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I was sorry to hear about the demise of Woolworths today. I am surprised it got into financial trouble as I would have thought its winning blend of cheap homeware items, toys and pic'n'mix would have gone down a treat in these times of recession.
I haven't been to a Woolies in ages, I must admit, as they don't really have them in London - there was one on Edgware Road and one in Croydon but I've never seen any others.
They did great pic'n'mix though, in fact I know of no other national chain that caters to that market. There's a news reporter brandishing a bag of it on the TV as I write. And one of my best ever childhood memories is going to Woolworths' cafe in Exeter and having sausages and chips on paper plates decorated with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, with just the right amount of salt and vinegar on the chips, and a lovely drink of pop. This was the only thing I used to like about going to Exeter, being very much a rural type back then. Back then, in the early 80s, the cafe had red walls and red leather banquettes, and felt very cosy. Later they repainted it aqua, which isn't really ideal for a cafe, I don't think.
At least we have Krispy Kreme doughnuts now. We had a break in the middle of my driving lesson yesterday and went to a big dedicated Krispy Kreme outlet on the outskirts of Enfield, where you can not only sit and eat the doughnuts, but also watch them being made, shuffling along on a big conveyor belt behind a glass screen. I had one with a mince pie flavoured filling, and white icing with a sugar Christmas tree on top. My driving instructor thought the mince pie/doughnut combo was a bridge too far, but I enjoyed it. He didn't want a doughnut but the sales girl was very insistent and foisted a free one on him.
I haven't been to a Woolies in ages, I must admit, as they don't really have them in London - there was one on Edgware Road and one in Croydon but I've never seen any others.
They did great pic'n'mix though, in fact I know of no other national chain that caters to that market. There's a news reporter brandishing a bag of it on the TV as I write. And one of my best ever childhood memories is going to Woolworths' cafe in Exeter and having sausages and chips on paper plates decorated with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, with just the right amount of salt and vinegar on the chips, and a lovely drink of pop. This was the only thing I used to like about going to Exeter, being very much a rural type back then. Back then, in the early 80s, the cafe had red walls and red leather banquettes, and felt very cosy. Later they repainted it aqua, which isn't really ideal for a cafe, I don't think.
At least we have Krispy Kreme doughnuts now. We had a break in the middle of my driving lesson yesterday and went to a big dedicated Krispy Kreme outlet on the outskirts of Enfield, where you can not only sit and eat the doughnuts, but also watch them being made, shuffling along on a big conveyor belt behind a glass screen. I had one with a mince pie flavoured filling, and white icing with a sugar Christmas tree on top. My driving instructor thought the mince pie/doughnut combo was a bridge too far, but I enjoyed it. He didn't want a doughnut but the sales girl was very insistent and foisted a free one on him.
