Cafe Munchies, Walsall

Just a few yards beyond the imposing facade of Walsall's New Art Gallery lies an oasis of tradition among the host of corporate names that have come to dominate the town centre.

Cafe Munchies opened in August last year and despite the gloomy economic conditions, the cafe has been going from strength to strength ever since.

The family business is run by owner Karen Challener along with sidekick Angie Southam.

"She's the good-looking one, I'm the hard-working one," says Karen.

It is exactly this type of humour that helps make the cafe so appealing.

Visiting the homely venue during its peak lunchtime hour, it is bustling with activity and chatter.

A couple of the tables are taken up by pensioners tucking into some of the cafe's various specials, all costing £3.99 or less. Karen explains that the specials go down particularly well among the many older customers she welcomes each day and that many tell her the dishes set them back less than meals they cook at home.

Karen says: "They love the cheese and potato pies, but the cottage pie we do is also a favourite.

"All our meals are home-cooked, which I think makes a big difference for most of our customers."

But while the more mature patrons gossip away over their food, an assortment of builders and workmen pop in to collect sizeable orders of the cafe's all-day breakfasts and breakfast sandwiches.

There is also steady stream of shoppers passing through the doors, most of them plumping for the limited yet enticing range of sandwiches, which come on normal bread as well as baguettes and toasted paninis.

I plump for a delicious tuna, cheese and salad sandwich on a baguette that I am delighted to discover has been freshly baked.

That combination of fillings was not actually listed on the menu, but it is a reflection of the cafe's "can-do" approach to service that they were happy to accommodate my request.

Karen adds: "We're certainly not one of those places that you will come into after 2.30pm and we'll tell you the kitchen is closed.

"You can come through the door at 4.30pm and we'll cook you an all-day breakfast."

And as customers soon learn upon visiting Munchies Cafe, food is not all you get for your money.

Karen said: "We've always got time for a chat and we like to have a laugh and a joke with customers.

"We welcome all different types of people."

"I think a lot of these new coffee shop-style places are only catering for a certain type of customer.

Munchies is open from 9am each day until around 4.30pm, but as Karen says: "We'll stay open until the very last customer has left."

Shaw Street,

Walsall

Tel: 01922 611622