The Old Signal Box Cafe

Friday

The wife is arriving today by train and we have to go to Totnes Station to pick her up. But first we need to replace some of the vast quantities of food that have been consumed. We go to Catch of the Day and buy Cod for Saturday night. We also discuss with Dave what fish it might be best to buy for some large suppers that we have planned for next weekend. I would like to cook a big Hake or a Monkfish and he thinks it should be possible to buy either. We probably need a 5kg fish so a bit of advance warning is needed.

We also buy a goodly piece of rolled sirloin from Lidstones - from their own farm - as you know both the wife and the young man think Rosbif is their favourite. I spy good Wiltshire outdoor reared pork and buy a big chunk of belly for early next week. We don't need anything for tonight as we are going out to the Winking Prawn with some friends that have been staying nearby. After a visit to Alan's Apple to replenish fruit and pick up Fennel (for the Cod) and to the supermarket to replenish oil and butter, yoghurt and crème fraiche, papers, bags and much other kitchen ephemera. We cannot find tahini - which is essential for the cod recipe - but fortunately we have not completely run out and have enough for Saturday night.

The wife's train is slated to arrive at 2.07 so we leave Kingsbridge in plenty of time to get to Totnes with time to have lunch at The Old Signal Box. This venerable establishment really deserves a review on eggbaconchipsandbeans - a 'greasy spoon' blog by Russell Davies that I follow. Looking again at his format, I realize that I have fallen down on the photography and failed miserably to photograph the condiments let alone the ambience...Any way

The Old Signal Box Cafe

In the days before electric signalling mechanical signals were connected to signal boxes by levers and manually operated by a signal man who would observe the traffic and reset the signal to 'stop' or 'slow' according to which trains had passed through. Points were also manually operated from the signal box. Totnes is now just a small stop on the old Great Western Railway from Paddington to Penzance. But in the days before Beeching there were branch lines to Kingsbridge, to Buckfastleigh and to Dartmouth. There was also an important goods yard here where all the milk from the South Hams was loaded on to tanker carriages for distribution to bottlers. Of this infrastructure remains the milk depot - but distribution is now all by road tanker, the Buckfastleigh single track which is operated as a tourist and hobbyist line and the vast old signal box.

For as long as I can remember this has been a cafe serving both the station users, train tourists and the milk depot workers. Photos on the walls serve to remind diners of the 4-6-4 locomotives that used to pull the Penzance Pullman in the days before diesel. In addition to serving food, the cafe is the station's newsagent and confectioner. The long thin signal box host two rows of plastic covered tables for four and in the morning rush hour all these can be occupied. But Friday lunch time seems not to be a peak hour and just two other tables were occupied. The menu offers standard cafe fare and of course we opted for breakfast which is served until 2.00pm

Two breakfasts with extra hash browns (for the young men) and a super breakfast (for the blogger) arrived in short order supported by strong tea. I had 1/2 fried 1/2 toasted as the bread option and this provided ample sustenance for the 22 minute delay in arrival of the First Great Western service. (signals hit by the wrong sort of lighting).

Of course the eggs had no puntillas and the sausage seemed to be composed of approximately 50% meat but with a bill of less than £11 for three hungry greeters how could we but be other than satisfied.

If you ever find yourself at Totnes with time to spare, the Old Signal Box is a must.