Who doesn’t love a little cafe in an old market town? Nantwich, which is where I grew up, has A LOT to choose from. Never the less, their menus are often heavy on the sandwiches and traybakes, leaving those who are gluten intolerant with little, sometimes nothing to choose from.
Are intolerances becoming more common or are we more aware of what we put into our bodies and how that makes us feel? Food is what keeps us alive, we are literally, what we eat and I believe it is of the upmost importance to make sure we put in the best we can and listen to our bodies and what they need. We can keep ourselves at our healthiest, heal our bodies and prevent disease all with just the power of food. My main point is, be aware, be conscious and be mindful when eating.
The cafe I have chosen to review is Bloom. They source ingredients locally and make their own chutneys and sauces. Homemade is always best! Soups, sandwiches and salads to eat in or takeaway, and if you are lucky enough to live in the town centre, among the quaint alleyways and one off boutiques, they have a delivery service is also available. Gluten free bread is an option when requested and they sell ecoffee cups near the counter, these are made from sustainable bamboo and get you 10% off your hot drinks when used. This eco consciousness makes me very happy and may also be a factor in their gold award for the best sandwich shop in the Taste Cheshire Food & Drink Awards.
After completing a park run with the girls in my family, we had worked up quite an appetite and with is being a Saturday, I knew the town centre would be busy, so I rang ahead and placed an order to takeaway. I ordered a gluten free, toasted sandwich called The Hot Juan, the filling was layers of spinach, feta, avocado and jalapenos. Turns out, it was Bloom’s official 5 year anniversary of the shop opening and to celebrate were doing meal deals to takeaway for £5… AMAZING!! So to my order I added a packet of Tyrell’s salted crisps and a matcha latte.
Picking up the order, I am pleased to say everything was still hot and whatsmore all in recyclable packaging. I did drain my matcha latte before we all got home, which was lovely by the way, but I never find that they hold their heat like an ordinary latte or other hot drink so I wasn’t about to let it go cold for a good photo for the review, after a cold 5k run I was far too impatient. The filling of my sandwich was superb, the salty feta, creamy avocado and jalapeno kick all complimented each other deliciously, the only off note I had is about the bread, being GF this is often where the disappointment lies, it was a thin shop bought loaf, the slices did hold together well and where as tasty as the ones I have at home, however, I would have preferred a couple of thicker slices of a loaf that had been made with a bit more love. This being said, I understand that ‘gluten free’ is an alternative option and not the most common of choices, so therefore shop bought is sometimes more feesable for an independant business and often creates less waste. To conclude, I received a tasty sandwich, crisps and a latte for £5, you will not regret ordering from Bloom the staff are friendly, the menu is excellent and most importantly, as is the reason for my reviews, they accomodate allergies, intolerances and the people attached to them.
a blog by devaney 