with Mark Davison
Beryl and Pegs café and coffee shop, Holmesdale Road, Reigate RH2 0BA
W HEN I read that another coffee shop was to open in Reigate I was a little fearful for its future given the plethora of such premises in the town.
But my concerns were swiftly dispelled when I visited Beryl and Pegs on Friday afternoon.
Firstly, it is not in the town itself but in the same road as Reigate Station, some 10 minutes' walk from the centre.
Secondly, it is anything but a branch of a coffee chain.
In its delightfully rustic setting, two ladies offer only home-made cooking – and this has proved to be the ingredient for success.
Indeed, as I pulled up in the sunny road, I was taken aback to see the place abuzz with young mums, some with their charges, occupying many of the seats while sipping coffee and savouring sumptuous cakes and snacks.
I stepped in and took a seat. My eyes wandered to the menu and I was tempted by the home-made chorizo and sunblush Scotch eggs. I selected one at the counter together with a cheese and onion tartlet.
I could have picked Peggy's three-cheese Montgomery melt "with an onion medley on sour dough" (£4).
The café only opened earlier this summer in premises vacated some while ago by a charity.
I ordered a bottle of passion-fruit juice and sat back to enjoy the lively atmosphere.
While choosing a drink from the chiller cabinet on this hot afternoon, I initially picked up a jug of water containing a sprig of mint, I think it was, inside. But I was informed that this was just water for the tables.
Flags hanging in the window were made from various coloured and floral-designed fabric.
Outside, a well-known window cleaner, Phil, was busy doing just that and the girls in the shop were considering leaving out a sausage roll for him.
Phil has now been cleaning windows in Reigate for 50 years. He told me he hailed from Devizes, Wilts, and it was pure coincidence that one of the two ladies running the cafe was also from that town so they had plenty to talk about and reminisce over.
On the next table, a trio of young ladies were busy discussing work and looking back at the days when they were studying. They commented on today's students.
"At uni, they have all that work to do and mummy and daddy pay for their flat. And then they go travelling and they end up in Asia not knowing what to do with all their time."
The girls cast their minds back to when they were applying for jobs.
"I was terrified during my interview," said one.
Another replied: "I could have gone on to become a retail manager but I don't know if that was really me."
They sipped coffee and one of the party commented: "I remember thinking that when they told me I hadn't got the job, I was, like, relieved actually."
A little toddler dressed in pink trotted off across the cafe, knelt down and tried to peel off the hazard warning tape affixed above a step but did not succeed and returned to Mum.
Nearby, a father and his schoolgirl daughter were having afternoon tea. His mobile rang.
"Oh well, it's horses for courses," he said, sighing.
His daughter sipped fruit juice and some of it dripped down her.
"Don't wipe it all over you," cautioned Dad.
She was very well behaved and even took some of the dirty crockery to the counter to assist the busy ladies.
They got up to depart. "Thank you very much," called out Dad, as he led his daughter out.
"Thank you! Goodbye!" called out the lady at the counter.
During a quieter moment I enquired of the two ladies how the cafe got its catchy name.
"It's named after both our grandmothers," I was told.
The two ladies first met 19 years ago while flying with British Airways and have been friends ever since.
"To have our own cafe has always been an aspiration of ours."
The eatery boasts a menu full of home-made meals and smaller bites, ranging from meatballs to a special three-cheese-melt sandwich.
Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke visited the cafe for a special launch event ahead of the full opening.
Among the specialities on offer are home-cured salt beef sandwiches and a tomato and meatball dish made on the premises.
On Monday air conditioning is being installed for the comfort of the customers and those working in the kitchen. The cafe will be closed for the day while the work takes place.
There are two rooms in the cafe. In the lower one, mums were gathered, exchanging news and views – sunshades removed and placed on the table tops.
Above the vibrations of the refrigeration units, there was a hum of laughter and chatter, as well as the clinking of cutlery and crockery.
The door was open onto the warm street outside and there was a slightly continental atmosphere, too.
I rounded off my visit with a slice of chocolate ganache. I was in heaven, but soon they would be closing for the day.
