When writing about dining out, the media tend to focus on restaurants, independent cafes and bijou little nooks, also pubs, hotels and takeaways. But there's one place you're always guaranteed a hot meal at a bargain price and that's a supermarket cafe, the unsung destination of choice for many a prudent diner. Assuming you can still find one, that is.
Supermarkets didn't used to have cafes, not until the bigger out-of-town superstores decided to put aside space for a hot counter and some plastic tables as a means to attract more punters. Instead cheap canteen-like restaurants were the general preserve of the high street department store, often on an upper floor to tempt you past ladies fashions and home furnishings on the way. I well remember, after a tough morning of being taken shopping round Watford, being led upstairs to a stark white room above British Home Stores to select from a school-dinner-like menu, then watching while it was doled out from a succession of metal tureens before edging my wooden tray along the bars towards a till where some white-hatted matron would tot up each item individually and present my Mum with a bill. It's not like that now.
The supermarket cafe is usually to be found in a quiet corner somewhere near the entrance, just past the trolley park, the rack of magazines and the backs of the checkouts. Here a long counter awaits the weary shopper, perhaps several, with an array of packaged goodies, plated treats and hot cooked staples awaiting your delectation. The range is generally limited and traditional - all the elderly crowd pleasers - often with a proper breakfast option if you arrive early enough. The drinks machine has long been a fixture just before the till, but these days more likely to generate something frothy than a pot of tea. Warm desserts with dolloped custard were alas phased out long ago in favour of something ready-sliced. And when your tray's full just pay the bill, pick a table and enjoy a leisurely natter, safe in the knowledge your meal out hasn't broken the bank. As long as you go to the right supermarket, that is.
I went to Asda on the Isle of Dogs where the supermarket cafe is still a pleasingly retro experience. Step behind the rack of flowers to discover a single white counter, lightly-staffed, and beyond that a puce-walled corner with perches, banquettes and proper tables. The food queue starts by a stack of brown plastic trays, then come the wraps and baguettes (would you like that warmed?), then the slices of sponge under plastic domes with tongs on top. The selection on the hotplate looked very limited but if you wanted the battered cod or lasagne you'd be able to select a portion straight away. By the till are more cakes plus a rack of Walkers crisps and a pleasingly old-school Coca-Cola dispenser, and if you insist on ordering tea there are six options but they're all Tetleys. What's not to enjoy?
Asda hot menu Mains (all £6.75): cod and chips, scampi and chips, lasagne, stew & dumplings, chicken tikka masala, beef chilli, cheeseburger, double chicken burger Veg options (£6.50): mac & cheese, sweet potato & spinach curry Fry-up (£6.10): cooked breakfast/all-day brunch Soups (£3): tomato, creamy chicken, hearty veg (all served with roll and butter) Sides: garlic bread, chips, fries, peas, baked beans, side salad, onion rings, chicken nuggets
It could still be 2005 with that list, maybe 1995 but probably not 1985. Also I note that a lot of the mains don't require a lot of chewing.
And the cafe was still popular, this Asda superstore perhaps doubling up as a community meeting place. Two grey-haired ladies took the closest table, their tartan shopping trollies parked up close by. Beyond them an Asian family were enjoying a good value half term lunch (Kids Eat For £1 - All Day, Every Day!), a young couple in furry anoraks hugged a hot drink and a blonde in a blouse grazing on a sweet treat tapped away on her phone. I suspect it's busier on a Wednesday when the over-60s get 10% off, but I'm not sure I'll be availing myself of the opportunity on a regular basis.
Your supermarket needs to be a certain size before its worth having a cafe, so large sites with big car parks are the most likely locations. In rural Norfolk there are plenty, for example, although you have to drive a fair way to get to them. The edge of any provincial town will have an in-store cafe offering, or indeed that retail park by the bypass, such is the culinary allure of the out-of-town supermarket. But Tower Hamlets is not well blessed with the things, so I wondered where my nearest cafes were at other supermarket chains.
Tesco cafe Typical lunch items: Chilli Con Carne Jacket Potato, Brunch Burger with Hash Brown Bites, Scampi and Chips, Harissa Chicken and Chorizo Toastie My nearest: Beckton (5 miles), then Woolwich, then Meridian Water.
Sainsbury cafe Typical lunch items: Chicken Tikka Masala, Steak & Ale Pie, Sausages & Mash, Avocado & Eggs on Sourdough My nearest: There are none in London, the nearest being at Northfleet in Kent (ah, I see Sainsburys have plans to close all 61 of their remaining cafes, sad face emoji)
Morrisons cafe Typical lunch items: Gammon, Egg, Chips & Peas, Ultimate Mixed Grill, Crispy Breaded Falafel Burger, Battered Sausages, Chips and Mushy Peas My nearest: Stratford (1 mile), then Chingford (because proper cafes are rare)
Waitrose cafe Typical lunch items: Beef Bourguignon, Mozzarella & Pesto Salad, Chicken Tikka Flatbread, Goat’s Cheese, Fig & Caramelised Shallot Quiche My nearest: Canary Wharf (1 mile) (but it's a bit posh and they also have an olive bar and I don't think this properly counts)
It seems my best options for cheap comfort food and chatter are Asda at Crossharbour and Morrisons in Stratford, and that's about it within easy travelling distance. Other low price sit-down locations are of course available, but a bite at Wetherspoons or a perch at Kebabish will never match the retro canteen experience. The supermarket cafe lingers on and is much appreciated by many, but the days of piling up your hot meal on a tray may already be numbered.
