Description: After arriving very early for our train to London we decided a snack was in order while we waited. There are several places to choose from in New Street Station (Birmingham) but my daughter and I eventually chose to purchase some cookies from the Millie's Cookies kiosk, taking advantage of their four cookies for £2.99 deal.
The kiosk is extremely well laid out, with all cookies displayed neatly and all being available. The prices are prominently displayed behind the counter and any special price promotions are clearly marked so you can see how much you're likely to spend at a glance without getting a big shock when you come to pay.
The staff are all great, we visited again when we arrived back from our weekend away and saw different members of staff but I can honestly say that everyone was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. My daughter couldn't decide between a few of the different varieties but the ladies behind the counter were more than happy to advise on what they thought were the most suitable cookies for her, they definitely know their stuff - which might sound odd as this is 'only a cookie kiosk' but for me it made me feel valued as a customer and that makes all the difference even for small purchases like this!
I chose a praline cookie and also a white chocolate one, while my daughter eventually opted for a very rich looking double chocolate cookie and a milk chocolate one. I generally find Millie's Cookies to be very sickly (which I suppose is the whole appeal of them!) and this time was no different with my two cookies lasting me for the whole of a two hour train journey, with half of one left in the bag even when I reached my destination! Both were scrumptious, perfectly fresh with the soft and chewy consistency which Millie's are so well known for - I must admit my favourite was my all-time most chosen cookie, the white chocolate variety, simply because I didn't think the praline one was as different and exciting as it sounded. They were obviously freshly baked and stayed soft and delicious for hours, I ate my final half a good seven hours after purchase and it was as perfect as when I first bit into it - a lovely surprise to find in the bottom of my bag actually, just when something sweet was called for!
This branch of Millie's Cookies doesn't just sell cookies, there's also a selection of muffins and drinks to choose from as well as a range of gift items. I had a hazelnut latté which was nicely presented in a pastel coloured paper cup and topped with cream and chocolate sauce; the quality of the coffee was equal to that which I regularly buy in Starbucks, a pleasant difference being that the hazelnut seemed to have been blended so much more carefully with the coffee to produce a rich and highly flavoursome drink which I really enjoyed. My daughter drank a hot chocolate, which she tells me was an absolute delight with a thick foam on the top and the richest of chocolate flavours - she likened it to the taste of the hot chocolate available from Costa, which I know is delicious so I think I can safely recommend this Millie's version!
The gift section is decent enough, but not prominently enough displayed in my opinion considering this is a kiosk that customers can't enter. I could see only a couple of items well enough to make a purchase decision, and while there were more available I don't think I'd have wanted to keep asking the busy staff to show me one product after another! I can't really understand it as there's plenty of wall space where staff could really enhance these gift items, while they're not the kind of thing I'd buy for myself I know of several people who would love a Millie's branded gift yet it would only occur to me to purchase if I happened to spot it whilst ordering cookies or a drink - having it all hidden from sight seems a bit pointless really. One gift item I *really* like the look of is the Celebration Cookie, which is a large 12" cookie - you can choose to have iced and personalised before it's placed in a gift box ready for your recipient. It's my other daughters birthday in a couple of weeks and I intend to pop into Birmingham and buy her one, the £13.99 price tag making it affordable but still a decent present.
Our order of four cookies and two hot drinks cost a little under £7, which I think is reasonable for a tasty snack like this. It's perfect 'train journey' food in my opinion and the location, being on the edge of Birmingham's busy train station, is ideal for the hungry traveller. The large selection of cookies means there's something for everyone, my only criticism really would be that there are no savoury options at this branch for those of us who don't have a particularly sweet tooth - a small selection of crisps or savoury pastries wouldn't go amiss, but then again this is a place which specialises in sweet cookies so maybe it's churlish of me to expect savoury snacks too!
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