There’s a wonderful selection of coffee shops and eateries along Keynsham High Street, but for one family, the pick is the excellent Temple Street Canteen, just a little further along from the library
We’d first heard about the Temple Street Canteen when we read that it had teamed up with the Keynsham Rotary Club to offer regular free meals for children over the summer holidays – what a fantastic idea. When we checked out the canteen a little closer, we discovered an eatery that, wherever possible, makes sure that its ingredients are fresh, seasonal, local and ethically sourced, its meat comes from farms not factories, its eggs are free range and the milk is organic. Even the teas, coffee and chocolate are fair trade or direct trade.
Which is all really great, but is the food good too? To check it out, we called in over the summer holidays for a family lunch.
Straightaway the Temple Street Canteen offers a relaxed atmosphere, with bench seats and tables, and chilled decor helping to give the place a welcoming atmosphere. The menu isn’t extensive, but we soon found something that we all fancied, before the boys shot off upstairs to enjoy the crafts and toys up there to keep children happy.
I went for the Severn & Wye smokery hot smoked mackerel, scrambled eggs and smashed avocado on toast (£7.95), while Ellen chose the smashed avocado, chilli and lime on toast, served on a bed of leaves (£5.50) and the boys, kind of predictably for them, both preferred the bacon sandwich. With an Americanno for Ellen, a cup of tea for me and fizzies for the boys, we were soon chilling and out and chatting while the boys played and the food was prepared.
Looking around the Temple Street Canteen and it is clearly a popular place with families and mums meeting up, with the menu giving a good choice of breakfasts and lunches, including some very enticing salads. In addition, there’s a good choice of locally sourced treats for sale, with the locally produced Keynsham chocolate proving very enticing.
In addition, the canteen hosts a real mish-mash of events, from an alzheimer carer’s support group to a book club, live music and storyteller events. This is clearly a venue that’s aiming to put itself at the heart of the community, and from our first visit, it appears to be doing a cracking job of it.
The Temple Street Canteen hosts a number of community events throughout the week
As for the food, I absolutely loved my smoked mackerel and scrambled eggs, while the boys made short work of their sandwiches – always a good sign! The food tasted fresh throughout, with well-judged portions. And yes, there was a good choice of cakes to choose from for pudding, with the gluten free brownies and millionaire shortbread proving to be extremely tasty.
We really enjoyed our visit to the Temple Street Canteen – a welcoming atmosphere, good food, family friendly and with a community feel, plus locally produced chocolate to take home… Now that has to be a good combination.
For more information about the Temple Street Canteen, click here