Blaydon

After a troublesome experience last year with a national company that claims to have the quickest fitters but can’t MOT a vehicle (I can feel the sap rising so will move on!) I booked our camper van into a company that has serviced it before and deals with large vehicles including trucks and buses. Having dropped it off I went to a local shopping centre, Blaydon where races have been held. There is. Costa, and other major outlets, but I thought I would support a local café.
At 1.30pm it was empty, just me inside and two people out. I noticed the poster that said that bad behaviour and treating the staff poorly would not be tolerated. 
I asked the lady behind the counter if they do tray bakes. She didn’t know that that was, which surprised me because although you may call them something else where you live most people in the north-east knows what one is. She also didn’t know what an Americano was and offered me a cappuccino. I was told it was cash only - which is unusual these days. I went for the last cheese scone and a coffee, she invited me to top it up with milk to my liking.
I sat down and the scone, now buttered, arrived. It was noticeably salty but not very cheesy. It was ok though, I’ve tasted (and paid a lot more for) worse. I got a lot of change for my £20 note.
The special offers for the larger appetite were: Breakfast £3.50, fish and chips £4.20, mince and dumpling with vegetables £3.99. 
Country and western music played as background accompaniment.
I may go back for a special one day, but there is much here to attract the local person with meagre funds. Blaydon is not a well-off area and there will be many struggling to make ends meet. And it is going to get a lot worse.
I hope this simple honest café, serving the local community, survives going forward. It needs to.