After spending almost three years in sunny Sydney, it’s good to be back on English soil, even if it is just for a couple of weeks over Christmas in the freezing cold! Today I was catching up with one of my best friends Helen – my uni housemate, climbing partner and world travel buddy, and what better place to meet than in historic Salisbury!
Well known for its majestic Cathedral dating back to 1220, Salisbury is also home to an abundance of historic pubs, shops and cobbled laneways. You can still see old Tudor style houses and medieval walls as you meander down High Street, New Canal or the pedestrian areas such as Butcher Row and Fish Row. And after spending so long in Australia, this older housing and historic buildings are a welcome sight.
After a few hours of pleasant wandering, chatting and browsing the different shops – new and old, we decided to treat ourselves to some well-deserved cake. Salisbury has many different cafes and bakeries to stop in and we decided to try out Henderson’s Artisan Bakery opposite the Market Place square where they hold markets during the week including the Charter Markets and Sunday Markets.
We arrived at Henderson’s Artisan Bakery around 2.30pm and there were a few people already sat inside warming up with a coffee out of the icy cold. As well as selling handmade cakes and pastries to eat in or take away, Henderson’s also sell organic breads, fresh loaves and light lunches alongside a selection of hot and cold drinks.
I’m not normally a hot drinks person, but as it was a cold and frosty day and I needed to warm up (even though I was already wearing two jumpers, a thick coat, gloves and scarf) I decided that a mug of hot chocolate was definitely required. The cakes and pastries looked delicious with delights including Chelsea Buns, Scones and Chocolate Brownies; however as I was feeling festive, it was all about the cute little Gingerbread Man!
I soon was told that the Gingerbread Man was in fact a Gingerbread Reindeer! The staff at Henderson’s Artisan Bakery obviously were in the festive creative mood and had turned the Gingerbread Man upside down and made him into a reindeer instead! There’s a first for everything I suppose! No matter which way you looked at him, he was still cute and delicious to eat and the ginger is great for a cold!
Henderson’s Artisan Bakery is a self-serve bakery and café so you need to go up and order, pay and bring your drinks and cakes to the table. There are a few tables downstairs as well as an upstairs area too and the café is a cosy place to be and catch up over coffee, or in my case hot chocolate! We were sat close to the window overlooking the Market Place, which they had just cordoned off due to people slipping on the ice. Luckily, we didn’t slip up earlier as we made our way across the square!
And now it was time for cake or biscuit – not too sure whether you would describe a gingerbread man/reindeer as a cake, or biscuit or cookie, let me know your thoughts! The gingerbread was well made, with just the right amount of ginger without it being overpowering and not too hard meaning that you are able to gently pull him apart with your fingers and gobble him up. I started with his feet (antlers) and then his arms (cheeks) before eating the rest of him; however I always feel cruel eating a gingerbread man/reindeer – they always look too cute to eat! Sorry Mr Reindeer!
My hot chocolate was also nice and hot and not too sweet, which hot chocolate can sometimes be and helped to warm me up and take the chill out of my bones. Overall, Henderson’s Artisan Bakery is a casual café and bakery, selling fresh homemade food which can be enjoyed in the warmth or taken away to eat later on.
Well positioned by Market Square, the independent café is easy to find and would make a great break when the markets are on, with tables both inside and outside.