One of our favourite coffee stops is the Perky Peacock housed in the enchanting little postern house beneath York’s Lendal Bridge (just by York Rowing Club). We’re not the only ones. Call in at 9 a.m. and it could be the Aviva works canteen where everyone knows one another and Nicola Peacock knows just how everyone likes their coffee.
Today she was serving ‘the world’s best’ coffee as nominated by the dull sounding (with an even duller website) Beverage Standards Association who’ve just held their awards ceremony. Yes, I know every industry is awash with awards but I’m assured that this one does count.
The Attic coffee shop in King’s Square (more on that another day) won for Best Espresso in the UK, while Perky Peacock can offer that Best Coffee in the World. For connoisseurs like Nicola, that’s a blend of 70% Guatamalan El Bosque and 30% El Salvador La Illusion. Nicola can wax lyrical about grapefruit tones and the like, but for me it was just a damn good coffee, strong, flavoursome and without bitterness. Served in a china cup, seated on a leather sofa with a copy of the Independent while the Ouse drifts by beneath us. Bliss.
If you haven’t been for a while, the Perky Peacock’s had a bit of an upgrade since we last reported. Double glazing makes it cosy warm for winter, the furniture got comfier. There’s an ever expanding choice of soups, sandwiches, cakes and biscuits made by her talented mum Pat, a brilliant baker known as Pastry Pat (she’d walk it in the Great British Bake-Off). We resisted her divine looking cherry cake today but were rather proud to hear she’d recently made Squidbeak’s (sorry Dan Lepard’s) Tamarind Date Cake. Told you it was good.