Speciality coffee road trip

Selena Young, editor of the Indy Coffee Guide series, shares seven speciality coffee spots you should visit this autumn

Strong Adolfos, Wadebridge, Cornwall

Since 2013, this indie cafe has been a haven for anyone travelling the Atlantic Highway through Cornwall. However, unlike so many other roadside stops, it’s the kind of place you’d actually enjoy breaking a journey.

A long‑term collab with Cornish roastery Origin sees a line‑up of on‑point espresso drinks served in the contemporary space. Its quirky decor references founders John and Mathilda Friström Eldridge’s passions for surf and motorcycle culture, while the luscious house bakes are inspired by Mathilda’s Scandinavian heritage.

For more substantial eats, its extensive cafe menu features the likes of black‑forest pancakes, mexican brioche and kimchi ‘shroom toast.

Radical Roasters, Bristol

The women‑led crew at this inclusive roastery‑cafe in Easton describe its unique style as ‘Granny’s living room meets Irish bar’.

Cups and plates are a mismatch of retro finds, the shutters are decorated with animal‑themed murals and near the bar you’ll find the world’s first (according to the RR team) speciality coffee vending machine.

Own‑roasted coffee is the house serve, with only the highest quality beans (selected to empower the people who produced them) crafted into insanely delicious espresso and filter drinks.

Situ, Penryn, Cornwall

Sham Mulji and Alexa Richardson are the dream team running this coffee shop, eatery and events space. Drawing on Sham’s experience as a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) trained barista and chef and Alexa’s background in events and hospitality, the duo know how to deliver a slick brew‑and‑bites experience.

Coffee is the bread and butter at Situ and there’s always a variety of roasts available, including seasonal espresso, rotating single‑origin espresso and a guest African or Indian coffee prepped as batch or hand filter.

Dishes are inspired by Sham’s Gujarati‑Ugandan heritage and crafted using Cornish produce, plucked and grown from the surrounding coast and countryside.

Sunshine and Snow, Bideford, Devon

The colourful shopfront of this coffee bar, lifestyle store and events space mirrors the cheerful community vibe within.

Take a seat in the cafe space and you’ll be surrounded by customers grabbing a coffee after their yoga class in the studio upstairs, creatives browsing curated homewares and clothing in the lifestyle store, and locals who’ve popped in to enjoy a speciality brew and an Exploding Bakery cake at a sunny window seat.

Rumour has it there’s an evening offering of small plates and natural wines coming soon.

Soulshine, Bridport, Dorset

This Bridport favourite from former River Cottage colleagues Andy Tyrrell and Joel Gostling has raised the gourmet game for cafes in the region.

Almost everything at Soulshine is made in‑house (including the jam, bread and cakes) and the team have a penchant for anything pickled or preserved. The breakfast menu revolves around eggs, sourdough and pancakes, while lunch and dinner focuses on small‑plate dishes crafted from local and seasonal produce.

Single‑origin coffee is also bronzed in‑house, roasted under the moniker Goose & Badger, and served as espresso, pourover, batch filter and cold brew.

Colonna & Small’s, Bath

This multi‑award‑winning coffee shop, founded by three‑time UK Barista Champion Maxwell Colonna‑Dashwood, should be on everyone’s bucket list.

For devout coffee followers it’s a mecca of rare and interesting beans, while for the uninitiated it’s a chance to get closer to understanding the art and science of the speciality coffee movement.

Colonna & Small’s was one of the first venues in the South West to serve high‑scoring coffees from indie roasteries, but it now exclusively serves its own house‑roasted Colonna beans – including a freezer menu of limited and highly sought‑after coffees.

The Whole Hog, Lyme Bay

Winner of Best Cafe at last year’s Food Reader Awards, this tiny takeaway hatch is an institution in Lyme Regis.

The Whole Hog’s menu features just three items: speciality coffee, roast‑pork baps and artisan doughnuts. Almost everything is made from scratch onsite each morning.

Arrive early to avoid missing out on a warm glossy bun stuffed with slow‑roasted pork and drizzled with apple sauce (they sell out quickly). Add a Monmouth Coffee flat white and a box of doughnuts – flavours include salted caramel, chocolate, and homemade raspberry jam, alongside seasonal specials – to your order and head to the shore to scoff your haul on the beach.

Discover over 150 exceptional speciality coffee shops, cafes and roasteries in the region in the Indy Coffee Guide England: South No8. Food Lifestyle readers get a 25% discount with code FLCOFFEE