Leeds city centre is chock full of gorgeous cafes, but so often it’s a different story when you head out of town to the suburbs. And so the rumours of new independent cafe only five minutes from my house were cause for some excitement, and I had very high hopes when I visited Mill Kitchen in Farsley.

It sits on the corner of a busy local high street, surrounded by steep hills and old-fashioned shops built in the local Yorkshire stone. Inside, you are greeted by an airy, spacious room with an abundance of space and light. Its name refers to the old textile mill on whose site it sits, and the reclaimed tables, vintage chairs and other industrial touches are a nice nod to the building’s history.

The coffee, I am pleased to report, is excellent. As are the breakfasts. And the lunches. And the cakes. You see, I’ve been going there rather a lot! My absolute favourite thing to order is ‘Baked Beans’ for £4.50: toasted sourdough bread, topped with homemade slowcooked beans, topped with a poached egg and scattered with chorizo.

For lunch, I love the £5 salad plate – five generous spoonfuls of different types of salad, all made in their kitchen that day. The selection of freshly made cakes is also fabulous. It also operates as a deli, selling local produce, fresh and ambient, and artisan breads are delivered daily. Oh, and as if it wasn’t perfect enough already, they have a lovely selection of well chosen cookery books for you to browse or buy, while you wait for your food.

Images by Gillian Roe