Lunch on the run when on a shopping trip can be tricky.

With the lure of the changing rooms calling, you don’t want an age-long wait to be served and a cafe is a far better bet than a pub or a fastfood outlet. Patisserie Valerie, opposite the Guildhall market entrance in Bath, is one of our favourites. This is much more than a coffee shop. The opulent window display of delicious pastries tempts you in, to find Art Deco-style decor and a generous menu.

Although the emphasis is on all things French or Belgian, the menu includes a substantial all-day breakfast and brunch section with some very English dishes, as well as a range of salads.

Having a healthy teenage appetite, my son chose a Valerie Club Sandwich, with grilled chicken breast, gammon ham, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on toasted granary bread (£8.15), while I went for one of my favourites, Eggs Benedict (£7.80). The traditional version has two poached eggs on toasted brioche with grilled bacon and Hollandaise sauce, or you can have the veggie version, Eggs Florentine, with spinach replacing the bacon, or even go for the max and try the Royal plateful, which replaces the bacon with smoked salmon.

We also enjoyed delicious coffee and a cranberry juice, and I was pleased to see that the menu includes smoothies made without banana.

The order arrived very speedily, on warm plates. My eggs were lovely, perfectly cooked so the yolks ran out when you cut them, and the Hollandaise was delicious, creamy and rich with a sharp lemony tang without being vinegary.

The club sandwich vanished so fast it clearly met with approval.

We couldn’t consider leaving without sampling the cake, and our two slices of gateau (£3.95) were scrummy. I went for a confection which had several fruits, some soaked in alcohol, and lashings of cream, while the boy fell for the lure of the chocolate torte with milk, dark and white chocolate all in one.

Our bill came to £28.70, which for a two-course lunch, with two coffees and a soft drink, seemed good value to me.