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The search for the perfect cuppa

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When Simon Duffin first began repaying his partner's patience in accompanying him around the country to watch his beloved Hull City with trips to tearooms, little did he know where it would lead. Sarah Hartley talks to the tea and coffee shop explorer

Although he's based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, these days freelance writer Duffin is more likely to be found supping tea or coffee in one of the UK's 66 cathedral towns and cities.

His current search for the best tea rooms and coffee shops has already taken him as far north as Orkney and will eventually take him to the most southerly cathedral city on his itinerary - Truro.

There's now just 20 towns left for him to explore in his research for the latest book in the Fancy a Cuppa series.

"Going to tea shops was something we liked doing together," he explains "so I started writing the first book Fancy a Cuppa and then I decided to do it by theme."

Visiting the cathedrals and nearby tearooms and coffee shops, Duffin records his experiences on a blog as well as creating short videos which give the viewer a feel for the city as well as the venues he selects.

In Glasgow he found a tearoom at the heart of an artistic community struggling to survive against a backdrop of redevelopment, in Norwich a tearoom where customers are encouraged to sniff their tea and in Lincoln an award winning coffee house.

"I'm always trying to find the story of the place," he says.

And he's keen to stress that it's the overall experience that makes for a good cuppa.

"I'm finding these days that good coffee is easier to find than good tea. I'm looking for places where there's a quality cup of tea or coffee, home-baked cakes are very important, a welcoming attitude and an atmosphere in the place that gives it a sense of belonging to the community."


This film from Middlesbrough is typical of his town guide style review of the places he visits.

The cathedral city tour will result in the third of the series of books and follows on from a tour of America looking at the different habits of the US tea and coffee drinkers.

"I found that in America there's a real gender divide. They even have tea rooms in America which advertise themselves as having 'men friendly decor!'. It's very different to here in Britain where blokes drink tea as much as women."

Hear more about the project in this short audio interview.

The Fancy A Cuppa blog can be found here, on twitter @FancyaCuppaNow and on YouTube.

* Sarah Hartley regularly features food news and views from across northern England at the blog www.foodiesarah.com.


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