Cafés for me

My favourite coffee shop has closed down. I wandered up with friends and saw the A4 lined paper with the black permanent marker sign; 'Closed Down - thanks for all your support over the last year'. Rachel and Aimee were very sympathetic (although 30 minutes later they were a little stuck for reassuring words!) For the next half an hour I was in complete shock, muttering to myself as we drove back to Ripon. I ran inside the cottage, simply for me to access the internet to find out what has happened. I've looked all over the internet and nothing.

It was called The Laden Table. The walls and tables were a crisp white and the milk was served in miniature milk bottles. It was beautiful, and a little retreat which provided me with Poppies For Grace post-it notes, buffalo mozzarella sandwiches and blueberry cupcakes- it was a place to bring friends. I don't think I would have survived my teaching placement in North Yorkshire without it.

All this emotion got me thinking. Cafes are like homes. You can make any cafe your home, even for a morning. The first morning working in Manchester I went to a Starbucks for a big Vanilla Latte. I sat there for half an hour in a corner, buried myself in a book (although I was not engaging with it because of that distracting nervous feeling). Independent coffee shops usually triumph though. Leonards Coffee Shop in Durham excels in creating a homely atmosphere. It has seen thousands of students nestle in it's comfy leather sofa in the new upstairs extension. They go to the toilet are greeted by three ducks happily sitting in the corner. Their loyalty card has daisies on it.

Lempicka in Beverley is another favourite location. Painted with French inspired murials and selling luxury chocolate truffles, it felt like Chocolat in an actually cafe. So many conversations happened there; 12-14 years old. Friends told me they were leaving the area, breaking up with a boyfriend or questioning their very existence.

The Laden Table was as tranquil as a Spa but as cosy as a log cabin in the depths of winter. People brought Apple Macs and read Country Living as the children played with the wooden kitchen. Described as a 'creative community in the heart of North Yorkshire' there was a vision behind it that was deeper than the shop's foundations! As we walked around the corner I told Rachel and Aimee, 'This lady completely inspires me...and it's become one of my favourite places'. Confronted with an empty shop with its lights turned off and the fairy lights crumpled up in a pile on the table...I felt like my house had just been robbed. People often talk about 'soundtracks for their lives' or they associate meals with a certain places. It'll be cafe's for me.