Boston Tea Party cafe, Cheltenham

One of my favourite meals on our recent trip came from the Cheltenham branch of the Boston Tea Party. Despite the name, the Boston Tea Party is a British cafe-restaurant chain that serves locally sourced and health-friendly food. There are 17 stores clustered around south-west and central England, although as there isn't one in London I hadn't heard of them before our trip. Whilst a London store would be handy for me, I rather like that the company is so successful without buying into the competitive London market.

Cheltenham Boston Tea Party

The Cheltenham branch of the cafe was light and airy with seating over several levels. As shown above and below, it was busy despite being mid-week. Reviews on Trip Advisor suggest it can be hard to find a table on weekends, and I can see why.

The menu is varied and includes all-day breakfast / brunch options as well as more traditional lunch items. I was in the luxurious position of having two meals I wanted to try: the breakfast 'Smashed Avocado on Organic Pumpernickel Rye', which included hummus, chipotle and chilli (a vegan version of the same dish with poached eggs) and the 'Super Salad' consisting of avocado, mango, radish, sprouting seeds, sugar snap peas, leaves, carrot, nuts and seeds. I could happily have had other breakfast items too, including brown rice porridge or spelt granola, but didn't see them as fitting our lunchtime visit.

Superfood salad and tuna melt sandwich

In the end, I opted for the super salad as something more difficult to make myself. I'm glad I did as it was delicious and full of both colour and flavour. There were generous quantities of all ingredients, which I welcomed as an alternative to salads that are mostly leaves. Mr Bite had a toasted tuna melt sandwich with tuna, cheddar, tarragon and capers and he also pronounced it very good.

The Boston Tea Party also have a range of appealing drinks, including teas, coffees, smoothies and juices. They offer vegan hot chocolate and mocha and I opted for a mocha, which was delicious.

Vegan mocha

As my lunch was so good, I bought a piece of the vegan 'hippy nut slice' to take away. The name was a bit off-putting but it was very enjoyable - effectively a flapjack studded with generous quantities of seeds, nuts and dried fruit.

Vegan slice

I am not sure when we'll find ourselves back in Cheltenham, but as there are stores studded around England I may have a chance to visit the Boston Tea Party again. I certainly recommend it if you find yourself nearby.

The Boston Tea Party website includes details of all store locations and a PDF of the menu - http://www.bostonteaparty.co.uk/ .

Where have you enjoyed eating lately?

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