I think it is about time I write about some favorite coffee and tea spots I have found here in the United Kingdom. I thought it best to start off with one closest to home that I visit at least once every week: Surfin Cafe.
There are about 6 or so cafés in the middle of Biggleswade by the station. After trying each one, Surfin has everything I need in a local stop. Surfin has great homemade eats, such as sandwiches, cakes, and pastries. I was really excited to try local English favorites, so having a homemade shop in a small town is perfect. Combine this with decent coffee and sufficient seating, Surfin is a perfect spot to meet, relax or stop for a quick takeaway.
Convenience is a strong plus in my book, and Surfin provides that with their location and above all their hours. In a small town, you can imagine that finding places open at certain hours can be hard. In fact, most of the spots here are closed on Sundays or open for only a few hours. Sometimes they will even close early if it is a quiet day. Coming from Los Angeles where I would be able to get something after a long day of work or go out with friends to a café on Sundays, this is very unusual for me. Surfin is open 7 days a week for the bulk of the day (starting at 6:30 AM ending around 6:30 PM) and even on bank holidays.
I go to Surfin often right before a train ride into London to grab a vanilla latte to-go. The coffee here is much stronger than in the states, which is perfect for me. I often had to get double or triple shots in the states just to taste the coffee. I am so much happier now that I can actually taste the coffee and it is good quality coffee.
If I have time to relax or am running errands in town, it is nice to sit on the patio with a vanilla latte or flat white and a slice of Victoria Sponge Cake. I was so excited to try this cake in England, and it is simply delicious to me. Victoria Sponge, or often known as Victoria Sandwich, is a traditional bake with two fluffy yet moist sponge cakes sandwiching a layer of jam (strawberry or raspberry usually) and a layer of double whipped cream or vanilla cream and topped with light dusting of icing sugar. The one at Surfin is simple, textbook Victoria Sponge with a denser cream filling the way I like it (almost tastes like icing as opposed to whipped cream). I'm excited to try more all around the country!
I also tried the Raspberry Linzer, which felt very similar to the cake. It was like a light, crumbly sugar cookie sandwich with raspberry jam inside. Very pretty, so I couldn't resist. It was good, but maybe a little too much jam and richness for me. It kind of reminded me of breakfast if I wanted something sweet to go along with some black tea, so for the afternoon snack with a latte it was a bit too much at the time.
Surfin Cafe is my local, very convenient favorite that I can easily walk to or stop at when out of the house. If you come to visit me, we will probably stop by just so you can see for yourself. Besides, it is located literally in the center of town, so you can feel the vibe and get a great view of everything.
Surfin Cafe (3-4 Market House, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8AQ)