Millie's - A Tasteem Review
‘Cheap and Fabulous’ is the name of this @tasteem contest. The review I am writing did come firmly under that category once but things change and I can now say its ‘Cheap and Average’.
Still I will continue and explain why this is now the case. ‘Millie’s is a sandwich shop that supplies café like food. We discovered it by accident many years ago and it was to become a firm favourite of ours.
Family businesses can be great if you find any. Many have been forced out of business by means of the great recession or the chains. In the sleepy village of Hurst Green, far from anything you can find one.
It’s been months since we last visited Millie’s and the proprietor herself is always around to give visitors a friendly welcome greeting.
Her father is the cook and manages to make boring looking vegetables taste exceptionally good. That takes some doing!
You can rarely get yourself a seat as there are only five tables. Waiting is the norm here and 15 minutes is generally the maximum wait. People don’t tend to fart about and that’s a good thing.
On our most recent visit, we managed a table right away. This is unusual to say the least but where was Millie?
Our enquiries told us that Millie has sold the business 6 months ago and a new owner was in place, with a new cook who just started 2 weeks ago. Bad news, but I was not to be deterred and checked the specials board.
There is a menu at Millie’s but we always order from the specials board. Experience has taught us that the best food is always available by using this method.
It looked a little dull today with the Cheese and Onion Pie sold out already. We both would have ordered this if available.
Still I went for the Chicken, Ham and Leek pie at £8.95 and @bingbabe, the Beef Bourguignon also at £8.95.
While waiting for the food, I noticed things had changed a little. There used to be slogans all over the walls about cats overseeing humans, just silly things that added character. They were gone.
The menu used to sport cartoon characters of Millie and her family. They had been custom designed and looked great. Now it was plain sheets of paper.
On the plus side, WiFi was now available for customers free. With Hurst Green being in ‘the sticks’ this was a nice welcome benefit.
Food was served promptly, and initially seemed promising.
However, it just wasn’t the same as it used to be. The vegetables were plain, and I got bored of the main course around half way through.
@bingbabe did better than me and managed to finish hers. It could have been that she was simply staving to death as she was not so complementary of the food later. I left just under half of mine, asked for the bill and promptly paid.
What I didn’t notice is while I was settling up was the new chef and the dirty looks I was receiving. Thanks @bingbabe for your perception. Leaving his food is not good for the ego I suppose.
I needed a visit to the bathroom before leaving. Some of the character was still evident. The sign on the wall reminded me of the old Millie’s.
No receipt this time but the price for two of us was around £20-£22.
The value of Millie’s or should I say, ‘Was Millie’s’ is good. You do get a lot for your money. It’s just that now it’s an average café as opposed to an outstanding one.
Millie's, 2A Whalley Rd, Hurst Green, Clitheroe BB7 9QJ, United Kingdom.
Restaurant Information
Millie's
2A Whalley Rd, Hurst Green, Clitheroe BB7 9QJ, UK
This post participated in the Tasteem contest Cheap and Fabulous? Totally possible!
The place is nice, but unfortunately has a bad taste. The appearance of the food also looks unappetizing.
We will not want to go back again to spend time with a place that has a taste that cannot be tolerated.
Thank you for sharing your experience with @tasteem.
#tasteem-curation
The food doesnt look so good, I agree. I had to eat it though! Otherwise the chef might have chased me round the block with a carving knife :)
FOR TSE ---> You're more forgiving than I -- considering that amount on a tab for a meal I didn't finish. (Now, we have dogs, so we'd have brought the leftovers home to them. About the only thing I remember my dogs refusing to eat was the contents of a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli. I can't say I blame them. Oh ... and pop-tarts, which @catweasel bought because he "just wanted to try them" -- against my strong and specific recommendation.)
It breaks my heart to find a great little place that then closes up shop -- or turns to crap. Also, I must say your reviews are making me grateful I never opened the little bed-and-brunch I was considering 20 years ago. I'm a good and imaginative cook. I love the things that go on in my kitchen, but I never really considered the picky eaters I might have to cope with. (Short-sighted, I know. I was a different person then.) But then again, what else would I expect from a Virgo?
(Love the part about dirty looks from the cook. Oh, man, would that have made a great picture!!!)
They used to allow dogs in, quite rare for a cafe. I dont know if thats another change.
My dog will eat anything, but has the constitution of a paper bag. Anything other than dog biscuits is off the cards unless you want to deal with a sticky brown pungent mess.
'Cook' actually said hello before we ate. It was only his second week so he was probably trying too hard.
I seem to be getting more 'picky'. I have another 2 tasteems to write up and neither are wonderful places. I wonder if they would consider a new catagory, 'Boring and Plain'.
What a cute spot! Too bad Millie sold out...you're right, this seems to be the plight of the small owner these days. I can't believe you got an evil eye from the cook since you left half of your meal....hmmm obviously has a bit to learn. Disappointing meals are never fun! :)
Despite having sold the place, the previous owner must still be heartbroken to see his many years of effort go down the drain like this
I think Millie would be interested to know about this. We are trying to track her down, but have little details on how to.
My family moved to a smaller town several months ago. There are a lot of mom and pop restaurants that give the city charm. I am sure that there would be a small revolt if there were any changes of ownership.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope things get back to fabulous soon.
That's too bad that things have kind of went downhill. It is always disappointing when one of your favorites just isn't what you were used to.
We have a local place that seems kind of like this. It is out in the middle of nowhere so they get a lot of turnover with the kitchen staff. The owner does her best to make sure anyone they hire is trained the way they want though.
It's so sad when a favourite eaterie changes hands and goes downhill.
It is, we didn't go for a long time and this happens. Millie works for the railways now I hear. We wont be going back.
Aw - a sign of how difficult it is to make a living from cafes these days, even really good ones.
Cheap and Average! What a burn!
Anyway, the food does look pretty plain... especially that rice and steamed veggies... it's pretty strange from a place that is selling food for money!
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It looks a nice place, shame the food wasn't the same. 💩💩💩
By the way I think this is the first real tasteem review I have seen. They usually just have stolen images and some stolen text. 😂
LOL, @pjau, I do these quite regular and they are always 'real' ones. I do know what you getting at though.
I really wish they would use a @utopian-io style review system instead of how its done now. Maybe in time, I can only hope.