ABC Coffee

I rarely go to café’s but there are occasions when I like to take my two small grandchildren for a baked potato in the ABC coffee shop after a visit to Golden Acre Park. One always has the tuna mayo and the other has cheese + baked beans, and they look forward to it. But book the potatoes in advance unless you’re going for an early lunch, as they sometimes run out. Afterwards the children can go and choose their own home-​made cakes. Staff are friendly and helpful towards the children, though the elder one can be embarrassingly fidgetty. For 50p, they have squash drinks with no e-​additives for children. And there’s good coffee for me. The café is bright and airy, and staffed by volunteers who choose which local and overseas charities to support. They post a list so that customers can feel involved in the fund-​raising. Round off with a visit to Kidz in Kampz charity shop on the corner to look for a book or toy in support of children in refugee camps on the Myanmar (Burma)-Thailand border.

It would be easy not to notice the existence of ABC, hidden as it is behind Holt Park Centre but I’m an explorer and I found it.
Run by volunteers and with a table of religious stuff it might be easy to dismiss the place but they serve good honest sandwiches (including toasted ones) and panini as well as very tasty cakes and fair trade beverages.
Service isn’t super speedy but perhaps it’s good to slow down sometimes and the prices are reasonable.
You know, it feels good to know that your money isn’t lining some fat cat’s pockets :)

This little place at the back of ASDA, is one of the Holt Park mall’s oldest businesses, opening a decade ago and serving customers with teas, coffees, soft drinks and desserts ever since.
Like most people, until recently, I thought the name ABC was simply homage to the alphabet — it’s not. It stands for Adel Baptist Congregation, and is actually a café run entirely by unpaid volunteers to raise funds for that particular church. As you can imagine, there is a certain amount of ethical standing in this place, as the volunteer-​folk do their best to sell you fair-​trade products amongst other things. It is usually full of elderly folk stopping off on their way back from ASDA, and as such, has a quiet, quaint air about it, but this doesn’t mean it’s not a nice place to stop for a tea, coffee, or, if you’re that way inclined and happen to be about on a Thursday — a prayer.