This bakery tries do be a lot of things, and more or less succeeds, in this reviewer's opinion…read more
Price's bakery began, I believe, at Kadina in SA's Cornish-influenced Copper Triangle, so they should know a thing or two about pasties, Cornish and otherwise.
I claim to know a thing or two about pasties as well, so I was looking forward to testing this outlet's product against my various pasty yardsticks. But enough of dry theory - on to the baked goods themselves.
My dining companion and I selected from the large range in the glass fronted pie warmer a plain pasty (no sauce) and a sausage roll (one squirt). I also bought another staple, a double cut ham and cheese roll. These viands were washed down with the gold standard in pasty accompaniment: Farmers Union Iced Coffee.
The verdicts:
The pasty wasn't bad. The pastry was fresh and reasonably flaky, and the plump filling included the essentials of potato, marrow and meat, together with seasonings and possibly some onion. The taste was nicely balanced, if not up there with the very best. A good quaffing pasty for a sports event, for example.
The filling of the sausage roll was excellent. A porky taste was evident, with overtones of beef, or even veal. Interestingly, shredded carrot was in evidence as well, perhaps for structural reasons or possibly taste. However, the envelope of pastry was a disappointment. The key to sausage roll baking is to keep the fat from the meat from invading the pastry and making it soggy, especially at the bottom of the casing. Most of the jacket of this otherwise excellent sausage roll was wrapped around the nest filling like a wet overcoat. Not quite one for the dog, because of the excellent filling, but definitely more work needed in the crust.
The double cut roll was a good, average effort. Prices' bread rolls are a good size, but of a fairly light mix. My roll was whole grain, and while light in texture, was tasty enough, with soft chewy grains throughout. The filling was nothing special - processed Virginia ham (several slices in each cut, good; not much taste, not so good) with similarly bland cheese, and not much of it. All in all, a pass, with a bonus for the tasty bread mix.
The Iced Coffee, was of course, excellent though it could have been colder.
This bakery took over an old KFC store, and has added a sort of enclosed outdoor dining area, where we sat. It also sells bread, cakes and coffee. There's a lot of room, and you get the impression the place is trying to be a cafe as well as a bakery.
To make it in the cafe stakes, you need quality ingredients. Processed cheese and ham won't cut it. We didn't try the coffee, but smelt no rich coffee aroma, either.
I'm sure the bakery does well enough. It sells good quality products on a main road, and has a drive in service. It's been there for years and it was well patronised on the weekday lunchtime we were there.
However, to make the next step up the ladder, the business should look to the quality of its ingredients. The prices are not particularly cheap, the whole experience is somewhat unremarkable and the competition is offering better food for around the same cost.
