Harris + Hoole

It’s rather fashionable to bash Harris + Hoole on account of their being 49% owned by Tesco. Made less clear is that the people behind the chain are those responsible for Taylor St Baristas, and as a result, the coffee at Harris + Hoole is far superior to what you might otherwise expect. Apparently they won best UK coffee chain at the 2014 European Coffee Awards and I can believe that. I certainly can’t think of any other major chain that can compete with what you can get at Harris & Hoole.
The location of this Harris + Hoole in the massive Tesco Extra in Slough magnifies the incongruousness. There are the shelves containing the coffee making equipment (Aeropress, V60, Clever Dripper, Hario grinder, even Harris + Hoole branded KeepCups) that one sees at all ‘serious’ cafes. The refillable filter coffee marketed as ‘drip’ filter coffee. And the superb-​value, excellent espresso — a ‘small’, 8 oz flat white costs £2.30, and sizes go all the way up to 12 oz.
There are some corners cut. There’s only one blend of coffee (Union), as you might expect from a large chain (but not at an independent). The filter coffee, while refillable, isn’t anywhere near the quality of drip/​Aeropress coffee in independent stores, perhaps because the coffee used isn’t as well-​suited.
Still, overall, I am most certainly a fan. It’s one thing to cash in on the coffee craze by lazily churning out sub-​standard lattes for ‘artisan’ prices as too many opportunist independents and coffee chains do. It’s quite another to, as I think Harris + Hoole do, use their in-​depth knowledge of the trade to make good coffee significantly more accessible to all. I declare Harris + Hoole to be a force for good.