The bowl of Scouse is served up at one of the city’s most popular attractions
Scouse at World Museum Liverpool’s cafe (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool is full of many wonderful cafés offering delicious meals and freshly made goods. Some of the city’s cafés have stood the test of time and remain unchanged, while others offer something completely unique altogether. There are cafés which are hidden in plain sight and might not be our first choice when looking for something to eat.
I visited a café on Thursday afternoon which, although I’ve heard many good things about, wouldn’t usually top my list of places to eat. Not because it doesn’t offer a mouthwatering selection of dishes and sweet treats, but because of its location.
The café in question is tucked away inside World Museum Liverpool on William Brown Street in the city centre. Now, it’s not often I find myself at the popular city attraction, so I have only stopped for a coffee a couple of times. But I’ve heard a few compliments about its Scouse.
The Café at World Museum offers tasty treats including hot meals, salads, sandwiches, cakes and drinks. There are selected vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available.
The stunning venue is in an area of the museum on the ground floor which dates back to 1901 and features beautiful original artwork.
The museum unveiled its lavish café back in 2017 – in an area that was previously unseen by visitors. The space features intricate, historic plasterworks and stunning murals which adorn the walls as they dine.
The plasterwork which can be seen above the till at World Museum’s cafe(Image: Colin Lane)
The plasterwork on the wall shows Liverpool as the central figure. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, stands to her right and The Arts to her left. They present laurel wreaths to scholars and industrial workers. Mercury, god of trade, who is wearing a winged helmet, helps them. It’s a beautiful space.
On the menu during my visit was a hearty bowl of Scouse, accompanied with red cabbage, a bread roll and butter. The dish cost £8.95 which didn’t sound bad for a bowl of homemade stew.
After two huge ladle scoops from a large food warmer, I was handed my delicious smelling bowl of Scouse and side of bread on a plastic tray. It smelt wonderful and was a decent sized portion.
Look inside the World Museum cafe on William Brown Street. Photo by Colin Lane(Image: Colin Lane)
It was really meaty, made thick by the sheer amount of minced pieces. According to the National Museums Liverpool website, the recipe, described as the ‘best,’ features both chunks of meat and mince.
It was a proper winter warmer and much-needed on a cold day. It had a good amount of meat, which was really tender and its potatoes were perfectly soft. It tasted like it had been cooking away all day, delicious.
With the bread roll and butter, the dish was properly filling. I couldn’t quite finish the lot but left completely satisfied.
More information on the cafes at National Museums Liverpool can be found on its website.