11-13 Acorn Walk, The Centre MK, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 3AD

Milton Keynes is a strange place. I hate to say it as I so wanted it to be otherwise, but it is a strange place. I’d never been before and was looking forward to disproving all the stereotypes about concrete and roundabouts and coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t so bad after all. I was half right. The roundabouts I didn’t mind, I quite like driving round roundabouts and I had a sat nav so I wasn’t confused. The concrete also didn’t bother me, the wide streets made me think of Sweden and I liked the space.

The strangest thing about Milton Keynes is that there is no town centre. I headed towards the middle of the town and found a shopping centre. I walked through it and out the other side and found a dual carriageway. I tried a different exit and found another dual carriageway. This carried on for a while. I walked round the whole shopping centre and tried to find somewhere that resembled a normal town centre where I would find a cafe I could blog about. I couldn’t find anywhere. I tried the theatre area and the park and no luck. The centre of Milton Keynes is a shopping centre called ‘The Centre MK’. I found the ceiling low and being inside all day when I wanted to be outside very oppressive. I didn’t like it. In the end I ended up back where I started and went to the cafe I had first seen.

Patisserie Valerie is a chain of cafes that has patisserie style gateaux and pastries. I was hot from all my exploring so I had ice cream instead. It was very good and the tea was loose leaf.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? Yes.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £2 for tea and £1.75 for ice cream, between £2-£4 for macaroons and cake.
Cake? Yes.
Go again? Yes, seems like the best cafe in the centre of Milton Keynes.