Berkshire | Tea for you and me

January 11, 2026
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Yaylo

This review is long overdue. When Nibsy’s was sold it became Yaylo. Still gluten free, still selling some of the same bakes (Nutella cake for the win) but now an orange cafe instead of a pink one.

There’s still seating outside and inside on the ground floor and downstairs, and still a toilet. There are still lots of cakes to choose from. Some of my favourites from Nibsy’s aren’t sold there anymore, but the big hitters of orange and polenta cake, Nutella cake, doughnuts and scones still make a regular appearance. They’ve also added more of their own cakes, when I was there they had a Basque-style cheesecake that looked particularly good.

I went for the usual rooibos tea and Nutella cake combo. My top tip for you, dear reader, is to ask for the Nutella cake to be warmed. This turns a very nice chocolate and hazelnut cake into a glossy and gooey chocolate cake-pudding hybrid. Usually they offer to warm it when you order it, but if they don’t then please ask. On a cold January day, it was the perfect cake hug.

Close up photo of half-eaten Nutella cake on a white plate with a fork. The cake is chocolate with chopped nuts on top and chocolate sauce. — The glorious cake-pudding hybrid that is Nutella cake

Yaylo is often busy, but they’ve been clever with the seating layout on the ground floor so that there’s usually somewhere to sit. There’s also the downstairs area, though I have to admit I’ve never sat down there since it’s been Yaylo. The staff are friendly and the tea and cake is good. I’d recommend visiting if you’re in Reading.

Teapot? Yes.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? I didn’t have milk as I wasn’t in the mood for it but I believe it comes in a milk jug.
Price? £3.20 for the pot of tea and £5.10 for the Nutella cake. If you want non-dairy milk it costs extra. They have some smaller sweet treats as well, if you don’t want to pay £5 for a piece of cake.
Cash? Yes, they accept cash and card.
Cake? Yes, wide variety of cake, scones and traybakes and afternoon tea. Also sandwiches and often quiche. All gluten free.
Toilet? Yes, one unisex cubicle, accessed by going down some steps.
Go again? Yes, I’m not giving up Nutella cake any time soon.

Yaylo, 26 Cross Street, Reading, RG1 1SN

Visited on: Saturday 3 January 2026

December 30, 2025
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Café Jessecco

Toad Hall Garden Centre has a cafe inside it, as all good garden centres do, and that cafe is Café Jessecco. It’s a friendly space surrounded by plants and when I visited in November it was already fully embracing the Christmas season.

A photo of an empty cafe with metal charts and wood tables on a tiled floor. Towards the back are greenhouse-style windows and to the right are shelves and a pillar wrapped in tinsel. — Café Jessecco

I try not to include people in my photos for this blog unless I’ve asked them if it’s OK first. This might make it look like I only visit empty cafes, but rest assured Café Jessecco was doing a brisk trade when I visited and I had to wait a while before getting this interior photo for you. Seeing the sky and the tree from inside the cafe was particularly pleasing, I’d like to go back again on a day with a bright blue sky and see how it changes the feel of the space. The greenhouse style roof did have a few drips coming through when I was there, but they weren’t in the main cafe area and were being caught in buckets.

They warned me when I ordered that tea would be in a takeaway cup as they were so busy and that was fine (always good to be warned). It was a pleasant surprise to get a ceramic teapot and milk jug along with the paper cup and box. And extra festive points for a takeaway cup looking like it was wrapped in its own mini Christmas jumper.

A photo of a table top with tea making items and a flapjack. The flapjack is in a box and is topped with chocolate and a sugar Santa face. To the right is a paper cup with Christmas patterns on the outside and a wrapped teabag inside. Then a red teapot. Then a white milk jug. All on a brown wooden tabletop. — Tea making items and mince pie flapjack at Café Jessecco

I ordered a pot of decaf tea and a mince pie flapjack. Mince pies are great, flapjacks are great – combining the two seemed like a winning combination. It was basically a flapjack with a layer of mincemeat in the middle, chocolate topping and a sugar Santa. When it arrived I was initially disappointed it was small, but it was rich, spiced and fruity and the size was just right. I’d order it again.

The tea was not loose leaf but a Clipper decaf teabag. It’s my fault the tea looks watery – I added it to the pot but was a bit impatient and didn’t let it brew long enough.

