Description: Fancying some lunch before we drove home we wandered around the coffee shops of the East Yorkshire town of Beverley to little avail. They were either busy, smelt of stale chip fat or rather bizarrely sometimes both. After deciding to walk to the minster only to discover we were risking wandering into the Church in the midst of a big funeral, we almost decided there and then to head for the car and go home. Thankfully, fairly near the minster down a side street we spotted a rare Beverley institution; a cafe that neither stank of stale fat and which was almost empty.
The inside of the Tea Cosy was very pleasant, with its wooden panelling and dark muted colours it reminded me rather of a classic 1940s tea rooms. Outside however was a lovely little patio area which in summertime must be a nice place to sit and enjoy the rare rays of the sun. The pottery was rather heavy and modern looking and gave a bit more of a funky edge to the traditional look of the place.
Service was relaxed, and there was quite a choice of teas and coffees to sample although unfortunately the soft drink I asked for was out of stock; instead I was quite happy with a bottle of fizzy water while my beloved had a pot of tea. In terms of food, the menu was pretty standard with offerings of sandwiches, paninis and jacket potatoes. My chilli jacket potato with salad was very plentiful and I was quite happy with the cost of around £5. My beloved's Pannini also went down well. As we waited for our meal we found the restaurant to be spotless, and a couple of what were obviously regulars wandered in for their early afternoon cuppa and cake. The cakes looked lovely, and we showed great self restraint in not partaking.
The only slight downside came when the relaxed service got a little too relaxed and we had to ask them for the bill so we could pay. However, it was a small grumble. Obviously the Tea Cosy isn’t there for more refined and demanding diners, but if you simply want a fairly standard bite to eat for lunch then you can do far worse in Beverley. We would certainly return.
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