Flat white…

Having spent a lovely afternoon in snowy Axbridge, we decided to go for a coffee and cake before venturing into the foothills of the Mendips in search of more snow. We went into a  small welcoming café in an extremely old building, and ordered two cappuccino’s and an Americano for me, and I asked for cold milk on the side. Lovely coffee, and lovely cakes to go with it (carrot, lemon drizzle and coffee and walnut)

A lady on another table asked for a flat white… I’m really not sure what that is – or I wasn’t! When she came to pay, she very politely but rather snobbishly told the lovely people behind the counter that what she had been served was a mistake,was not a flat white, it was actually a cappuccino. They responded pleasantly, interested in what the problem was and telling her that they had been taught how to make what they had served by a coffee merchant/expert/supplier… not sure but they  obviously knew what they were doing. The lady then continued with her diatribe (yes, it really was) about how precisely a coffee should be made, how it had all begun in Australia, how there was the place for coffee in Bristol… and on and on… she deviated into talking about Americano’s which should be just black coffee but some people asked for them with milk (heck! That’s me!) Eventually she left and thanked them and said she’d be back to check whether they had learned the correct way to make a flat white.

When we got to the counter to pay, I couldn’t help but comment, saying how nice the coffee was and sorry if I had offended against some coffee diktat that American should only be served black… the café people laughed, they were so pleasant and nice… we’ll definitely go there again and I daresay I shall have an Americano with cold milk on the side!