The Cafe is in what used
to be our living-kitchen - still homely, and only slightly less cluttered.
Half-subterranean, light filters down from a small garden, where there are
a couple of extra tables when it's warm and dry enough. In between is the
"vineyard" or "Ivanry" with a table for about eight. Alas, Ivan and Dave's
outrageous book-pricing decisions can no longer be observed here, they have
been pushed up another floor, or out onto the Prom. Nevertheless, this is
still a cafe where lots goes on!
The food is all
vegetarian with organic produce when possible, with vegan and gluten-free
options available. Home-cooked seasonal produce provides the basis for a
continually evolving range of wholesome and
hearty meals, thick tasty soups,
interesting (even puzzling) salads and tempting cakes. In
season, eggs (foxes allowing), tomatoes, beans, spinach, beetroot, herbs
and apples are from our own garden (occasional hazardous misguided
tours).
The cafe compliments but also rivals the bookshop -spend too long in here and not enough on books and you can influence the future use of the building; an example of the Interactive Cafe!
The periodical rack, always untidy, houses a range rarely available outside major libraries. Coffee-stain these rather than the books! Stocked at present (in random order):
The table in the "vineyard" extension can be booked by groups at off-peak hours. Meetings there include the monthly Thursday morning Conversation Cafe open group, now supplemented by the monthly Tuesday morning Conversation Cafe Political open group. meetings are from 10 for 10.15 until 12. See our main New Page for forthcoming meetings. Once again Evan Rutherford will be holding forth against green policies at a special meeting of the Cafe Philosophique during September 2010's Wirksworth Festival, and this time the hapless Dave is the only one who can be found to oppose him, not that I am free of Greenicism.
The whole cafe (with use of hor water and of the loo upstairs), is available for hire in the evenings, a Buddhist group are at present meeting on Thursdays and Wirksworth Amnesty on a Tuesday every couple of months. For more details and links, see the drop-down entries above, under GROUPS.
See The Grapevine Great British Where to Eat Vegetarian Restaurant Guide www.grapevineguides.co.uk, or for international listings, www.happycow.net, and also the BMW Drive-by Food Guide
Contents and Prices subject to Fate, Destiny the Winds of Change and an overdue website updating!
| Coffee | Freshly ground coffee in individual cafetieres |
|---|---|
| Fair Traded Organic (Medium Roast, Dark Roasted or Decaffeinated) | £1.95 |
| Tea | Pots per Person |
| Various: including Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Keemun, Jasmine and Herbal; some Fair Trade and/or Organic | £1.50 |
| Cordials, still or sparkling | |
| Blackcurrent, Elderflower, Nettle, Lime or Ginger | £1.50 |
| Sparkling Cold Drinks | |
| Organic Lemonade, Organic Cola, Organic Apple & Raspberry, Mineral Water | £1.50 |
| Sparkling Bottled Drinks | |
| Fentiman's Ginger Beer, Dandelion & Burdock or Shandy | £1.95 |
| Soup & Rolls | |
| A choice of Home-made Soups with a Wholemeal Roll (V) | £3.85 |
| Savouries | |
| Home-made Organic Pizza with salad or beans | £4.50 |
| Home-made Organic Homity Pie with salad or beans | £4.50 |
| Home-made Organic nut loaf with salad or beans | £4.50 |
| Mushroom Pate with Toast and Salad | £3.50 |
| Cakes | |
| Carrot Cake | £2.50 |
| Chocolate Cake | £2.50 |
| Dairy Free chocolate cake | £2.50 |
| Fruit Cake | £2.00 |
| Tunisian Orange Cake(gluten free) | £2.00 |
| Lemon Polenta Cake(gluten free) | £2.00 |
| Cheese Scone and butter | £1.50 |
| Fruit Scone and butter | £1.50 |
| With Jam and Cream | £2.00 |
| Flapjack (V) | £1.20 |