian food and Green propaganda. 

However, for all its political gumption, Alley Cafe is an overtly relaxing place with a laid back atmosphere and communal seating policy (due to its tiny proportions) which could just as easily result in you sitting next to a mother and baby group as an environmental activist. Half of the charm here is the lottery of who you will sit next to, and the amusing and interesting anecdotes they might impart.

Communist seating policy aside, the food is impeccable. My favourites include the cooked breakfast – ‘bacon-esque’ included – falafel wrap and bean burrito. You can come here for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with a fiver or a fifty and find something to enjoy and satisfy. A large selection of fresh juices, herbal teas, organic bottled drinks and espresso based treats make choosing what to quench your thirst a full blown dilemma. 

The staff are warm, welcoming and efficient but don’t expect fast food. The whole experience pivots on the cafe’s laid back charm so expecting your meal in five minutes flat is not only unrealistic but completely misses the point of a visit to such an establishment. 

A packed community notice board adds bundles of charm and intrigue as you never know what you might find – poetry zine, gallery flyer or vacant flat. 

http://www.alleycafe.co.uk/