Cafe – Toovey’s Blog

In the Café this July…

Mozzarella and Nutbourne tomato salad — Mozzarella, basil and Nutbourne tomato salad

We can’t believe it’s been over a year since we last featured the café on our blog, it seems like only yesterday we were drooling over lemon tart brulées and ginger parkin cake. The café is only open on viewing and auction days and, other than on the Saturday morning view, serves breakfasts and lunches throughout the day.

04a HomemadeTomatoSoup — Homemade Tomato Soup

Will Murgatroyd continues to develop the menu depending on the season, if you click the menu at the bottom of the page it will appear much larger enabling you to view everything available this month. This month on the special’s board at £5 is a delicious tomato, mozzarella and basil salad using delectable locally-sourced Nutbourne tomatoes.

The Nutbourne Nursery is considered one of the best, if not the best, grower of tomatoes in the UK. Insecticide free and never refrigerated these seasonal tomatoes are full of flavour and when they arrive with Will each morning they have that distinctive aroma. With such a great ingredient the soup of the day will also be a homemade Nutbourne tomato soup served with a roll for £5. Also on the Special’s blackboard this month is a mozzarella and tomato toasted sandwich.

Utilizing these local tomatoes is the classic combination of bacon, lettuce and tomatoes, giving a local twist to the classic B.L.T. sandwich.

These join a number of familiar favourites and new additions to the main menu. The staff favourite of coronation chicken with a drizzle of mango chutney and topped with a sprinkling of almonds returns as a sandwich and jacket potato filling. Brie and grape sandwiches are a popular vegetarian option, available as a toasted sandwich too, making the mature brie melt a little.

Homemade quiche at Toovey's — Homemade quiche with salad and coleslaw at Toovey's

The quiche changes every month, this July Will has a homemade goats cheese and watercress quiche served with a salad and homemade coleslaw replacing the asparagus and feta quiche served in June.

Those with a sweet tooth are well looked after as always. Ma’s famous rock cakes, Eccles cakes and Valerie’s lemon drizzle cake remain as popular as ever. Homemade and slightly oversized Jammy Dodgers have proven popular since their introduction a few months ago.

Apple and summer berry crumble cake has just returned after a seasonal break, as has the traditional Victoria sponge. Those needing a chocolate treat will not be disappointed with the rich chocolate and brazil nut gluten-free brownies with an almost torte-like centre.

Click on an image below to enlarge.

Chocolate and Brazil nut gluten-free brownie

Jammy Dodgers, Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Eccles Cakes at Toovey's — Jammy Dodgers, Chocolate Chip Shortbread and Eccles Cakes

If that has tantalised your taste-buds we will look forward to welcoming you this forthcoming sale week. Viewing starts on Saturday 11th July 2015 between 9.30am and 12 noon and continues on Monday 13th July 2015 between 10am and 4pm. Our auctions commence on Tuesday 14th July with our Specialist Sale of Toys, Dolls and Games and continue throughout the week.

Visit www.tooveys.com for more information on our auctions.

Toovey’s Cafe this June

Cakes at Toovey's Cafe — Cakes at Toovey's Café

Lemon Tart brulee at Toovey's Cafe — Lemon Tart Brûlée

Three months have passed since our last blog post on the Toovey’s café. Visitors viewing and participating in the forthcoming antique and fine art auctions on the 18th, 19th and 20th June will once again be tempted by the creations of Will Murgatroyd.

He will be serving a collection of light lunches: sandwiches, jacket potatoes and seasonal specials, including a soup and salad of the day. However, it is the cakes and sweet treats that are the biggest temptation. Firm favourites such as Eccles cakes, Ma Toovey’s rock cakes and Valerie’s lemon drizzle cake remain as staple offerings. Other treats offered in June are gluten-free flourless chocolate cake slices, Ginger Parkin Cake, Chocolate chip shortbread and coffee and walnut cake. New to the menu this month are Sour cherry cookies, apple crumble cake, banana loaf and a particularly tantalising individual lemon tart brûlée with a raspberry.

For those without a sweet tooth, Will is offering home-made asparagus, goat’s curd and chive tartlets, cheese scones and home-made herby sausage rolls as light savoury bites.

Please note: the café is only open when we are open for viewing and on our sale days.

Click on an image to enlarge.

Rock Cakes and Eccles Cakes at Toovey's — Rock Cakes and Eccles Cakes

Apple Crumble Cake at Toovey's — Apple Crumble Cake

Tartlets and Sausage Rolls at Toovey's — Homemade asparagus, goat’s curd & chives tartlets and sausage rolls

Chocolate chip shortbread and sour cherry cookies at Toovey's — Chocolate chip shortbread and sour cherry cookies

Ginger Parkin Cake at Toovey's Café — Ginger Parkin Cake

Gluten free chocolate cake slices and banana loaf at Toovey's — Gluten free chocolate cake slices and banana loaf

Toovey’s Cafe

Apple Crumble Tarts and Carrot Cake at Tooveys Cafe — Apple Crumble Tarts and Carrot Cake

Homemade Sausage Rolls at Toovey's Cafe — Homemade Sausage Rolls

Gluten free chocolate cake at Tooveys Cafe — Gluten-free Chocolate Cake

Those visiting Toovey’s for our pre-sale viewing and auctions in February and March will have noticed that our in-house café is undergoing change.

Toovey’s are pleased to welcome Will Murgatroyd to the café. Will previously ran and owned The Meadow in Hove having worked in kitchens across Sussex and in London. Will is keen to develop an exciting new menu for visitors, reflecting the traditions of the café. Rupert Toovey often jokes that people only come for the food in the café, nothing to do with the antiques and fine art!

Will quips ‘Rupert virtually put it in my contract that “Ma Toovey’s famous rock cakes” and the “lemon drizzle cake” remained on the menu as they reminded him of his time at university,’ he continues, ‘Eccles cakes will also remain as they remind Alan Toovey of his late mother who made the best Eccles cakes around!’ Alongside these firm family and customer favourites this month are delicious home-made egg custard tarts and a gloriously fudgy gluten-free flourless chocolate cake; both of which the team at Toovey’s would heartily recommend. A home-made apple crumble tart was revealed today that also looks incredible.

The Toovey’s café continues to serve a breakfast menu all day, offering a toasted tea cake or the customer favourite of a bacon and egg sandwich.

The café is still very much in a transitional phase and Will is looking forward to introducing new items to the menu every month on a rotational basis, often looking at the seasons for inspiration. Those wanting a light lunch are offered a variety of sandwiches and rolls, including this month a traditional egg mayonnaise and cress sandwich or a goat’s cheese, roasted pepper and rocket roll. Also on offer are roasted shallot, brie and rosemary tarts and a meaty home-made sausage roll. The seasonal options in March are a spring pea and watercress soup with ricotta, and a seasonal vegetable and cous cous salad.

We appreciate that some favourites are not currently available, but Will hopes that they will make an appearance on a more rotational basis in the future. We are also aware people sometimes can be a little hesitant towards change, but hope that once you have tried some of the delicious offerings in the café all will be forgiven and forgotten!

Please note: the café is only open when we are open for viewing and on our sale days.