We tried the full English cooked breakfast at the Instagram-friendly Bristol cafe next to a beautiful woodland

The first thing you spot when you walk in is the Instagram-friendly pink neon sign on the artificial living wall.

It still says ‘Abbie & Chelsie’s Kitchen’ - the original name for this family-run cafe next to St Anne’s Woods - but it’s now called Abbie’s Cafe.

This was the first time I’d been to Abbie’s but I’d heard plenty of good things about it from friends who live in St Anne’s.

Close to the River Avon, it’s popular with workers from the nearby business parks and industrial units along St Anne’s Road, as well as cyclists using nearby routes and visitors to the beautiful woodland behind the cafe.

The cafe benefits from having a terrace outside so people can enjoy their food al fresco when the weather allows (and it’s covered when it doesn’t).

From 11am, Abbie’s serves toasties, jacket potatoes, salads and daily specials. There are kids’ meals for £4.50, pancakes (from £6.50 with fruit and syrup) and ice cream milkshakes for £3.50, as well as cakes under plastic domes on the counter.

But it’s breakfast that is still the main event at Abbie’s and it’s what it has built up its reputation in recent years.

There’s a big breakfast for £10.15 (three sausages, two bacon, two eggs, mushrooms, hash brown, black pudding, fried potatoes, beans and toast) and the traditional for £2 less (two sausages, two bacon, two eggs, two hash browns, beans and toast).

For those watching their figure, there’s even a ‘skinny breaky’ (£7.50 - two bacon, two poached eggs, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes and wholemeal toast), and if you want to start the day in a more summer holiday mood, there’s The Greek (£7.95 for three eggs scrambled with onion, garlic, spinach on toast topped with feta, cherry tomatoes and balsamic glaze).

I went for the far less exotic small Full English breakfast (£6.15) - one sausage, one bacon, one egg, hash brown, beans and toast - and it was just the right amount of food.

Each item was piping hot and cooked with care. The fried egg was expertly cooked, its yolk perfectly runny. The bacon was decent quality stuff and the sausage juicy.

I washed it down with a mug of tea (£1.50) that stayed blisteringly hot for the duration of the meal and beyond. 

As cheap and cheerful full English fry-ups go, it was hard to fault and it set me up for the long morning ahead. 

Abbie’s Cafe is tucked away in a part of Bristol that’s often overlooked but this friendly little place is well worth the detour - even if it’s just for a selfie against that Instagram-friendly wall after your breakfast.

Abbie’s Cafe, 8 Wootton Road, St Anne’s Park, Bristol, BS4 4AL.