How often do you wander around the Norwich Lanes and really appreciate them? There's quite a community of shop owners here, and many of them are on twitter.
Walking around today, I realised just how powerful twitter can be for local shops.
I started off at Amaretto Deli - (@AmarettoDeli). They do so many mouthwatering dishes that it's hard to describe succinctly. I had popped in before for the odd slice of cake that I'd spotted in the window (this seems to be a theme for me!) but it was only when I saw them on twitter and looked at their website that I realised they do pizzas, hot takeaway lunches, outside catering for local businesses and cakes as well as their mediterranean themed deli.
I had an odd half hour before my meeting - so, on my way back to the office, I remembered that I'd said I'd pop in to see Jade Luck and her cat in Lady Luck's Boutique (@Jade_Luck ). I've probably passed this boutique a number of times and have not been in. Jade posted a photo of her cat on twitter. First of all, her cat is just like ours, and secondly I was wondering how on earth you manage to have a cat in the shop without losing it down the street every time the door opens. So, I meandered the long way back to the office and popped in to say hello to Jade. The cat was nowhere to be seen, but Jade did have a snazzy set of handbags on her shelf.
We meet a lot of people who we don't know, so I have a bright shiny handbag that not only cheers me up but gives people something to look out for so that they know who I am when we meet up. Jade's handbags are now stored in my head for when I need a replacement.
There was a lovely atmosphere in the shop. Not only a sense of style, but also it felt very calm and bright - the sort of place that makes you want to linger.
As I wandered back up, I passed a window full of cakes (yes another one!) and the lady inside gave me the biggest smile you've ever seen. I carried on walking, then noticed the name "Mustard" out of the corner of my eye. That made me stop - I remembered reading on twitter that Mustard Cafe had new owners (@mustardnorwich), so I backtracked, decided I really could do with a coffee to keep me going, and went in.
Of course, a coffee led to a cake and a chat with the smiley lady (who's name I forgot to ask!) who told me about how she had trained as a barrista and was now back in Norwich as the proud partner/ owner of Mustard. I'm not a coffee connoisseur, so she made it very easy for me by suggesting a coffee - and it was excellent. Chatting about Jade's cat got us talking about her dogs, with a photo in pride of place on the shelf.
They have plans for more seating in the cafe, so I'll add it to my list of places to meet people.
Another of my favourites when I'm wandering around Norwich is the Wholesome Grocer (@wholesomegrocer). I went in the other day for the first time and met Tim, the owner, who was kind enough to chat to me whilst he was eating his lunch.
They do fantastic sandwiches as well as selling healthy veg, organic bread, and a range of products from local producers such as Brays Cottage (@Brays_Cottage). Tim proudly tells me that they're putting the finishing touches to a room upstairs to provide seating for people.
I've noticed that the wholesome grocer are being quite playful / clever with twitter. One of their tweets today, for example, was:
"Discount phrase of the day... 'Please can I have a 1/2 price coffee' in the style of Frank Butcher."
One of my long time favourites is Slurp (@SlurpNorwich). They do freshly made sandwiches, home made soup and pies, as well as the most amazing juice.
As you can tell from my partiallity to cake, I'm not a healthy eater, but I love the apple and carrot juice from Slurp. I love watching them add the carrots and apples and then savour the feeling that I've done at least one healthy thing that day.
Just along from Slurp, in the Royal Arcade, is Poppy Valentine (@poppyvalentine) with a selection of unusual hand crafted clothes using vintage material as well as a range of other clothing and accessories. I usually snatch a quick glance as my son drags me to the toy shop at the other end!
So you see, here is my twitter journey around Norwich and if you love food and quirky independent shops, follow this journey and you're in for a real treat.