Mrs Tickit’s Pantry and Rochester High Street

Last week, my Mum and I decided to pay a visit to Rochester. I love Rochester, with its many pubs and eateries. It also has a lovely variety of quirky shops, perfect for finding gifts for people or something unusual for yourself. I think it is one of the few places where you could probably find something for everyone.

Arrival at Mrs Tickit’s Pantry

Walking up the High Street from The Esplanade end, we saw a little cafe called Mrs Tickit’s Pantry. Peering through the window, it had a vintage theme. We’d both seen it before but never actually been in. The prices on the menu displayed in the window were very reasonable, so we thought we’d give it a go.

It was a little bit difficult getting the pushchair in up the steps and through the door, but not too bad with my Mum helping me. When we got inside, there was such a lovely ambience. The decoration was beautiful and I loved the wooden beams on the ceiling. The staff were very friendly too, it didn’t take them long to come over and take our order. They fussed over Autumn too, who had just woken up. I crossed my fingers that she’d be happy playing with her toy long enough for me to enjoy my lunch!

Autumn did quite a bit of stretching and smiled at me. “Phew, I hope this keeps up”, I thought. One of the ladies brought over cutlery for my Mum and I. They were in beautiful little holders, which looked handmade. They had Mrs Tickit’s Pantry embroidered on them and fitted in with the vintage theme. Such a lovely little touch!

Our food and its presentation

Around the same time, my mum’s tea arrived. This was also presented beautifully, in a gorgeous china teapot with a matching cup and saucer. My mum was very pleased with the amount of milk and its presentation too. Apparently she’s been to other places where they give you barely enough milk for one cup of tea, let alone a pot.

afternoon-tea-china-british-mrs-tickits-pantry

Lunch didn’t take very long to arrived. I’d opted for jacket potato with cheese and beans. It was a good sized portion and very reasonably priced at only £4! It came with a good side salad too, with a tasty garnish. I always appreciate good value for money and it all tasted brilliant. I’ve had my fair share of ‘salads’ of just droopy yellow lettuce over time, but this was fresh and delicious. I’m quite fussy about the crispiness of my potato skin and the fluffiness of the potato within, but I found it to be cooked to perfection. It was also presented on a pretty china plate; (my husband just noticed this over my shoulder and said “That’s a right fancy plate it’s on!”)

Jacket potato with cheese and beans

My mum had chosen a cheese ploughman’s lunch. I might go for that next time, as I do love a ploughman’s! She really enjoyed her lunch too and found the cheese really good. We hadn’t been for lunch together since before I found out I was pregnant with Autumn, so it was wonderful to have such a lovely lunch with her in such a lovely place.

Studying the menu, we saw that they also do breakfasts and afternoon tea! They’re also at very reasonable prices, so I’m sure I can easily convince my mum or husband for another visit very soon. As you can see from the picture below, there is a cabinet with delicious looking homemade cakes too. Yum! I really don’t think my food-loving husband will take very much persuasion at all.

Inside Mrs Tickit's Pantry, Rochester

With such a lovely ambience, beautiful decoration, friendly staff and tasty food, I definitely recommend Mrs Tickit’s Pantry. Therefore, it’s no wonder that, (at the time of writing), it has 4.5 stars on Trip Advisor.

Review of Mrs Tickit's Pantry in Rochester

Please excuse my face, but I just had to pop this picture of Autumn in here as she looks so cute! She was very well behaved and only cried once. However, she was fine once I gave her some milk.

Rochester High Street

After leaving Mrs Tickit’s Pantry, we thought we’d go for a walk along the High Street. There is such a variety of shops that there’s always something interesting to look at.

You can see a little fairy door and toadstool in the window of Kiss Kiss Heart.

Fairy door, Rochester Kent

There are traditional style greengrocers with barrels of fruit outside.

There are antique shops and jewellers. I particularly enjoyed the Easter decorations on this shop.

The shape of the windows and the stained glass on them has always fascinated me.

You can explore museums (the Guildhall Museum and the Huguenots museum). 

There is fascinating architecture and a handful of charity shops.

If you take the time to look, there are all sorts of interesting things to catch the eye. This image of Charles Dickens on the side of a building is a nod to Rochester’s rich history. This part of Kent is known as Dickens country, as parts of it are mentioned and provided inspiration for his novels.

Charles Dickens graffiti

There are also galleries and specialist shops galore. One shop sells minerals amongst other things. There was an amazingly large piece of amethyst in the window, which had sold for over £800 and was awaiting collection!

Another sells comic books and geeky items. My husband and I will be back to explore!

Rochester Castle and Cathedral

Of course, there are always the Castle and its grounds as well as the Cathedral to visit. You may recognise these landmarks from my previous posts about my Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 pushchair and the Kent Big Weekend. I love this city and wholeheartedly recommend that you should pay it a visit if you find yourself in Kent or the South East.

Rochester castle and cathedral in spring

I know I’m certainly looking forward to my next visit. Perhaps I’ll find myself in Mrs Tickit’s Pantry again, this time with a lovely scone with some clotted cream and jam!

Like this post? Please visit me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,Pinterest, Youtube and Google+

3 thoughts on “Mrs Tickit’s Pantry and Rochester High Street”

  1. Do you live near Rochester? I’m in Chatham so very close by! I would love to meet up with some experienced mummy bloggers 🙂

Leave a comment