'We had lunch at Home Bargains Cafe and were baffled by the price of a pot of tea'
I'm sure I'm not alone at getting a little excited at the prospect of a trip to Home Bargains. Like its rival B&M, you never quite know what you'll be coming home with, but chances are you'll have found it cheaper than anywhere else.
So the chance to try out its cafe left me a bit giddier than I should have been on a Wednesday afternoon, and I was certainly more cheerful than my 16-year-old, who like most teenagers these days, aren't happy until they've splashed the cash (my cash) at the likes of Starbucks and Costa.
Sadly, there aren't yet any such cafes in the retailer's Greater Manchester stores, so we had to travel to the nearest one at Warrington's Junction 9 Retail Park, which opened a year ago. It comes as a man claimed, 'I work at Tesco and there's one thing I hate doing for customers'.
I guessed it would be busy, especially during the school holidays, but we were lucky to get a table as customers - a real mix of age groups - took up nearly every seat in the place. Thankfully, a little table for two came free, so my daughter took a pew while I went to peruse the menu behind the counter and see what was on offer inside the fridge.
There was more than I expected, with a range of toasties, focaccia sandwiches, box sandwiches, wraps and salads on display. The board behind the counter lists more products, with the likes of breakfast rolls and toasted items including teacakes, crumpets and toast for £1.
In a separate display cabinet there's the sweet stuff - pastries, donuts, cookies, big slices of cake, you name it - and if you're after a quick grab-and-go, there's a tray full of sausage rolls priced 50p each. And I have to say the other prices are impressive too.
The ham and cheese toastie I ordered might not quite be the standard of Starbucks, but it was well worth the £2.75 price. And I couldn't believe that a pot of tea was just £1. I say pot, it was a small one, with not much more than one brew in it, but it's rare you can get a tea for a quid these days.
My daughter's vanilla milkshake was £1.99 - they do chocolate, strawberry and banana too as well as smoothies for the same price - while a latte, cappuccino or Americano will set you back £1.59 for a regular or £1.79 for a large. A hot chocolate or iced coffee are also £1.79.
Despite her initial reluctance to be there - a trip to Home Bargains with your mum hardly competes with a Starbucks trip with friends - she was more than happy with her £1.99 sausage bap, even more so that the ketchup sachets were Heinz. The donut was pretty standard and you can't complain with the 59p price for those, and my slice of carrot cake, at £1.49, was basic and a little dry, but still worth the money.
Our whole lunch consisting of pot of tea, milkshake, toastie, sausage barm, donut and carrot cake came to £9.81, which I'd say is pretty impressive. And the staff were super efficient too.
Our table wasn't clear when we first arrived, but that's mostly on the previous customers who hadn't shifted it before leaving, so I just took it over to the trolleys they have, similar to IKEA.
At the counter itself, it was like a military operation, with order numbers being shouted once they were ready. I've been in much pricier eateries with service nowhere near as thorough as this one.
Just 43 Home Bargains stores currently have a cafe inside them, including the branch at Boulevard Retail Park in Speke, Liverpool and others in Gillmoss and Norris Green, also in Liverpool.
If the popularity of Warrington's Winwick Road cafe is anything to go by, I don't think it will be long until we see a lot more. The sooner the better, if you ask me.
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