A photo of a part eaten flapjack in a white box. The flapjack is topped with chocolate and has a Santa face decoration on. A takeaway cup of weak tea is next to it. The cup is has a printed Christmas design on. All on a brown wooden table top. — Decaf tea and mince pie flapjack at Café Jessecco

If you’re in the area and fancy a wander round a garden centre then this is a good place to go. Toad Hall Garden Centre has a good selection of tools, plants and pots and when I went it was full of Christmas decorations and poinsettias too. Café Jessecco is a nice addition to some garden centre browsing.

A photo of rows of different coloured poinsettia plants — Poinsettia plants at Toad Hall Garden Centre

Teapot? Yes, in festive red.
Leaf tea? No, a Clipper decaf teabag.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £6.60 for a pot of decaf tea and a mince pie flapjack.
Cake? Yes, a selection of cakes and tray bakes. Also sells sandwiches.
Toilet? Yes, near the entrance to the garden centre rather than by the cafe (but it’s not far). Male, female and disabled.
Go again? Yes.

Cafe Jessecco, Toad Hall Garden Centre, Marlow Road, Fawley, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 3AG.

Visited on: Saturday 22 November 2025

November 17, 2019
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Vegivores Natural Kitchen

View from our table at Vegivores Natural Kitchen

I’d already been to Vegivores Natural Kitchen for an evening meal the week before (delicious nachos, pad thai and chocolate brownie) and wanted to come back in the daytime to try the tea as I’d spotted rooibos on the menu. S was happy to oblige as he wanted to try the brunch.

I fancied toast rather than cake so that’s what I ordered, along with rooibos tea, of course. S had smashed avocado on toast and rooibos tea. The tea came in a glass pot and was loose leaf. I had soya milk with mine (Vegivores is a vegan eatery so no cows milk here) and it was a very good cup of tea. My sourdough toast came in two huge slabs with delightfully tart raspberry jam. S had an equally big portion of avocado on toast which he said was very good.

Loose leaf rooibos tea with sourdough toast and avocado on toast at Vegivores Natural Kitchen.

I really liked Vegivores, all the things I look for in a good place to drink tea are here: plants, lots of natural light, a toilet, comfortable seating, friendly staff, good choice of food, and loose leaf tea in a pot.

Teapot? Yes, a generously sized glass one. A minor niggle was that there was no saucer, so we had to balance our teaspoons on our teapots.
Leaf tea? Yes.
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £2.95 for a pot of tea, £2.50 for toast and jam, £6.95 for smashed avocado on toast.
Cake? Yes, four different cakes, flapjack, croissants. Plus brunch at the weekend and if you go in the evening then lots of main meal choices too.
Go again? Already planning my next visit.

Vegivores Natural Kitchen: 41 St Martin’s Precinct, Church Street, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8BA.

Visited on: Saturday 16th November 2019

November 10, 2019
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Gardens of Caversham

Light and bright Gardens of Caversham

It’s an odd name for a cafe with no outdoor space, but maybe the people who run it have the surname Gardens? It also doesn’t have any obvious signage so I’d gone past it a few times when it first opened before realising it was there. On the day I visited it had an A-board outside making it easier to spot.

It’s a bright, light space with tables in an L shape along the window and one wall, with a large counter that included a glass section holding lots of lovely looking things to eat. There were also uncovered brownies on the top of the counter. There were no prices on anything and no signs saying what the food was, but the staff were very friendly and willing to tell me what was what.

I asked which brownie I should go for and was recommended the salted caramel brownie. You pick up the food from the counter once you’ve paid. I had taken the brownie back to my table and was getting on with some writing when the friendly server came and switched it for one that he said was fresher, which I appreciated.

My salted caramel brownie had proper chunks of caramel in the bottom and was rich and indulgent (like all good brownies should be). I had a mug of decaf tea as they didn’t have any redbush tea. It’s a shame the tea only comes in mugs (especially at £2.50 for teabag tea in a mug, which is a little expensive for Reading), but with sacks of coffee beans everywhere there is a focus on coffee rather than tea. I have been told (by people that drink coffee) that the coffee here is good.

Salted caramel brownie, little milk bottle of soya milk and a mug of decaf tea at Gardens of Caversham

I would recommend Gardens of Caversham to anyone that likes coffee and wants somewhere quiet to contemplate things.

