A 39-year-old commuter has sparked a heated debate online after sharing what a staff member at Bolton train station told him when asking for oat milk in his coffee
A commuter was faced with a rather baffling response when asking for oat milk in his coffee at a station café.
Oats, coconut, almond and soy are among countless plant-based milks that are usually, readily available in the UK for those who can’t consume cow produce. But a 39-year-old was shocked to discover that WHSmith in Bolton Station could only serve up dairy – and their reason was quite remarkable.
Paul Whitley, who had travelled from Greater Manchester to the northern station took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his surprise. “I’m in Bolton train station and I asked for oat milk in my coffee and the lady told me ‘they don’t do that kind of thing here’.”
While the Sheffield-based arts centre manager said ‘the staff member was nice’, they could only offer skimmed milk as an alternative, despite having around six different flavours of syrup.
He jibed: “I don’t think she was lying. They did offer iced coffee on the menu” before adding “the staff member was nice. I’d hate to get her in trouble.”

Paul’s X post has since racked up hundreds of comments and millions of views (Image: Fadumo Hassan / SWNS)
Since posting his revelation online, it’s has racked up more than three million views, with many commenters drawing to similar instances they had also experienced. One person wrote: “My mother in law once asked for oat drink in her tea in a café. She heard the waitress around the back asking her boss what it was, and the boss replied ‘Just use skimmed milk’.”
Another added: “When my husband asked once in a hotel ‘what milk choices have you got?’, [they] replied ‘hot or cold’,” someone else also chimed in: “I once asked for a tin of macaroni cheese in a Bolton shop and was told I needed to go to the ‘big shops in Swinton’ if I wanted that type of thing.”
The post even sparked a debate on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 phone-in show, with punters ringing in from around the country to share their points of view. One Bolton local added: “Having grown up in Bolton, I can confirm the milk choices available in the majority of Bolton are ‘milk’ and ‘no milk’. We’re a simple folk.”
WHSmith has been contacted for comment.
Another added: “When my husband asked once in a hotel ‘what milk choices have you got?’, [they] replied ‘hot or cold’,” someone else also chimed in: “I once asked for a tin of macaroni cheese in a Bolton shop and was told I needed to go to the ‘big shops in Swinton’ if I wanted that type of thing.”
The post even sparked a debate on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 phone-in show, with punters ringing in from around the country to share their points of view. One Bolton local added: “Having grown up in Bolton, I can confirm the milk choices available in the majority of Bolton are ‘milk’ and ‘no milk’. We’re a simple folk.”
WHSmith has been contacted for comment.