No time like the present eh? Just back from a very worthwhile trip to Deptford Properly, our new neighbourhood cafe; a visit which was notable for several reasons. Firstly, and of course most importantly for a cafe, it ticked many of the boxes for me in terms of tea and cake. And some of those were boxes that very rarely get ticked, I have to add - such as the presence of proper tea leaves, tea strainer, and teacup and saucer. I never make tea like that at home due to the inconvenience of having to clean out the teapot afterwards, but it marks out a proper cafe for me. I've long been a fan of Royal Teas in Greenwich for just this reason, but it is great to see tea leaves creeping over the borough border into Deptford at last!
As far as cake goes, I only got chance to try the lemon cake, but it was absolutely sublime and I have no reason to believe the other cakes on offer would not meet the same standard. You can also get light lunches (homemade quiche, humus, sandwiches etc) and a huge range of drinks, herbal teas, coffees and so on.
Secondly, I came out to two Deptford Dame fans! Deptford Properly manager/teamaker extraordinaire Sakura, who commented on my previous post, and Clare (aka Belle) Pressnell, whose textile art is currently on display at the cafe. Belle's show is called 'Deptford Stitched Up'; she has skillfully combined photography and textiles to create some very thought-provoking pieces commenting on Deptford's ongoing regeneration. If you have been following the local bloggers' discussions about developments on Deptford Creek, the Seager Distillery or the debates about The Tower on BBC1, you will recognise the themes in Belle's work. The black and white photographs are printed on fabric interfacing and then overstitched with bright colours, the tower cranes and building sites of the area appearing gaudy and out of place against the familiar facades of our street scenes.
I suspect I'm going to develop a real soft spot for this cafe, as it's the sort of place I would LOVE to run myself (if I wasn't so lazy...!). It is small but perfectly formed; there are a few tables inside and out, a large comfy-looking sofa, and it is decorated with all sorts of found items, many of them from the neighbouring junk shop or from Deptford market, according to Sakura.
And although it's only been open for a week, there are already discussions about starting a knitting group in the cafe! As some of you may know, this is a subject rather dear to my heart, or rather to that of my alter ego the Knit Nurse.
Nip down and catch the cafe on market days (Wed, Fri, Sat) from 10am till 7pm and for special events on Sundays (check on Utrophia).
Deptford Stitched Up will be on show for at least the next three weeks.
3 comments:
If they do set up a knitting group, be sure to let me know! It's frustrating that they're not open very often - I was in Deptford a couple of weeks ago for the first time and missed out because it wasn't a market day. Luckily, the next time I'm due to be heading up that way is a Friday, so I should be in luck!
Hiya
This Sunday 23rd September we are having a knitting workshop at the cafe, at 3pm. Beginners can come and learn to knit, but experienced knitters are also very welcome to come along and join in.
We will be starting a knitting group at the cafe soon, but the day and time is still undecided.
By the way, Deptford Properly cafe is now open every Sunday, not just for specials.
I'd been meaning to say for ages Deptford Dame - some nice picks of the cafe and thanks for the pics and post about my work. It was really lovely meeting you - we have some common interests - Deptford and knitting.
Of course I think of the Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. Among my favorite books ever.
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