Three Course Champagne Breakfast At Bournes Coffee Shop & Bistro
Published On Wednesday 15 Feb 2023 by Sticky Beak
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Regular readers of the blog will know that The Man and I have visited Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro at The Denby Pottery Village on a few occasions, for meals of various guises. Each time we’ve been we’ve had a superb experience, so we were thrilled to be invited along to sample the three-course Champagne Breakfast, which is served Thursday-Sunday between 9.30-11am. This treat needs to be booked in advance, and the team recommend that you arrive 10 minutes beforehand so that you get the most out of your 90 minutes of indulgence, so that’s what we did.
The lovely Colette greeted us with her mega-watt smile and showed us to our table by the window and asked whether we’d like to kick off with Champagne or freshly squeezed Orange Juice. We both opted for the bubbles – after all, what better way to begin a relaxed weekend? As well as the cold drink, you also get unlimited tea or filter coffee to enjoy as you savour your breakfast, but we said we’d wait a while before having a hot drink.
To save time (especially important for larger groups, such as hen parties or birthday groups – groups of 6 or more receive an automatic 10% discount at the check-out, by the way) the Bourne’s team ask you to pre-order which morsels you’d like from a selection. The first course choices are: American Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup, Greek Yoghurt with Wild Berry Presse, or a Toasted Cheese and Bacon Croissant. Not a shabby selection at all, I’m sure you’ll agree?
I fancied the Pancakes with their classic partnership of crispy Bacon and sweet, luscious Maple Syrup (which came in a separate little jug) and, when they came, I was feeling mightily chuffed with my choice because they looked muchos delicious! Chef was clearly feeling generous because, rather than two pancakes as stated on the menu, I got a trio of dinky spheres that had long, thick slices of bacon peeking out from between them. The Pancakes were nice and fluffy, like the ones you can buy in the supermarket, and they soaked up the sticky Maple Syrup that I unashamedly drowned them in! Usually, I’m not a fan of keeping the fat on bacon, but when it’s cooked to crispy, crunchy perfection (like it was here) I change my mind, and devour it greedily. Bourne’s source their bacon from the guys at Greedy Pig Butchers, who have an extensive produce counter in the Farm Shop at the Pottery Village, and it is proper, thick, meaty, flavour-packed stuff that had my taste buds clapping in delight.
The Man Bird had gone for the Toasted Cheese and Bacon Croissant, so he was a happy chap as he bit into the same satisfying porky treat as I had done. There’s something very satisfying and comforting about thick rashers of Bacon as you chew them, and this stuff had a great ‘chew time’ whilst remaining lovely and soft and moist. Chef had partnered the Bacon with a suitably robust, Mature Cheese, whose deep flavoursome tang stood shoulder-to-shoulder with it, stuffing the suitably large Croissant to the gunnels with both morsels. This was a fantastic specimen of comfort food (albeit a posher one than you’d usually encounter!) and His Nibs smiled happily as he finished this tasty treat, his initial hunger satiated very nicely.
Colette had checked that we were enjoying our first courses and when she came back to clear away the clean plates asked if we’d like a 5-minute respite before our ‘mains’ were brought out, to which we replied “yes, please”. We also ordered some hot drinks at this point: coffee for The Man, a pot of tea for yours truly.
I’d had a bit of a dilemma when I’d chosen my middle course; I really like Eggs Benedict (it’s a classic breakfast dish) but I also love Avocado, as you all know! Poached Eggs featured in both of the options I was weighing up: partnered with slices of home-cooked Ham and a toasted Muffin on one hand, or slices of toasted Sourdough, mashed Avo and a pair of Bacon rashers on the other. In the end, it was the fact that I had already had Bacon in my first dish that swung it for the Eggs Benedict. As well as the traditional light breakfast (of which there is a vegetarian version available), there is also a Big Breakfast on offer that doubles up on the Egg, Bacon, Sausage, Hash Brown and Toast – yours for a £2 supplement. No prizes for guessing which one His Nibs went for – yup, the Big one, aka The Greedy Pig Breakfast!
