After lunch we went out for a gentle walk whose main goal was to call in at Myddelton’s deli for coffee. In the interests of healthy exercise, we did at least go the long way round!

Looking down Arlington Way

We went via St John Street to Chadwell Street and thence into Arlington Way where I took the above photo. It shows, inter alia, the undertaker’s whose clock, I was glad to observe, was still showing the correct time. (Clocks, you will have observed, are one of my obsessions.)

Call in for an opinion
Photo by Tigger

This notice in a shop window amused me. It has been corrected, unfortunately, but originally advertised the shop’s “opining hours”, suggesting that customers lacking opinions of their own could pop and ask the owner to opine for them.

Shakespeare’s vine

We entered Myddelton Passage where we of course monitored the progress of the vine in the garden of the Shakespeare’s Head pub. It’s doing well and preparing a bumper crop of grapes.

Here we are walking through Myddelton Passage which was once a property of the New River Company, as plaques on the building façade testify.

Myddelton’s deli – closed

We had of course made a fatal error in our plans. Myddelton’s closes at 3 pm on Sundays and we were too late to buy coffee there.

Walking through Exmouth Market

Instead, I suggested we go to Caffè Nero in Exmouth Market where we could sit inside on comfortable chairs.

Preparing our coffee

We did just that and found Caffè Nero open.

Coffee in proper cups
Photo by Tigger

At least when you drink “in”, your coffee is served in proper cups, not paper ones.

Inside Caffè Nero

We sat for a while in the comfortable chairs and I started composing this post there. Then we decided it was time to head for home.

Antique shop front in Easton Street

Quite a few small shops in the neighbourhood were originally dwelling houses which were at some point, usually in the 19th century, converted by rearranging the ground floor as a shop front. In the fulness of time, many have been converted back into dwellings. In some cases, the shop front is still discernible simply because it was cheaper to leave it but in a few cases it has been deliberately preserved for its historic interest. I think this one belongs to the first category.

The Easton

This pub, currently called the Easton, is on the corner of Easton Street. I don’t have any information on the derivation of the name “Easton” or the history of the pub. I would guess that in its present form it dates from the late Victorian period but that is only a guess.

We met a cat
Photo by Tigger

A little further along, we met a three-legged cat. He seemed healthy and happy despite his disability and was happy to come and make our acquaintance.

Walking up Lloyd Street

That was our final encounter of the walk and we now made for home, albeit taking a slightly roundabout path so as to add convincingly to Tigger’s daily minimum mileage.

Tigger is working all weekdays except Wednesday in the coming week. After a week together, I shall feel bereft but will bear up bravely 🙂 If I, or we, have any adventures, I shall be sure to let you know.

The weather forecast for today is cloudy in the morning with rain in the afternoon, not ideal weekend conditions, especially as it’s the last day of Tigger’s holiday. Either way, the shopping must needs be done, so off we go!

Grey skies over Baron Street

Despite the greyness, it’s fairly warm (17°C) though with a gusty cool breeze.

The Farmers’ Market

The Farmers‘ Market was taking but there were fewer customers than usual both here and in the main market. Perhaps the dull weather was having an inhibiting effect.

Business is slow

In the main market, business was slow and the cafe had no takers for its outside tables. Perhaps trade will pick up later.

Sainsbury’s – fairly busy

In contrast, Sainsbury’s was fairly busy. Does that mean that people had come here instead of the market? I doubt it as I suspect that those who shop at the supermarket and those who prefer the market form two distinct groups. I could of course be wrong about that.

The mobile snack bar

The mobile snack bar is usually here on Sundays. It intrigues me as there are usually plenty of customers, even on a slow day like today. Yet one thing that Chapel Market has in abundance is cafes and take-away food shops. What determines that some people prefer the snack bar? Easy access, perhaps, or maybe it charges less than the sedentary businesses?

More people but not much trade

By the time I sped through Chapel Market in search of coffee, there were more people but there was a desultory atmosphere. People seemed to be walking through the market rather than stopping to make purchases.

Mercer’s for coffee

Mercer’s is now serving people sitting inside and at tables outside, making them less dependant on sporadic customers like us. This is good in the sense that it helps them survive so that they are there when we need them. As far as my preferences go, however, my favourite coffee place is still Myddelton’s deli in Amwell Street where they are unfailingly cheerful and courteous and treat us as valued customers.

That, of course, is where the small shops score over the impersonal attitude of the supermarkets. Some of us remember when such small shops where the norm and “supermarkets” were yet to be invented. The relationship between the local shop and its customers could, of course, be fragile. I remember my mother making me wait outside our local bakery with the shopping bag. This was because she had bought a loaf in another shop and wanted to avoid the repercussions that would result from the baker seeing that she had shopped for “his” products elsewhere!

Shops like Myddelton’s deli are rare these days and exist only where they manage to create a niche for themselves. In the deli’s case, they can supply meals to local offices and conference centres. This enables them to stock a range of fine foods for which there is a demand in the surrounding affluent neighbourhood. Their success is the result of hard work, long hours, knowing the needs of their customers and providing efficient service. The courtesy that they display is an added attraction in a world where this too is becoming rare.