Liverpool’s Marks and Spencer store has been part of Church Street for nearly a century and is beloved by shoppers who have visited for generations.
Next year, the iconic store is set to move to a new premises in Liverpool ONE, so I decided to pay its cafe a visit before it was too late. While I’ve visited this particular M&S many times before - usually to see what delicious goodies there are in the Food Hall - I’d never been to its cafe before my recent visit.
I headed there for breakfast one weekday morning and the first thing that struck me was how big and bright it was inside. The windows are huge and once I’d ordered I took a seat with a lovely view looking out onto Church Street, with the colourful Umbrella Project above Church Alley directly in sight.
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The café was light, airy and clean with plenty of stylish leather seating. You order as you arrive, grabbing a tray for drinks and then staff bring over your food. The breakfast menu isn’t huge, but items available included a breakfast roll with bacon or sausage, or sourdough with a choice of toppings including Nutella, poached eggs, bacon and beans.
I chose sourdough with avocado, poached eggs and streaky bacon and was surprised at how quickly it was brought to the table - I hadn’t even poured my tea yet, having been giving it a few minutes to brew in the pot.
The sourdough is freshly baked in store and each batch take a mammoth 35 hours from start to finish and I have to say the results were worth the effort. It had a dark chewy crust, light air bubbles and that signature perfect sourdough taste. I made a mental note to pick up a loaf in store so I could enjoy more at home.
The poached eggs were a little over cooked, so sadly I didn't get that perfect oozing of runny egg yolk. The avocado had lots of lovely citrus flavour running through it and was really creamy, with no nasty brown bits. But it must have come pre-prepared straight from a very cold fridge, because there were bits of it that were absolutely freezing. It's a shame because the flavour was spot on but it did slightly spoil the experience, when served as part of what should have been a warm tasty breakfast.
But the streaky bacon - wow. This was a real star of the dish. It was so crisp and salty and there were piles of it. If you're a bacon lover, please do yourself a favour and get down to M&S to try it, because it really was the perfect start to the day.
Overall the café had that typical M&S feel about it - warm, welcoming, a homely atmosphere and that sense of familiarity that’s like putting on your favourite cosy jumper. I’m sad I left it this long to visit but hopefully a café will be part of its new home - and fingers crossed with an equally lovely view.
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