Teapot? No, just a plain mug with a little saucer to put the teabag on.
Leaf tea? No.
Milk jug? Yes, a little milk bottle.
Price? £2.50 for a mug of tea, £3.69 for the brownie.
Cake? Yes, three different brownies and other cake things. Also quiches and sausage rolls.
Go again? Maybe if I was going with someone who liked coffee or wanted somewhere quiet to sit and work. If it started serving redbush tea in a pot then I would definitely be back.

Gardens of Caversham: 15 Bridge Street, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8AF

Visited on: Wednesday 2nd October 2019

April 13, 2019
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7 Flowers & Tea

View from my seat of 7 Flowers & Tea

Fake foliage wall behind me

I’d walked past this place a few times before everything aligned and it was open when I had time to go in. It was full when I arrived (always a good sign) but a couple were just leaving so I got a table quickly.

This place smells wonderful, by the way. It smells of (you guessed it) flowers and tea – but also of cake. It was warm and relaxing, with fake foliage on the wall behind me and real flowers in front of me. 7 Flowers & Tea is a florist as well as a tea room and you can buy bouquets or small arrangements in pots or even single stems of flowers.

KD and I were pleased when the menu turned out to be a long list of tea and then a long list of cake. I opted for sakura tea (Japanese cherry blossom), while KD had vanilla black tea followed by rose black tea. I had the ‘Egg hunt’ cake – a vegan sponge with yellow frosting and berries and KD had the ‘Mulled apple’. Both were good.

My tea came in a glass teapot, with a tea light underneath keeping the tea warm and a gold-rimmed glass cup in the shape of a flower. It glowed. A row of tables with glowing tea pots makes for a very cosy tea room. KD’s vanilla black tea came in a china pot, but her rose black tea came in a glowing glass one. Worth checking before you order what your tea comes in if you want a glowing tea experience.

Glowing Sakura tea

Trays of tea and pieces of cake

My flower shaped tea cup

Sakura blossoms in the teapot

‘Egg hunt’ cake

Rose tea

Only minor downside (and it was a minor one) was that the lovely floral scent of the flowers in the shop made it was slightly difficult to taste the tea and cake properly, but it didn’t detract from the overall experience. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and everything was beautifully presented. I’ll definitely be going again.

Teapot? Yes, and a fancy glass one at that.
Leaf tea? Oh, yes.
Milk jug? Yes, for the tea that was suitable for having with milk. I got a pot of honey with mine, along with sweetener, brown sugar and white sugar. All options covered if you want something sweeter.
Price? £3.80 for the sakura tea, £2.99 for the cake (I think, it might have been £3.99).
Cake? Yes, long list of it on the menu including vegan and gluten free.
Go again? Yes. This was a lovely treat and I am keen to try different teas and different cakes.

7 Flowers & Tea: 4 Cross Street, Reading, RG1 1SN. Visited on Saturday 6th April 2019.

May 6, 2017
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My first cruffin

Today I had my first cruffin. I’m a bit late to this trend as they’ve been around for a few years, but at least I’m all caught up now. I think this is the first portmanteau item I’ve tried (I’m discounting brunch as that’s not one particular thing).

Today’s cruffin came from The Cookie Jar and was a chocolate cruffin. Here are some photos for your delectation.

The chocolate cruffin at Cookie Jar.

The inside of the chocolate cruffin.

The cruffin was heavier than I expected and quite filling (which I appreciated as I was hungry). My cruffin-eating companions shared one between two, I think they were already aware of the filling nature of the cruffin.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, and kudos to the Cookie Jar for going to the trouble of making them (apparently it takes three days and so they only sell them on a Saturday), but I’m afraid I would still choose a croissant or a muffin over a cruffin. Sorry cruffin.

October 20, 2016
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Tipsy bean

18 Prospect Street, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8JB.

Tipsy bean (great name) is a cafe/bar in Caversham, where the old Wordplay bookshop and toy shop used to be. It’s a long space with the bar along one side towards the back. The windows onto the street give light to the tables at the front, while the area near the bar is quite dark, but it feels nice and cosy rather than oppressive. The seating matches the change in light – with upholstered grey/cream chairs near the window and a long red leather bench opposite the bar. With dried flower bunches hanging above the bar, red Gerberas on the tables and jam jar style lamps, Tipsy bean has a welcoming feel.

