Life's pretty darn good when you're sat out in the April sunshine of a Friday lunchtime, enjoying a mighty tasty crayfish & rocket sandwich and sipping a carbonated beverage. No need to hurry back to work just yet.

And so it came to pass, thanks to a 100W (energy efficient, naturally) lightbulb hanging over Andy Cassy's head, that the BT Defiants ping pong team embarked upon a rigorous pre-season training programme. Employing a radical "no bats" technique that would have delighted Mr Miyagi, it was decided that this should take the form of a summer tour ... of all the coffee shops in Woodbridge. Need a map?

When the weather's this good, you need to lap up some vitamin D, so let's find somewhere with outdoor seating: step forward the Wild Strawberry Cafe on Market Hill. Handily placed between the King's Head pub and the Galley restaurant, everything from the sign's lower-case lettering to the whitewashed interior screams fresh and hip. Which suits us down to the ground, oh yes.

For someone who seeks out non-standard soft drinks, the Strawbs' chilled cabinet is an Aladdin's cave -- I um-ed, I ah-ed, I chose a Chinotto from San Pellegrino. Marvellous. Service is laid back and unhurried, in a good way. Place your order, take your wooden spoon, and watch the world amble by.

Latte lacked a caffeine kick -- Americano for me next time -- but the cakes are good. There's even, I believe, free wi-fi if that's your bag, obviously being enjoyed by the guy in the back with his Apple laptop. A tiny taste of Seattle in sleepy Suffolk.

If it was a car -- Mini Cooper Convertible.
If they were passing by -- Lily Allen.

Update: 23-May-2008

One change of management later, the Wild Strawberry remains a class act. My chunky ciabatta, crammed with back bacon (from Creasey's of Peasenhall) and rocket was, for me, the best bacon sandwich ever. I've had more than my fair share of carrot cake, too, but theirs was up there with the best. Sadly, though, the Chinotto has been and gone: I'm hoping that an Ipswich deli can come up with the goods. Watch this space.