EDitorial ± 5-Mar-2015

Light Lunches: Darsham Hamper

What with having experienced the joy of Sax on recent excursions (Smile, Bistro and Trinity's), it was finally time to push the panini envelope and shatter the sandwich ceiling. Sailing past Saxmundham and yomping through Yoxford (status of the Post Office unconfirmed), our dusty eyes at last beheld Deores Ham, the "home of the deer". Boys, doff your caps 'cos I do believe this is Darsham.

Despite its village status, the team understands there to be as many as IV eateries in the vicinity, those being:

  • the venerable Half Way Cafe opposite the station
  • the venerated and possibly veggie cafe within Darsham Nurseries
  • the van-friendly caff to the side of the Londis garage
  • the vanguard of the Co-op that is the Darsham Hamper

What was once a languishing Little Chef -- and possibly a humdrum Happy Eater back in the day -- has been transmogrified by those divi distributors into its "sourced-locally flagship store". Oh yes. There's sauce by Stokes, juice by James White and multitudes of upmarket meat. Plus, and obviously what's brought us 20+ miles today, a quality cafe run by our Coffeelink buddies, them of the roastery. Let's grab a seat.

You can easily zone out watching the passing A12 from the comfy chairs or, like us, be a tad more formal on the high table, slightly more suitable for the consumption of hot food. Kev and Andy are plenty pleased with their respective bacon and sausage baps -- extra marks for branded Heinz and HP sauce sachets -- and here's my tuna mayo jacket c/w leaves. Nom-nom. Unlike the grub, the TV's a bit disappointing with its slightly creepy fixed shot of the playground outside. Wot no rolling BBC news, say?

Baked goods beckon us as we sample bakewell flapjack and lemon sponge. Kev can keep that suspiciously healthy-looking granola. Can't visit without partaking of a jolt or two: that macchiato fair melts my head and gives me technicolour visions of Batman lettering. Kapow! Zap! Wham! Once my eyes stop spinning, there's the picture postcard canvas wall print of the red Coffeelink van by the ford in Kersey to admire.

So, top-drawer food and drink from both the Co-op and Coffeelink, plus local papers to browse, plus plenty of parking, plus they're open from 7am to 7pm every day. Hoorah for the Hamper!

If it was a car -- Kia Soul EV.
If they were passing by -- Melvin Benn.