Greengrocers
What a gem. Lagoa Cafe is a family-run cafe that sells a great selection of Portuguese cakes, coffee and snacks.
Stroll there on a sunny (and not so sunny) day and you’ll be able to sit outside on the square opposite.
The owners Bruna and Luciano are super friendly and really engaged in community stuff.
Lagoa is the Portuguese word for ‘Lagoon’ – a stretch of water separated by sandbanks or coral reefs.
Now, here’s some news. A deli. What do I say, not just ‘a’ deli, but Luton’s first (as far as I’m aware). And it comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a fresh, trendy, dare I say ‘Londony-type’ neighbourhood deli. Or should that be pantry? But see for yourself.
They’re planning to have a bar, cafe and restaurant in the building as well, but that’ll come later (hopefully). We’ll keep you posted. For now, this stays in our ‘deli’ category.
Some of the fare on offer, and to try, at the Old Skool Pantry in Round Green.
Look. At. That. Bread. No wonder the young man behind the counter is smiling.
Cheese counter to reckon with.
Us tucking into some french Pamplie butter and ciabatta as soon as we were home from our first shop at the Old Skool Pantry.
Address: 359 Hitchin Road, Luton, LU2 7SW
Opening times (for now, until the restaurant opens): 8am to 6pm.
A rarity these days – An independent butcher. H Collins may be the name above the shop, but the man behind the counter is known to his regulars as ‘Roly’.
All your standard fare is here, including the occasional locally sourced rabbit.
Opening hours:
Monday: 8am – 4pm
Tuesday: 8am – 5pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 8am – 5pm
Friday 8am: – 5pm
Saturday 8am: – 3.30pm
Sunday: Closed
A new buyer was found, but hasn’t opened yet. We’ll keep you posted.
Here’s what we’re missing:
The loveliest place for fruit and veg, just down from the roundabout at the top of Hitchin Road, is Mr & Mrs Mini’s little greengrocery.
It may look like a bog standard greengrocer’s at first glance, but it is so much better than getting supermarket stuff. Having shopped there for most of our fruit and veg since we moved to the High Town area of Luton, we wouldn’t want to leave it off the site.
The Round Green Fruiterer’s opening hours are:
Monday: 8am – 5:30pm
Tuesday: 8am – 5:30pm
Wednesday 8am – 1pm
Thursday: 8am – 5:30pm
Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 7:30am – 5:30pm
Sunday: 9am – 12:30pm
Mr Mini sources local produce when available, so this summer we brought home pound after pound of the tastiest Bedfordshire mini plum tomatoes. He also stocks Bedfordshire honey, free range eggs, a selection of Italian staples like pasta and olive oil, bird food and even bedding plants.
The Minis offer great quality and they’ll kit you out with some recipe ideas as well.