For this week only (until Friday, September 3), a cafe will be operating out of Redland Parish Church hall, next to Bristol Lawn Tennis and Squash Club on Redland Green. There cannot be much cheaper coffee or tastier homemade cakes anywhere in Bristol, so enjoy this cafe while you still can.
The one-week opening is a trial run for what could be a permanent cafe in the future. The feeling is that this area is a bit of a no man’s land when it comes to cafes, situated as it is between Coldharbour Road and Whiteladies Road.
When I visited this morning, it was surprisingly busy, with all of the tables outside and most of the tables inside occupied, quite an achievement for only the cafe’s second day of opening.
Dogs were tied up next to the parked bicycles, children were running around, a baby was crawling around, young and old friends were catching up on gossip, and light was pouring in through the windows.
On the trestle tables set up on the far side of the hall were a selection of tempting homemade treats: cookies, coffee cake, flapjacks, lemon drizzle cake, cup cakes and biscuits. Behind the table, a friendly team of volunteers were scurrying about wearing matching white aprons, soundtracked by a classical music score.
Nothing beats homemade goodness, and my flapjack was yummy. Not too hard, not too soft. Just right. As was the filter coffee, served piping hot.
Redland Cafe could easily become a very popular community-run cafe. Show your support this week between 9.30am and 12.30pm and the cafe may one day soon be a permanent fixture.
Redland Cafe, Redland Green Road.
This is the church you were christened in, way back in 1982!
I wish this cafe had been there then. Sounds good.