Mint Lane Café
Mint Lane Café one of the best kept secrets in Lincoln
Mint Lane Café a social enterprise café relies upon donated surplus food which would otherwise go to waste which is turned into delicious meals.
The food arrives in the morning, a couple of hours to prepare, then everything freshly cooked.
The cooks and serving staff are all volunteers, a very friendly and pleasant atmosphere, which is more than can be said for too many eating places.
And the standard of the meals high, very high. All for £3–00 for a three course meal, starter, main course and dessert and no that figure of three pounds for all three courses is not a typo.
I had broccoli and cream cheese soup, followed by roast chicken with vegetables and roast potatoes served with gravy in a Yorkshire pudding dish.
The roast potatoes were from new potatoes. The roast potatoes were the best I have eaten.
The main course served piping hot and of generous portion size, indeed I struggled to finish, especially as I yet had apple and plum crumble served with custard to come.
Sadly no apple and plum crumble as none left. They apologised as I had paid for three courses but I declined offer of anything else as too full.
To put the meal in context, far better than would get in crap corporate chain Cosy Club, hotted up standard corporate fare in a fake 1930s bar, so fake a Monty Python parody of fake.
The cost, a few pence less than I pay for a cappuccino, a pound less than I pay for a V60.
Not only meals, surplus food that is donated and not used for the day’s meal is on sale. Almond milk, milk, fruit juice, bread, tinned products, fruit, vegetables. I picked up spread, soft cheese spread, crisp bread, dark chocolate.
Social enterprise cafés are springing up across the country, some rely on donated foods, others raid skips, some it is pay what you like, or if cannot pay, offer to volunter, others charge a small fee, with the option of paying more if feel able.
When I was at ReSpacing Conference at The Hive we started with Skipping Breakfast. Most attendees thought it meant we skipped breakfast I was one of the few who understood the meaning, breakfast from raided skips.
My lunch in Mint Lane Café was my first meal in a social enterprise café. I was impressed.
Mint Lane Café is not easy to find. Walk up the High Street, through The Stonebow, at Madame Waffle (one of only two coffee shops worth visiting in Lincoln) turn left into Park Street, at Age Concern Park Street Eatery turn left into Mint Lane. Towards the end of Mint Lane on the right within a red brick Victorian building will find Mint Lane Café.
