Angela Cunningham visits The Hedgerow Florist and Coffee Shop in Threshfield

 

WE walk into The Hedgerow and it feels just as refreshing as… well, a hedgerow. Tall jugs and buckets of blooms and foliage sit in a shady corner filling the room with the delicate perfume of fresh flowers. The rear door is open to a garden full of birdsong. An eclectic mix of chairs and benches, complete with squishy cushions, sit around a variety of tables. The outdoors has been brought inside and the effect is delightful.
Before sitting down we browse the shelves of distinctive vintage and modern housewares on sale and I start imagining them in my own home, cheering up the dated décor. But with only a back-pack in which to carry them, purchasing will have to wait for another visit.
We choose a window table where, though there is snow on the ground outside, bright sunshine is flooding in. We discover that our table is in fact a recycled sewing machine, the like of which my Granny used. When she wasn’t looking I loved to sit on the treadle and rock it up and down.
Dizzy Goddaughter is hungry from our morning walk and nudges me back into the moment.
“Carrot and coriander soup, my favourite. Decision made!” she announces and before I know it she’s ordered for both of us.
She’s made a sound choice. The soup is thick and wholesome and is, in all truth, the best I’ve ever tasted. It is delivered in a good-size bowl along with a soft, brown roll and ample butter. Sipping it slowly is like balm to the soul, on this cold winter’s day, as it warms the cockles. There’s no doubt all the ingredients are seasonal and fresh, and I’m told it is made on the premises, as are the ever-changing variety of cakes on offer. Sandwiches, as such, do not appear on the menu but there are always one or two interesting savoury options, today’s being crumpets or bagel and cream cheese, and the ever-popular toasted teacake is a staple.
The cheerful staff respond swiftly to the ever-tinkling doorbell and are as comfortable serving at tables, advising on decor or hand-tying flowers in the floristry workroom. Today the team is working on some wonderful displays for a wedding.
“I love working here,” our waitress tells us as we order coffee to follow our soup. And I can understand why. There appears to be never a dull moment in this unique little enterprise. Even the cheeky little shop terrier appears happy to be shooed back into the back-room when he escapes into the shop for a moment’s leg stretch. The atmosphere is charming and relaxed; we are surrounded by displays of tasteful displays, as tempting to buy as the flowers; bluesy jazz gently wafts around us; and the food is excellent.
Chatting with a couple who tell us they are local and have become regular customers, we learn that the home baking is as good as it looks and the coffee is excellent. And once our drinks arrive we cannot agree more. Generous cups of a steaming well-rounded brew are just the thing to set us up for the continuation of our snowy Dales walk.
DETAILS
The Hedgerow Florist and Coffee Shop, Station Road, Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5BH, 01756 752293
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5pm
MENU
Coffee £1.75, bagel and cream cheese £3.50, scone £2.50