Boheme Coffee Lounge, 307 Ashley Road, Parkstone

IT has a busy high street a mile long, but Upper Parkstone hasn’t previously offered much in the way of good places to go for coffee.

Some people think you have to travel to Lower Parkstone for that sort of thing. But if you were still under that impression, it’s time to think again.

Lou and Alison Wellman opened Boheme Coffee Lounge on Ashley Road more than a year ago – and you’d be hard-pushed to find a pleasanter cafe.

We’ll begin with the coffee, from Beanpress in Winterborne Kingston, who supply outlets such as the Little Red Roaster in Ashley Cross.

I’d struggle to choose between the flat white I had in Boheme and the ones I’ve had at Little Red Roaster, so I’d award them joint first place as the best coffee I’ve had in the borough of Poole. There is a broad range of coffees, teas, iced drinks, shakes, smoothies and bubble drinks.

The food menu is also wide, from light breakfasts and brunches to cream teas. Prices range from £1.20 for toast and butter to £9.50 for a large continental platter containing a selection of cured meats, cheeses and olives with focaccia bread.

I had a jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn, costing £5.70. That may be a pretty standard choice, but the way it was done was excellent. The potato was perfectly fluffy, the filling generous. And instead of the usual, uninspiring lettuce and tomato, the salad consisted of a heap of leaves in a tangy dressing, and a substantial red cabbage coleslaw.

My guest had a roasted vegetable, mozzarella and homemade hummus deli sandwich on sourdough bread, which costs £6. (Vegetarians, vegans and people on gluten-free diets have plenty of choice.) Again, the food was superbly put together, with a generous filling and the same impressive salad.

I then had a slice of a trifle cake, made from a recipe Lou created. It consisted of a nicely baked sponge with a topping that really did taste like Bird’s trifle. It’ll be especially popular with children. Meanwhile, my guest had a very tasty cranberry and dark chocolate flapjack.

In keeping with the cafe’s name, the surroundings have the flavour of an urban apartment, with wooden floors, exposed brick and leather chairs. In the back garden, there are tables in two beach-hut style sheds.

There was a nice mix of customers when we visited, from lunching mums to a businessman on his laptop, which suggests the place is really catching on. I’ve certainly become a fan.