A Cornish Cafe breaking the mould …
I visit Liskeard fairly regularly as it is the closest ‘shopping hub’ to me in Cawsand, bar going to Plymouth, and I’m always on the lookout for great coffee shops wherever I go (I could definitely make coffee shop hopping an official hobby and spend days on end doing it!).
I’d heard of Olive & Co cafe in Liskeard purely by chance – I found out about them from the The South West & Wales Independent Coffee Guide and began following them on Instagram. I didn’t know where in Liskeard they were (evident by the fact I’d not discovered them before) but I knew I had to visit when I was next in the area, especially after seeing some of their Instagram posts of delicious looking coffee and food! Liskeard needs a really great coffee shop with healthy and quirky food combinations like you can find elsewhere in Cornwall and, I’m so pleased to say, this is it! And it was open on a rainy January day, hallelujah! I am over the moon to have discovered Olive & Co, what they’re doing is really fab. Firstly, the building is beautiful, it was an old butcher’s shop where they used to pull up the huge sash windows and serve people passing on the street. The high ceilings are complimented with original colourful tiles above the picture rail and a huge decorative floral piece surrounding the ceiling rose (absolutely loved this floral piece, I must find out where it’s from). The interior design here is fantastic; a cross between a hipster Brooklyn café and a Zen Scandinavian style space.
Anyway, enough about the aesthetics, the food, well, the food didn’t disappoint whatsoever. Neither did the coffee, Olive & Co seem really passionate about their coffee, an aspect I loved, and serve food with a real unique twist, even their homemade coleslaw is a tahini coleslaw! On the lunch menu you can choose delicious looking sandwiches, sourdough toasties, soup or be a bit more adventurous. I ordered the veggie burger (doesn’t sound too adventurous, I know, but you’ll be surprised) and was so so impressed by the creativity, flavours and ingredients. This wasn’t your average fried veggie pattie in a bun, I was served a delicious healthy and fresh feeling burger full of grains and great flavours. This was topped with melted cheese and served on a slice of sourdough with smashed avocado, tomato relish, side salad and homemade coleslaw: absolutely delicious and such feel good food! I really appreciate unique combinations and flavours that really set a place apart from the rest and love food that feels and tastes healthy and homemade. I’m fascinated by how fantastic some people are at creating such distinctive dishes made up of unique flavours and ingredients, it’s true – you can tell when the person cooking your food is passionate about food themselves. My partner tried the quesadilla and was equally as impressed by the food and I’m desperate to try the Sweet Potato Masala Dosa … sounds delicious and so much more exciting than your average jacket potato for lunch! The passion Olive & Co have for coffee (check out the quirky visual representations of what each coffee is on the drinks menu – love this!), food and creating a friendly informal space for everybody to enjoy really shines through. Locally sourced food, great coffee and fair prices; what more can you ask for!
I can’t wait to visit again and try the wonderful looking selection of homemade cakes too, I just didn’t have room on the last visit!
Olive & Co, I’ll be back!
Check out Olive & Co on their website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or on Trip Advisor
