STOP OFF Saltbox cafe
Page 48
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Sausages and bacon too tasty for sauce were the order of the day when CM's roving gourmet upped forks at Derby's Saltbox cafe.
Iviissed opportunities were the order of the day for at least two disappointed drivers at The Saltbox cafe on the A50, in Foston near Derby.
Melvin, from removal firm Horsleys of Stafford, was cursing his sandwich box, packed in the mistaken belief that codriver Mick would take a different route on today's run. Sandwiches were not on Mick's itinerary, however.
P&O driver Ron Heath had also erred. He had eaten heartily before he left home and was also forced to miss the full breakfast, against his better judgement.
CM's travelling correspondent, on the other hand, had prepared well. My 09:15hrs arrival co-incided with a delivery of meat provisions at the rear of the cafe. Whether this consignment included the sausage and two large rashers of crispy bacon on my plate, is unclear. Judging by the taste, the odds were in my favour. Sauce on top of any of these would have been a crime.
Regular Stop-Off readers who concur with this column's view about the usual offering of fried
bread at such establishments, need look no further for a quality standard than The Saltbox.
The fried slice made the two rounds of bread and spread completely redundant. Served golden brown, lightly crisped and given its own plate space, it was allowed to breathe. There was no danger of a soaking from the carefully timed fried egg and juice from the skinned tomatoes had been closely monitored, as well.
The breakfast price of £2.92 includes a cup of tea, which was much too strong for me. In fairness, I was offered a weaker one, but declined. Perhaps there is something in the water... The hostelries around here are also renowed for their strength of brew.
The "tasty fried potatoes" were an optional extra which at 45p I did accept. Rather unexpectedly, these were very lightly fried par boiled potatoes. I would give them a miss
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45I5 To 450
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next time.
United Transport tanker driver Malcolm Hughes, 18 years in the business and a fairly regular customer here during all that time, likes to be served his food straight away and felt the service was a bit slow: "You get the tea when you arrive, but the breakfast arrived several minutes afterwards, when the tea was finished," he said.
He suggested a free second cup as an alternative when this occured. It's a view expressed by drivers at previous venues, but perhaps from the cafe owner's angle
it's the sprait to catch the mackerel. It is a business after all.
Mick, the Horsleys driver, had by now removed most of the contents of his breakfast plate. He and Melvin have been customers for around 20 years and I had to agree with their view about waiting time.
They thought it acceptable. Had the meal arrived any faster, it would have to have been either overcooking on a hot plate, or else in serious need of a blast from a microwave, they said.
"Here you know it's been freshly cooked," says Melvin.
There is room for about 30 vehicles on the truck park and an overnight stay in the cab costs £4.00. This includes a contribution towards the cost of a meal which can be taken between 07:0019:00hrs. A pub opposite the cafe offers alternative refreshment in the evening.
Peter Burt, one of four other Saltbox visitors from the P&O depot in Manchester, was having his first cooked breakfast for as long as he could remember. A complimentary verdict makes the future profits for Britain's transport cafe's look a little brighter.
He and Ron Heath were pleased that this seemed to be one of a growing number of transport cafes considering the dietary health of drivers, leaving behind the concept of the "greasy spoon" and the associated heart problems.
A new road by-pass is the main concern of owner Jim Egan, who also doubles as chef.
He says there were three cafes competing in the immediate area at one time. After 30 years as a family occupation, these have been beaten off only to be replaced by the possibility of blight caused by an unknown planning official. The Saltbox has a non-LGV side of the business, with a slightly more upmarket environment. Local trade might help it survive the completion of the bypass, but it would be a shame if the professional trade was killed-off.
Our advice is, ignore the by-pass, and keep a copy of the map.
• If you would like to nominate your favourite truckstop for a future Stop Off contact features editor Patric Cunnane.