The menu said that they had lots of tea and they certainly seem to – they had rooibos at least and quite a few other varieties (all in boxes on a high shelf at the back of the bar). I wanted to sample their cake, but unfortunately they’d run out.

My tea came in a mug, with a milk jug and a little plate with a sugar. It was a good mug of tea and I enjoyed my visit.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No, but Waitrose rooibos teabags, which I’m quite partial to (Tick Tock and Clipper are my other favourites, just so you know).
Milk jug? Yes.
Price? £2.
Cake? No (sob). But platters (smoked salmon, veggie, meat) and sandwiches and breakfast and nuts and nibbles.
Go again? Yes, both because I liked it and because I’d like to try the cake and the veggie platter.

January 24, 2016
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Farewell, Cafe W

I’ve been adding reviews to this blog for a number of years now and have seen a fair few cafes open and close in that time. One of these days I’ll manage to double check all of the reviews and note which ones are now shut.

The most recent one to close is Cafe W in the Oracle Waterstones, as the whole shop has shut down. There is another Waterstones in Reading, but that one doesn’t have a cafe.

In my review of Cafe W I said I’d like to go back when they were more established (and I wanted to see what their tea was like in a pot rather than in a paper cup). I’m sure that they must have got their crockery sorted a while back, but I’m afraid I didn’t make it back before they closed.

Other Waterstones have cafes and they’re also called Cafe W, so I could try one of those instead. The cake sold at the Reading Cafe W was supplied by Picnic, so you can still get the same cake in Reading.

It’s still a shame though. So long, Cafe W, thanks for all the rooibos tea.

September 17, 2015
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Manhattan Coffee Club

Upper Level, The Oracle, Reading, RG1 2AG.

Visited on: Saturday 5th September 2015

The interior of the Manhattan Coffee Club, I liked how the big glass windows let in as much light as possible.

Another new cafe in the Oracle shopping centre, the Manhattan Coffee Club has been open for a couple of months now. It’s not that big, and in keeping with all the cafes inside the Oracle, has no natural light, but it still feels relatively light and airy inside. This light feeling is partly created by the green plants on every table and by the door, but unfortunately all of them are plastic.

The chairs were far more comfortable than they looked – with a solid seat that I didn’t mind sitting for an hour in. The table tops were rough planks of wood and while these look nice I imagine they’re a complete pain to keep clean. Certainly my table had crumbs stuck in between the gaps.

No loose leaf tea here, but they did have rooibos – Chilli Chocolate flavour. The barista let me sniff the teabag before purchasing as I wasn’t sure about it and I appreciated that. It didn’t smell of chocolate at all and indeed it didn’t taste of chocolate either, but the chilli gave it a warm zing when I drank it. No teapot, but at least the mug came with a saucer so I had somewhere to deposit my used teabag.

I seem to have developed a habit of ordering the chocolate brownie wherever I go, so I stuck to form and ordered another one here. This time the brownie was slightly chilled and had a fudge-like texture. I enjoyed it and would order it again.

There are some nice touches here, like the wooden tray my items were brought on and the community book swap area in the corner. The salads, sandwiches and toasted sandwich looked really good too. Overall though, it’s not somewhere I think I will go again. Partly it’s things like the plastic plants and the bumpy table that put me off, mainly it’s that there wasn’t a teapot and that I didn’t particularly like that flavour of rooibos tea. I imagine that if coffee is your hot beverage of choice that this is the place to go though, so if it is give it a try and let me know.

Tea and brownie at Manhattan Coffee Club.

Chilli chocolate rooibos and a very nice chocolate brownie at Manhattan Coffee Club.

I do think that Manhattan Coffee Club should be congratulated on opening in the Oracle shopping centre. An independent ethical coffee shop in a shopping centre is not a usual thing and I hope they are very successful.

Teapot? No.
Leaf tea? No. The London Tea Company ‘Rooibos Chilli Chocolate’ tea bag. Looked like all their tea was tea bag tea.
Teapot? No.
Milk jug? I don’t know. This particular tea didn’t need milk and everyone else I could see was drinking coffee. Feel I’ve failed a little as I didn’t find this out.
Price? £1.90 for speciality tea, £2.30 for the brownie.
Cake? Yes, plus brownie, millionaire’s shortbread etc. Also sells salads, sandwiches and American chocolate and snacks such as Hershey’s.
Go again? Probably not -there are other cafes nearby that I would prefer to go to.

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