McKechnies

Huge sandwiches, deep mugs and free wifi. Perhaps not as epic as Box Brownie, but still pretty damn good. Seems to be very popular with locals.

I’ll fully admit I didn’t expect to find any decent coffee in the small touristy town that is Stratford-​upon-​Avon. It was by pure chance that just as I passed by McKechnies, my eye was caught by two phrases «independent» and «Best Cappuccino in the Midlands & North UKBC Heat» (or something to that effect).
I had attended the UK Barista Championship South East Heat a few weeks early (again, by pure chance), and, knowing how intense a competition it was, decided to go in and sample the wares.
The barista on duty was Kim, the one who’d taken part in the UKBC. I chatted with her about how pressurising it must have been. As it turned out, it was her first time taking part, so kudos for achieving such a result under such intense conditions!
As expected, the coffee was pretty darn good. While I was a tad disappointed that I didn’t get a pretty squiggle (aka latte art) on top of my foam, the quality of the beverage couldn’t be denied. Or maybe there was latte art but it’d disappeared by the time I prised the lid off my takeaway cup of coffee (which does happen, I’ll admit).
McKechnies uses beans from James’ Gourmet Coffee Company, an artisan coffee company based in Hertfordshire.
The coffee shop on the whole was warm and welcoming too. Lots of brown (i.e. wood) and felt like a nice place to get away from it all in case you’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of tourists outside.
All in all, a definite place to visit if you’re in this arae.