THE GREAT SAUSAGE HUNT 2018
Riding the length and breadth of Great Britain in search of fried happiness
Very few things go together better than a rideout and a steaminghot mug of tea washing a Full English past your tonsils. And with more biker-oriented cafés than ever popping up in old service stations, dealerships, and at great ride-to destinations, we took it upon ourselves to hunt for the very best Britain has to offer. The aim? Sausages. Well, that and the rest of the constituent parts of a heavenly big breakfast... and all served with the biggest smiles in the best locations.
MCN’s intrepid Roving Reporter, Justin Hayzelden, has sampled a total of 33 bikerfriendly eateries since we kicked off the quest in April, it’s now time to crown a 2018 champion café; somewhere that’s worth going the extra mile for in search of stomach-sating satisfaction.
The bacon-fuelled quest took us to a different establishment each week, stretching from Cornwall to Scotland, and soaking up some of the UK’s finest riding roads in the process. Research can be a tough gig. We’ve soaked-up the ambience, the local roads, the temperature of the welcome, and the addictiveness of the grub and the last drabs of bean juice with a slice of toast. Then we scored each venue on the same criteria, and moved on to the next gastronomic biking nirvana.
We haven’t just visited nice cafés that tolerate bikers, or don’t even notice that you didn’t arrive in a car, we’ve been selecting the places that revel in two-wheeled business, the places that really welcome us. Whether it’s a roadside diner in an old Portakabin, a converted pub or A-road service station, a nourishing corner of your local bike dealership, or a full-on bike-themed café; they all count. Some even put on specific biker nights or provide special facilities like visor cleaning stations, helmet parks, and bike-only parking. But even the little tea stops that can’t offer all that were in with a chance of winning. All they have to do is welcome bikers with open arms, rather than folded ones.
From the 33 cafés visited to date, we’ve taken the top ten scorers and profiled them here. Now it’s down to you to vote for your favourite. The overall winner will then receive the inaugural MCN Golden Sausage Award, before we all go on a swift crash diet and commence the 2019 hunt.