It's not just about the coffee.... I like food as well....!

You may have guessed from the content of this blog that, as well as being a great fan of coffee, I also very much enjoy the food as well. You may also have picked up on the fact that my other passion in life (and business) is photography. Sometimes I have the pleasure of seeing both worlds collide, sometimes in rather spectacular fashion.
One such occasion was when I was recently asked to do some food photography for a local, and rather well-known chef, to illustrate his regular feature in the Manchester Evening News.
I was faced with a procession of exquisite looking dishes, ranging from starters, through mains, and onto some delightful desserts, one of which was a rather amazing Mille Feuille, which I also had the awesome privilege of eating at the end of the shoot.
As the memory of the dessert has remained with me ever since, and the requirement to go and take some character shots of the aforementioned chef for a local charity function he was involved in arose, my (slightly twisted) mind put the two together with a somewhat bizarre idea to reproduce a well-known tourist photograph theme. I had already noticed the similarity between the structure of the Mille Feuille and the layered construction of the leaning tower of Pisa, and the idea came quite smoothly in the wee hours of the morning (as such ideas often do). Having finished the charity shots, in various outfits, I politely asked Mr Nutter (his real name!) to stand in a certain position which enable the necessary adjustments to be made later that day. Since the finished picture surfaced, Andrew has used it as his Twitter profile photo (and is still currently doing so to date), and has had a life-sized cardboard cutout made of it to stand in his restaurant.
This pretty much sums up the facts that a) food can be fun and b) you can have a lot of fun at work.

For more of me:

www.howardwilkinsonphotography.co.uk

http://howardwilkinsonphotography.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/HowardWilkinsonPhotography

Twitter: @photographyman

Instagram: howard_photographyman

For more of Andrew Nutter:
www.nuttersrestaurant.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/nutsfood
https://twitter.com/NuttersOfficial

One of the best coffee photos I have ever seen..

You have probably already guessed that one of my favourite things in life is coffee. My other (and main) passion is photography, which I now have the pleasure of doing as my full-time work. I also love looking at photographs that other people have taken, both for enjoyment, and inspiration.
This morning, a friend in a Facebook group shared a photo of his for the day's theme, which is not only an exceptional photographic capture, but involves my other passion, coffee. With his permission, I have great pleasure in sharing it with you. I'm sure you will agree that it is an awesome shot. Nice one Mr Mike Killy!

Shelly B's Cafe, Rochdale

This particular cafe is argued to serve the best breakfast in Rochdale. I have not tried them all, but can only vouch for the fact that it would take a lot of beating.
Today's visit was for lunch with a friend (he was paying, so even better!). I opted for the gammon, egg, chips and peas, which at £4.50 is excellent value for money and, as you can see from the photos, very nicely done. In fact, writing about it now, just three hours later, I could happily go back in and eat it again (that definitely doesn't mean it did not fill me, just that it tasted so good).
A very recent addition to the cafe is a new coffee machine, which I have left far too long to go and sample. Just another reason for dropping in today.
The picture does not quite show the ample proportions, and a good sized cup is always a good thing.
Taste of the blend used is similar to a Starbucks flavour, so will appeal to many and, with a good frothy foam, generous chocolate sprinkle and appropriate strength for a cappuccino, made for a very enjoyable experience.
Close to both the bus station and the town centre tram station (2 minute walk), this is an ideal place to start of a visit to the town with a good breakfast, break for a hearty lunch, or finish off with a coffee before heading home.
If you do call in, say hello to Shelly from me!
Comes highly recommended.

Norden Deli Coffee Shop

Having watched the development of the new coffee shop on Facebook, I decided it was time to go and sample the delights.
What a pleasant experience it was too....
Lovely design to the completely new build, with a glazed front and skylights, mixed with the lovely oldy-worldy feel of aged wooden tables and steelwork fittings.
As well as being a coffee shop, they serve afternoon teas, tapas, and pizzas (cooked in the lovely wood-burning pizza oven, see photo), and host numerous events for children, parties (including weddings), baby bistro and tapas evenings.
Well worth a drop in, you may well find you feel the need to go back again, and again.

Links:
Facebook page for the coffee shop
Howard Wilkinson Photography
Howard Wilkinson Photography Facebook Page

The Best Tea Room in the UK - The Blitz Tea Room, Kettering

While in Kettering today, we had the pleasure of visiting the tea room voted "Best in the UK" last year.
The Blitz Tea Room, is a magical trip back in time to war-time Britain, complete with taped windows, air raid sound effects, and menus designed like ration books.
It has a real period feel, and is a very nice place to spend time with family/friends, and enjoy afternoon tea, a light snack, or just a cup (or pot) of tea/coffee.
I hope the pictures do it justice, and I can only recommend a visit as an absolute must.
The staff are friendly, smiley and chatty, and the food is very good quality.
The coffee...  reason for this blog. I went for a large Mussolini cappuccino. Tasty blend, perfect strength, and nice froth. Happy Howard!
For more details follow this link: http://www.the-blitz.com/

 The tea-timer!! :

The Victorian Sweet Shop & Tea Rooms, Glazebury

It's always nice to come across a new cafe unexpectedly, and today was just one of those days.
By-passing our usual stopping point in the area, we came across this delightful place.
Parking right outside, a very inviting frontage, and pleasant, friendly and very helpful staff were all a very good start.
The totally delicious home-made pies (I had chicken, ham and leek, my wife had the meat and potato), and the lovely coffee made for two very happy faces.
An olde-style sweet shop area, where you can still order in ounces (as that is what the scales measured in) just about finished it off perfectly, and added a few pounds to the bill (and probably the waist-line, but who cares!).
I can only recommend a visit... soon!

The Fairview Inn, Rochdale

After spending some time with my big sister and her family, partaking of the tremendous carvery on offer (no room for pudding, unfortunately), we moved to the outside patio area to enjoy a coffee and, (for the wife, nephew and niece) a pudding.

The name of the establishment sums up it's location and, as you can see from the photo, there is a fair old view across the town of Rochdale, to the hills beyond. Perfect for a summer evening.

The cappuccino was very frothy, with a good sprinkle of chocolate powder, and a very nice taste. Looking forward to the next one.

This is now our choice of an easy tea, when we do not want to cook, and I certainly think I will be having a cappuccino next time we go.

For more details, or to book a table, please follow the links below:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK PAGE