Review of Strickland and Holt cafe on High Street, Yarm

So feel free to turn your back on vape shops, some of the barbers, and nail bars, but use – or lose – the quality independent retailers and hospitality venues that make our town centres worth visiting.

You could, with some justification, blame governments, landlords, local councils, corporate short-termism and, of course, the sweep of the digital revolution along with supermarkets, but it is perhaps best to just stop whinging, get off Amazon for five minutes and patronise the establishments we really value for fear that if we don’t, we can’t expect others to do so, and they won’t be there the next time we visit.

Strickland and Holt in Yarm (Image: Supplied)

Places like the Golden Lion in Northallerton we talked about last month or Strickland and Holt in Yarm, the multifaceted emporium that’s been at the heart of the town since 1854.

Yes, I know you are thinking that this is an eating-out column and why are we talking about a shop, albeit a very special one?

Well, ‘Strickies,’ as it is almost universally known, has a café.

Diners at Strickland and Holt in Yarm (Image: Supplied)

Of course it does, along with almost every other retailer these days.

The margins on frothy, sweet, milky slop are still, even in these straitened times, just too good to miss out on.

You probably can get a spiced pumpkin caramel latte with an extra shot of goop, cream, marshmallows, and God-knows-what else in Strickies café, but that’s not what we were there for.

Strickland and Holt in Yarm (Image: Supplied)

We wanted a proper lunch which is served between noon and 3pm.

The menu features a range of sandwiches (open and closed), flatbreads, toasties, salads, quiches, soup, and jacket potatoes.

Before that, a breakfast menu includes traditional fare plus American pancakes, French and avocado toast.

Local suppliers include Hutchinson and Hobbs, who supply bacon and sausages, and black pudding from Arthur Haigh.

A pretty mini Victoria sponge cake (£3.99) with fresh cream and a sliced strawberry on top (Image: Supplied)

The café also bakes a lot of its stock, including Yarm bread, a chunky granary loaf, and also makes the Yarm salad dressing, the recipe for which is, of course, top secret.

Our ‘proper’ lunch choices were a jacket potato and the Yarm rarebit.

Now what can you say about a jacket potato?

Well, quite a lot actually.

How hard can it be to produce one?

One that’s dry and fluffy on the inside and deep golden brown on the outside – an outside which has to be crisp.

The key is the word ‘baked’.

If it doesn’t see the inside of an oven, it isn’t the real deal.

Any spud that’s been cooked in a microwave hasn’t been baked.

It’s just a sweaty mass of carbohydrates with a skin that’s never crispy – apart from that bit on the bottom that can be hard as Kevlar.

And it’s amazing how many places try to pass off these abominations as baked potatoes.

Here endeth the polemic on potatoes.

Suffice to say Sylvia’s spud (£10.99) was properly and perfectly baked, with grated cheese and baked beans (quick question: are baked beans actually baked?).

And what can I say about my rarebit (£10.99)?

It’s just posh cheese on toast.

But it was a bit more than that.

The addition of mustard gave it some extra oomph and the Yarm bread, although ever so slightly singed round the edges, soaked up some of the topping without becoming overly soggy.

It was topped with a fried egg and I had gone for the optional extra (£1.50) of bacon which was nicely crisp.

Both the spud and the rarebit were accompanied by coleslaw (‘Strickies slaw’) and a side salad dressed with the aforementioned Yarm dressing.

Whatever the secret recipe is, we can understand the need to keep it under wraps.

It’s a belter.

As was the crunchy, red- and white-cabbage-based coleslaw.

The attractive display cabinet full of baked goodies had been catching my eye ever since I sat down, so I couldn’t resist a pretty mini Victoria sponge cake (£3.99) with fresh cream and a sliced strawberry on top.

Light, puffy, and absolutely yummy.

With a diet Coke and a small glass of juicy house red, the bill came to a reasonable £38.96.

A word about the café surroundings.

Just as the beautifully-dressed store is unique, the café has a very different, homely vibe to your typical high street café.

The staff were universally lovely and efficient.

Just right for ladies (and gentlemen) who lunch.

Savour it and help make sure its future is secure.

Strickland and Holt

44 High Street, Yarm TS15 9AE

Tel: 01642 790011

Web: stricklandandholt.co.uk

Café open: 9.30am-5pm Monday-Saturday and Sundays in December (11am-3.20pm)

Rating (out of ten): Food quality 9, Service 9, Surroundings 10, Value 8