We tried the riverside Chelmsford café with a peaceful atmosphere and a great menu

While there are many places you can grab some lunch in the Essex city of Chelmsford, very few are as peaceful and serene as Recess. This café is located just off Chelmsford high street on a little side road called Barrack Square and overlooks the river Can.

We visited on a sunny spring day, just a touch too cool to sit outside, but in the summer it would be a lovely spot to sip a coffee and pretend you’re in Paris, except with Essex accents surrounding you. The shop itself is split into two halves – on one side is the counter and a few tables and chairs, while through a doorway leads to another space with more seating and more large windows and a door that lets in lots of light.

It was relatively quiet when we came in – just a few regulars catching up over tea and coffee or having an early lunch. The menu here is huge, offering classic cafe items including sandwiches, paninis and baguettes, as well as salads and a soup of the day.

Read more: The quaint park cafe perfect for a family day out on a budget

There’s also a glass case that showcases a range of incredible-looking bakes. The friendly waitresses recommended a couple of cakes and tarts to me, but in a moment of overwhelm from too much to decide between, I didn’t go for anything, and I still regret it now.

But I did get some lunch – I chose the soup of the day, which was carrot and coriander, and a coffee – both to properly evaluate a cafe, and because without caffeine I become very unpleasant to be around. Fellow reporter Ellis had come with me on this outing and opted for the coronation chicken salad.

We found a table and sat down, and very quickly my coffee arrived. It was very drinkable, served in one of those classic caff mugs and it warmed me up immediately.

Then our food arrived. My soup was lovely, flavourful and warming and just what I needed. It was served with a very generous amount of baguette and some butter, and I was very content, especially at only £4.50 for the dish.

It wasn’t the sort of food you’d rave about to your friends, but it was homely, gentle and calming. Ellis said of his salad: “The coronation chicken salad was beautifully presented with a very healthy portion of the chicken mix itself sitting on top of the vegetables.

“Usually I’m eating coronation chicken out of a sandwich, so combining it with pure salad was a different experience, but the ingredients complemented each other well. At more than £6, it was a little pricey, but certainly very filling and I left quite satisfied and full up for the rest of the day.”

This is definitely somewhere I’ll be heading back to, especially in the summer to watch the world, and the ducks, go by.

This article is part of EssexLive’s series Essex Eats where a member of our team reviews an independent food business in the county. We don’t tell the business we’re coming and we don’t tell them who we are while we’re there. Every meal for EssexEats is paid for by us and not gifted. Check back every Thursday and Saturday for our top pick that week of a great food spot in Essex.

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