Words: Charlotte Vowden
Photography: Charlotte Vowden & Hot Numbers
Exploring and eating are two of Charlotte Vowden’s greatest passions. From salt beef bagels to cream tea, here are six of her favourite places to refuel to whet your appetite. What are you waiting for?
When I’m road tripping, I follow my stomach. Exploring and eating are two of my greatest passions. From scoffing salt beef bagels to traditional cream tea, here are six of my favourite places to refuel. What are you waiting for?
T2D Coffee Club, Burwell, Cambridgeshire
One for early birds who need a caffeine fix first thing, T2D Coffee Club is open from 7.30am six days a week. On Sundays the doors are unlocked at nine. Serving a signature roast, they brew Builders Tea too. For those with a mini-me in tow, the Future Mechanic Breakfast (nawwww) dishes up 1 sausage, 1 egg and 1 has brown with a side of baked beans for a fiver and fifty pence. Their recent colab with the legendary 24-hour east London bagel bakery, Beigel Bake, makes the classic bacon bap look boring. Stuffed with succulent salt beef, pickles and mustard, or smoked salmon and cream cheese, how will you have yours?
Gilks’ Garage Café, Kineton, Warwickshire
If you’re not local, Gilks is worth making a special trip for. Run by the nicest folk – the Gilks family who have owned the building since it was founded as a blacksmiths in 1904 – you’ll be given a warm welcome and made to feel right at home. Its most recent incarnation was as a mechanic’s workshop, hence the automotive theme, and the father and daughter team, who transformed it into a hotspot that hosts regular events, preserved part of the garage for posterity. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to lure people back, like limited-edition dishes that have included beef roast in a Yorkshire pud, but their award-winning gin is an ideal souvenir to keep you going in-between visits.
As Gilks is an HDC partner, all members will get a FREE drink when they purchase hot food during a visit.
The Tramshed Café, Great Northern Classics, Derbyshire
Don’t expect culinary fireworks, it’s not that kind of place, but you can tuck into a cheese toastie and slab of cake as sparks fly in the workshops below. Located above a pit lane of specialists that includes a classic car restorer and a candle maker whose fragrant creations look like parts, Tramshed Café offers a birds-eye view of GNC’s ginormous vehicle storage facility. Fancy a challenge? See how many of the rare, quirky and iconic cars you can identify. To experience the Derby venue at its buzziest and best, time a pit-stop with one of the venue’s ticketed themed socials – the Hot Wheels meet on May 2nd promises to be particularly good fun.
https://www.greatnorthernclassics.co.uk/
The Filling Station, Keswick, Cumbria
Big breakfasts and even bigger burgers; this roadside cafe and diner in the Lake District is the place to go for a belly full of food. Homemade elevenses range from chunky Fat Rascals and cheesecake, (who says you have to reserve such a treat for an end-of-dinner finale?), but, if you’re a stickler for doing things the trad way, swing by for a cream tea in the afternoon. Located just off the A591, which was declared Britain’s best driving road by a quantum physicist, it’s impossible to predict what kind of machines will pull in. Bike Nights get super busy though, it’s a hallowed spot.
https://www.facebook.com/TheFillingStationCafe
Winchester Auto Barn, Hampshire
A very smart establishment indeed. The concept, that you can buy a classic car, have a meal, record an album, get your car fixed or host a party all under one roof, was dreamt up for those who’d love to rewind to the age of vintage cars and vinyl records. Breathing new life into the site of an old petrol station on the outskirts of the historic village of Sutton Scotney, where several Spitfires crashed during the Second World War, Winchester Auto Barn ticks all the boxes for a great day out. The Filling Station, a cafe and dining room with a 1930s style bar, cooks up hearty classics such as a Full English and fish and chips. Outside, sausage rolls, sandwiches and wraps are served through the side hatch of a Citreon H van.
https://www.winchesterautobarn.com/
Hot Numbers: The Roastery, Shepreth, Cambridgeshire
This is a popular spot for hip, bean-obsessed bikers to sip a latte or cortado after a ride in rural Cambridgeshire. Varieties are roasted in small batches on-site – their chocolatey Body & Soul blend is a go-to choice – while the brioche bun stuffed with coffee-infused pulled pork is another reason for those who crave a decent cup of the dark stuff to desaddle. A tasty brunch menu is served from the open kitchen daily and stone-baked pizza is served from midday on Fridays and at weekends.
https://hotnumberscoffee.co.uk
Do you have any pit-stop recommendations? Drop them below – we’d love to hear them.
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