Scone Spy: Lytham’s Vinyl Groove Cafe is on song

SCONE SPY’S other-half often accuses yours truly of sounding like a broken record.

“Scones this, scones that, fruit or plain, cream or butter, over and over and over again,” comes the complaint.

They’re important issues and deserve to be talked about again and again!

So it seemed quite appropriate, according to my partner at least, that we check out a vinyl-themed café we came across while taking a stroll in Lytham.

Never one to pass up the opportunity of a scone, we walked across the road towards the cute little building, just a short distance from the town’s main thoroughfare.

Sitting on the corner of a residential street, the cream-painted exterior with its striking logo of a coffee cup sitting on a record caught the eye, as did The Rolling Stones lyrics painted by the door: “Brown sugar, how come you taste so good?”

There’s no shortage of nice cafes in Lytham or along the road in neighbouring St Annes, so you need to be creative to stand out.

And Vinyl Groove has certainly managed that.

Stunning murals of Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix, creatively made from broken records, adorn the walls.

High-end SONOS record players are on display and there’s a small section of new vinyl for sale over in the corner as more and more people go back to listening to records.

Music is playing but it’s in no way a distraction when chatting. But could the food match the passion for music in Vinyl Groove?

Thankfully, yes.

There’s a full menu on offer, including standards like full cooked breakfast, baked potatoes, soups and sandwiches to more filling fare like homemade lasagne and meat and potato pie. There are also five daily specials and local produce like Lancashire ice cream and cheddar, as well as seasonal shrimps.

We were in that awkward space between lunch and dinner – linner, or maybe it’s dunch – so weren’t after anything too heavy.

There was a plentiful selection of cakes, from old favourites like Victoria sandwich cake, almond slice and flapjacks to something a wee bit special like the meringue cloud.

The homemade scone was beautiful. Packed full of fruit and with a dusting of icing sugar, it went down a treat alongside our tea and coffee – with brown sugar, of course – in branded crockery.

It was such a beautiful day that we wandered out the back door to an enclosed little space with a summer seat that allowed us to enjoy the weather but still see and hear what was going on inside.

While they can’t guarantee the sun, the good service and laidback vibe looks permanent.

This is one record we’ll be playing again.

Warm Welcome 8/10  Location, Location 8/10  Scone Score 9/10

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