The Attic Cafe, Home & Colonial, Berkhamsted

Heavenly cafe on the third floor

My idea of heaven. The Attic is not a vegan cafe, it's not even a vegetarian cafe. It is however, the kind of place you can take anyone and they'll be happy. I can't praise it enough.

It's three floors up so sorry, it's not suitable for less able vegans. But if you make it up the creaking staircases without stopping in fascination at a shop that can confidently be described as 'quirky' (you don't often see a sales display cabinet of salvaged door knockers, next to local art work and a collection of 1950s clocks), you'll find The Attic.


Decorated in a kind of Women's Institute revival style; yes, that is handmade union jack bunting strung across the rafters, the wooden tables are covered in pastel polka dot table clothes with local art work on the walls.


I first visited with Little Cherub and Vegan Sceptical Mother. We had tea in mismatching floral china cups and a variety of teapots and strainers. There are seventeen types of organic fairtrade tea on offer with black teas in loose form (hence the strainers). The coffee is both organic and fair trade to;, all five different types. I asked for Soya Milk and they filled a pretty little jug up for me, so no small measures here. Little Cherub and Vegan Sceptical Mother shared a cream tea, with VSM casting me suspicious looks when Little Cherub announced she didn't eat cream. I asked if the cakes which were prettily on display on cake stands under glass cloches and the waitress and cook came out and gave them all serious consideration. They said 'not today no' and apologised. It was sincere.

I snuck back a second time to have a 'Full Vegetarian Breakfast'. Happily, the veggie sausage (more of a home made and delicious patty) is vegan and I asked if I could swap the egg for a little extra of something else. The waitress was easy-going and helpful and the plate came out heaving in extra mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, the sausage and a round of granary toast. The waitress pre-empted me and said the mushrooms were cooked in oil and the (lashings) of margarine provided was vegan.

The Sunday morning clientele was as eclectic as the shop. Lovestruck young couples, Sunday shoppers,  families from Grandmas to a newborn, friends getting over the night before and solo diners reading a book or the paper.

It's the kind of place that Carnivorous Dad could get a satisfying Full English whilst I could take comfort that the meat as well as the eggs are, at least, free range.

Vegan menu options include Avacado and Mushrooms in a Jacket Potato; the doctored Full Vegetarian Breakfast; Houmous, Avacado and Alfafa sandwich, Garlic Mushrooms on Toast and a Spinach, Sweet Potato, Broccoli and Pepper Burger.

I thanked a different waitress at the till for being so sanguine about my requested breakfast change and she said she herself was vegan and directed me to the comments book to add anything I thought they should do more of.

Just the same, just do more of the same, thank you.

Vegan Food: Vegan options available
Ambience: Lovely. Gives a little warm English glow inside and a faint urge to sing Jerusalem.
Staff: Really sincere, friendly and eager to help.