Colette placed my ‘Eggs Benny’ in front of me and I couldn’t help but smile; the sunshine toned Hollandaise sauce was just so blooming optimistic, matched by the gorgeously rich, golden yolks of the eggs when I cut into them. If this dish was a cartoon character, it would be Tigger, hands down, it was that joyous! A scattering of snipped fresh Chives added another pop of visual appeal as well as a subtly allium tang on the tongue which cut through all the richness really nicely. Both the yolk and the Hollandaise glided like silk over my tongue and I savoured the more textural element of the generous slices of Ham as I chewed its fibres lazily. The muffin had been lightly toasted, but there was no mistaking its freshness as the soft, doughy centre sprang back against the pressure of my knife. This classic breakfast dish had been perfectly executed in the kitchen at Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro, and I was glad that I’d chosen it to continue my gastro-journey.
His Nibs’ Big Breakfast states that it comes with Black Pudding, but it wasn’t to be found on this occasion; not that it mattered because The Man isn’t overly fussed about this particular component of a Full English. I didn’t mind missing out either because I still got the dinky Button Mushrooms and one half of the wondrously soft grilled, herby Tomato – yummy! Chef had crisped up the pair of Hash Browns to golden scrumminess and The Man wasted no time at all in scoffing these beauties, dunking them in the Baked Beans that were contained in a separate pot.
There’s no denying that The Greedy Pig Butchers’ Bacon and Sausage are ruddy fab: flavoursome, dense enough in texture to be super satisfying, and just downright delicious! His Nibs was murmuring reverentially as he munched piece after piece of them, his belly in agreement as it got fuller and fuller. A couple of slices of toast (either white or wholemeal, your choice) come with this breakfast, as do two eggs, which you can have either poached or fried and (ever the child!) The Man Bird wasted no time in dunking the bread into the runny yolks, determined to not waste a single scrap of his morning feast.
Colette always makes time for a chat whenever she comes to the table (not just ours, she does it with everyone who comes through Bourne’s doors), which I think is one of this Denby venues’ best charms. Whilst she cleared away our – clean again! – plates, Colette checked our drinks and asked if we’d like them refreshing; His Nibs asked for another coffee, but my large teapot still had plenty in so I declined her kind offer.
For some bizarre reason, we’d totally forgotten that there was still the third course to come, so our eyes popped out on stalks when a large wooden platter was placed before us, laden with a selection of mini Danish Pastries and fresh Strawberries. As a final flourish, Chef had lightly dusted it all with Icing Sugar to make it look pretty and a little special which, let’s face it, is exactly what a Champagne Breakfast should be like, no? I had dibs on the Raspberry pastry, so matey boy snaffled the Chocolate minx. We both bit into the soft pastries and cooed over their buttery flakes as they melted in our mouths, dabbing at any crumbs that lingered on our lips. Personally, I love Apricot, so I was hoping that that little rascal was to be mine and, when His Nibs said that he would like the Apple Danish, I wasted no time at all in grabbing my choice!
As you may expect, our (not-so-little-by-this-point) bellies were full to the brim and we were basking in a food coma glow, smiling happily across the table at one another. Each course had been attractively presented and, where applicable, was lovely and hot. You couldn’t fault the portion sizes either, and for £24.95 per person (£2 extra for the Big Breakfast, if you select that) we both agreed that it was excellent value for money. Bourne’s Coffee Shop and Bistro is accessible for those with mobility issues, just make the team aware of your requirements when you make your booking.
Hot Wings happily awarded again to this great Denby venue, and huge thanks for kindly inviting us along to partake of this superb treat.
To book your Champagne Breakfast Experience just head to www.denbypottery.com/denby-pottery-village-eat It’s as simple as that!
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