The Arches Coffee Lounge, Wetherells, Selby

10:47am Saturday 23rd February 2008

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Wetherells provides a welcome haven in its first-floor café.

There is a lift and wheelchair access is signed via a secondary café entrance.

The venue is self service with well-positioned chalk boards itemising food of the day with prices.

There is a standard menu on each table showing the usual range of snacks. Toasted teacakes and sausage rolls, both £1.20, and tray bakes from £1.30 were examples. Tea and coffee start at £1.15.

Service at the counter was very slow but once orders were taken, food emerged quickly from the kitchen.

There was an extensive range of food on offer. We could have chosen minestrone soup with croutons (£2.35), roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with roast potatoes and vegetables (£5.80), scampi and salad (£5.50), cottage or chicken and ham pie.

Puddings included treacle sponge and apple/blackberry crumble at £2.85.

Ann asked for bacon and mushroom quiche (£4.65) not realising it would come with chips, peas and a garnish that included peppers and sweetcorn.

A pot of tea with a jug of hot water produced more than enough for her to drink. But shame about the UHT milk.

My choice was a chicken and bacon sandwich (£2.60) which was supplemented by some of Ann's chips and garnish.

The staff were effective at clearing vacated tables and there was a steady through-put of customers. Apart from the items mentioned above, snackers near to us were enjoying jacket potatoes with various fillings and a tuna melt. Some appeared to have selected from the menu headed for the smaller appetite'.

The café was warm and, for Ann, the furniture and fashion departments made a pleasant change from the familiar York shops.