Inside the quirky Peterborough city centre cafe with umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and a tiny hidden garden

We recently asked readers on our Facebook page to suggest their favourite independent businesses in Peterborough, and it’s fair to say that there were quite a few nominations; nearly 200 in all.

Ranging from bakeries to butchers, the nominations really shone a light on the sheer number of small businesses making a valuable contribution to the city.

Naturally, the next thing for us to do here at the Peterborough Telegraph was to get out and visit some of these incredible businesses for ourselves.

We began our celebration of all things independent in Westgate - the heart of the city centre.

Tucked away a few doors down from the entrance to the Westgate Arcade is MD Coffee, a small cafe nominated by several readers in our initial Facebook post.

Alongside its primary function as a thriving cafe, MD Coffee also sells a range of unique products and crafts.

Perhaps the best way to describe the quirky business is a hybrid of a cafe, antiques emporium and gift shop.

To the rear of the cafe is a small walled garden where customers can relax amongst colourful plants and unusual sculptures.

The roof of the garden’s seating area is adorned with several upside down-hanging umbrellas, only adding to its quirky vibe.

Open between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Saturday, the cafe - and in particular its garden - is a great place to seek refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

See more of the cafe in the gallery below: