THERE are a select few places which have established themselves in Colchester’s culinary psyche and Poppy’s is definitely one of them.

For as long as I can remember, the quaint, beamed rooms which make up Poppy’s has been the place to go for afternoon tea, serving up an array of mouthwatering sandwiches, cakes and scones.

But alas, due to current market forces, traditional afternoon tea appears to have gone out of the window and the new owners of Poppy’s have been forced to shut up shop by 3pm on weekdays and a little later at weekends.

That said, my friend and I were reassured the place still serves exceedingly good cakes and scones if we wanted them, just not at the traditional time.

Having perused the menu, we were more than happy to plump for what they had on offer for lunch, a cornucopia of choices anyone would be pleased with, including lasagne, beef cobbler and hunter’s chicken.

On a cold winter’s day, I would have happily gone for either the cobbler or chicken, both sounding absolutely delicious, but bearing in mind the heat of the August lunch hour, I opted for lasagne and salad, with a request for a side pot of coleslaw.

I did this for two reasons. The first because one of my theories is a very good benchmark for a place is the standard of its coleslaw and second because I have had it before.

Delicious, chunky and creamy, it was the perfect accompaniment to my meaty and very tasty lasagne and sizable salad.

Thankfully, my meal was tip-top, because my friend’s quiche lorraine would certainly have given me food envy if it hadn’t been.

It looked great and I was told tasted pretty great as well. Again with salad and boiled new potatoes, it was very good value for money providing a more than hearty meal.

With its delightful nostalgic interior and amazing service, Poppy’s Tea Rooms has had to evolve to survive the current climate and I’m very glad it has done so supremely well.

Much like the Ravens at the Tower, I don’t know what Colchester would do without it.

What we ate Quiche Lorraine £5.95 Lasagne £6.95 Our verdict Atmosphere **** Decor **** Food **** Value **** Service *****