To start – what kind of service do you provide to your customers, and how do you ensure your food and beverages are of a supreme quality? “We are a small, friendly family owned independent café with a focus on breakfast, brunch and lunch alongside speciality coffee, loose leaf teas and artisan cakes. We believe in good service, good quality, and good value all in a relaxed space. We strive to continue our innovative menu using local suppliers and developing new flavour combinations that feed the soul, you will always find daily specials using seasonal ingredients and on trend dishes. “We embrace gluten/dairy free, vegetarian and vegan food as part of our everyday offering which includes cakes, alternative milks and our popular brunch dishes. There really is something for everyone including children with a dedicated menu of freshly-prepared additive free dishes. “The collaboration with our dedicated baker, Anna Lacey, ensures each cake is bespoke to Ten Hands. You’ll find classics through to unusual flavour combinations with creative specials available at the weekend including our well known slow proved Cinnamon Buns freshly baked on site.” Could you tell us more about your unique menu, and what gives it that extra touch of magic? “We work closely with North Star Coffee Roasters, who have strong connections with their growers. They roast our beans in Leeds, in small batches weekly. We follow a strict brewing programme led by weight, time & temperature which is checked throughout the day to ensure optimum quality for every espresso based drink. Our teas are also sourced from a local independent company, and, The Tea Lab who strive for perfection, use mostly organic and all loose leaf – which is, again, blended in small batches for us.” Being based where you are, what kind of clients do you see on a daily basis? “Based in the heart of the Midlands we see customers from a wide area whilst travelling through and stopping off in the picturesque market town, often friends meet from different areas and even cyclists on a long round trip. Our customer base is varied so we develop our dishes to suit all lifestyles. From our kid’s menu of good quality nutritional dishes through to those that require special attention due to allergies, great care is taken when preparing all dishes.” Could you tell us more about your achievements to date? “Since starting in July 2017, Ten Hands Café Bar has established itself as a leader in providing quality speciality coffee & tea, on trend brunch dishes and being a part of the local community. In these 6 years we’ve won many awards as best café and coffee shop including Gold in both The Northamptonshire Carlsberg & The Weetabix Food & Drinks awards, and three awards from SME Midlands Enterprise Awards.” Please tell us more about your team and your mission. “Our team is a family, we look for the right staff who can complement the café and its ethos which sometimes can take a while, we positively employ young people entering work – paying a fair wage, with protected hours with on-site training. We regularly offer apprenticeships in front of house hospitality /chefs /team managers. Young people who start as weekend help often grow into permanent members. The whole team is key to our success. “Our plan is to continue to strive to be the best version of ourselves and should new opportunities arise maybe expand into other market towns.” Presenting Ten Hands with its award is a pleasure, and we look forward to seeing what other offerings it presents to its customers in the future to come. You can find the Ten Hands Café Bar site at www.tenhands.co.uk to view its up to date menus. Booking is recommended, though not always essential, but weekends get very busy quickly. Opening hours are Mon - Thurs 9.30 - 2.00, Fri & Sun 9.30 - 2.30, Saturday 9.30 - 4.00 Company name: TEN HANDS CAFÉ BAR Address: 175 WATLING STREET, TOWCESTER, NORTHANTS NN12 6BX Telephone: 01327 351010 Email: [email protected] Socials: @tenhandscafe Ten Hands is an independent licensed café bar in the heart of the bustling Roman market town of Towcester. We interview its Owner, Nicola Monk, to find out more about its offerings as it is crowned in the Midlands Enterprise Awards 2023. Best Breakfast & Lunch Venue 2023 - Northamptonshire
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