Detour Pit Stop #107: Hot Numbers, Cambridgeshire, UK
One of England’s most popular starting points for the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, this coffee shop/brunch spot/bakery/roastery and pizzeria – phew! – is open to motorcyclists, as well as motorists, seven days a week.
A good ride out starts with a good coffee and Hot Numbers in Shepreth, Cambridgeshire, roasts its own. Got time to get into the grind of how it makes its journey from bean to cup? Book ahead for a barista course. If not, take your caffeine hit with a side of buttermilk pancakes and linger over those instead. Go classic, with maple syrup, crispy bacon and poached egg, or go gourmet and brace yourself. With toppings of strawberry, rhubarb, pistachio brittle and white chocolate chantilly cream you’ll be a posh pancake convert within the first few bites.
If the aroma of sizzling bacon and sausages is more likely to lure you out of the saddle, both can be sandwiched between slices of buttered and freshly-baked bread. For when you feel peckish later, the homemade sausage rolls and cinnamon buns are a great choice (especially on a two-wheeler with limited storage) but perhaps it’s best to hide edible haul from your pillion passenger if you’ve got one; it saves having to do the polite thing and share.
The big sister to two smaller Hot Numbers cafes in the county, this buzzy flagship, where parking is free and plentiful, has made its home inside a former lawnmower workshop. Pot plants and reclaimed timber furniture soften its edges and coffee sacks have been used to create an upcycled and on-theme feature wall. Depending on where you sit (inside, outside, upstairs or down) you might notice a 1930s Raleigh playing the part of daredevil trickster as it perches at a great height on one of the conversion’s gunmetal grey steel beams. It has a story, but to tell it here would spoil the fun. Ride up, drop your kickstand and discover it for yourself.
ROADBOOK
CLASS: cafe
NAME: HOT NUMBERS ROASTERY
ROUTE: DUNSBRIDGE TURNPIKE, ROYSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, SG8 6RB
COUNTRY: ENGLAND
Need a hit of caffeine and car culture? Check out Detour’s recommended top spots…