There's a kind-of class ranking system for coffee shops. Costa is generally found in retail parks alongside supermarkets such as Asda or Tesco - indeed sometimes inside said supermarkets - and along sadly fading high streets such as Gosport, which is where we were today. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking this, one of the first high street coffee franchises to bring the good stuff to the masses, I'm as much a fan of Costa flat white as the next Joe Soap, and you have to admire the way the franchise has convinced its patrons that when they enter their establishment for a distinctly average beverage and an overpriced caramel slice or bakewell tart, that they're better for being there. Elevated somehow. The prices are just cheap enough for a single Mum of four with her double buggy to still be affordable on a whim after her Asda shop, and just expensive enough to make her feel like she's experiencing something luxurious. It's a bit like eating Ferrero Roche. Gosport Costa is much the same as anywhere else - you can sit outside in the empty high street sipping your caramel latte watching the to-ing and fro-ing of the town's finest and feel the Costa vibe of smug satisfaction that, for 30 minutes or so, you can suspend your disbelief and tell yourself you're better than them.