Caracoli is a sumptuous little café hidden away on the second floor of well-known kitchen equipment and cookware store ‘Steamer Trading Cookshop’ at the top of the High Street opposite the Three Pigeons Pub. This central location means that customers can immerse themselves in all things food related by having a shop around and also by stopping for a tea, coffee or bite to eat. The Food Store with its wide range of unusual food items from around the globe is a pleasant place for customers to browse and is artfully arranged to be enticing and eye catching.
Caracoli is a family run business and has three other shops in Farnham, Alresford and Winchester. Director Gail Nichols opened the first Caracoli store in Alresford in 2005 with her husband Chris and their son James is also now a co-owner. The original inspiration for Caracoli came when Gail and Chris Nichols were struck by the stylish, contemporary cafes they found when they travelled to the Antipodes and South Africa. When they returned to the UK they were disappointed by how few places offered amazing coffee, cakes and light lunches whilst simultaneously incorporating a food store, outside of central London.
The great idea then grew from the desire to create “an environment where coffee shop and retail food store come together in the same place” and the motivation comes from “an enthusiasm for outstanding food and drink and a wish to share this with our customers.” Not a bad plan at all, so how does the Guildford branch fare?
Well, the food and drink served in the coffee shop is handmade daily with the greatest care in the kitchens and so it is high on quality and freshness. Caracoli respect traditional recipes and foods but are excited by and search out new ideas in the food world and we are told that items sold in the Food Store are selected for their “originality and high quality, sourced from both local and international producers”.
So what’s on the menu? At lunch time you will find a combination of Norfolk pork pies, award winning scotch eggs and homemade sausage rolls, or if you are looking for something a little lighter or healthier then Caracoli also offers fresh summer salads, a selection of wraps and rye-breads, filled focaccia rolls and a tempting range of warm, hearty soups. You can enjoy these snacks in the well-lit surrounds of the second floor café with a great view overlooking the High Street and all the way down town or you can get your food to take away.
Caracoli is also pretty serious about its coffee and the name actually refers to the highly-prized coffee beans that develop singly inside a coffee cherry (cherries normally contain two beans). This year, Head Barista, Dhan Tamang won the UK Latte Art Championship 2013 which highlights what we mean!
If coffee is not your cup of tea, then fear not as they have a whole host of T2 teas from Melbourne to choose from at the café or to buy in the Food Store. There is loose leaf tea, herbal and fruit tisane with evocative names such as Monk Pear, Gorgeous Geisha and Girlie Grey. And to go perfectly with that? Fresh, seasonal, homemade biscuits and cakes such as Hampshire Ale cake in the winter and Passion fruit and Orange cake in the summer.
So next time you are at the top end of town, pop in to Caracoli for breakfast, coffee, lunch, tea, cakes & bakes or just to browse the Food Store. You will be pleasantly surprised by their well-trained, knowledgeable and attentive staff and on warmer days the stunning glass floored terrace makes a wonderful place to relax and enjoy your coffee.
James Martin