Becketts

Becketts is Trip Advisor's number two cafe in Whitby and number four in Yarkshire. It's impossible to fault in this oasis of a café in a desert of run-of-the-mill tea-and-scone places. For one thing, it's so homely and friendly and welcoming and lovely. And the panini are the best ever, anywhere. I've never had panini so tasty and perfectly made. And the coffee! Fair-trade and delicious, made exactly how you want it. Then the cakes, making it three out of three. Today, spoilt for choice as ever, I went for the blueberry and vanilla, which was moist, sticky and oozing with yummy flavours. And, even better, one of the staff assured me that it was completely calorie-free. Mind you, she had her tongue in her cheek at the time. Today's other cakes, which I manfully resisted, were coffee-soaked vanilla swirl, chocolate and butterscotch, orange and milk chocolate, chocolate and Guinness, more-ish chocolate mint swirl, tangy lime and dark chocolate, summer berry bonanza and sticky lemon and ginger. It’s a good job I live 20 miles away. And I hope they never run out of chocolate. Beckett’s is also the only place I know, anywhere, that has a range of specs for people who forget to take their own and might want to read the café’s Guardian or Private Eye. Hurrah!