Out & About July 2017

Independent’s day Honesty’s newest coffee shop has just opened in Hungerford. ROMILLA ARBER encourages you to sample their fare and discover the other independent outlets in Barrs Yard H onesty Hungerford opened on May 27 and we all love it, the decor, the light flooding through the big windows and the upstairs section. baba ganoush served alongside the Lebanese flat breads, made by our fab baker boys. The charcuterie is sourced from Ambrose Sausages, a local business in Hampshire. We have also introduced some interesting salad pots using healthy whole grains and an American style hoagie roll filled with pastrami and pickles. In addition there are our usual seasonal soups, wraps and sandwiches.

Come and have a look at what we and our neighbours at Barrs Yard have to offer. Enjoy a coffee or tea or a glass of wine, which you can buy from Barnaby at Grapesmith to accompany any purchase at Honesty. Sit inside or outside and watch the world go by, one occupation that is seriously encouraged in Honesty coffee shops. If you want more details please do email on: info@honestygroup.co.uk

There is plenty of room to showcase all our lovely produce and for customers to enjoy the best of what Honesty has to offer. Ours is one of five units that have been built at Barrs Yard. Katie and Travers Nettleton own the site and it was their vision and positivity that have created such an interesting retail venue. I think as high streets become more and more uniform in what they have to offer, shoppers are receptive to new experiences. Now that Newbury town centre has become so focused on big brand names and the rate increases have really made it a ‘no go’ area for smaller businesses, it is great that there are retail opportunities for businesses like Honesty in which to flourish. I also think that much care and attention has been taken by Katie and Travers to ensure that the outlets at Barrs Yard complement each other, from Cricket Fine Art to Garden Art and Jax Jeans to our café and coffee shop and Grapesmith next door to us; there is also Wendy’s Florist and the Generous Gardener, which means that there is plenty to see and choose from for customers. The site is also very close to Hungerford High Street and visitors can enjoy a lot more now when visiting the area. There is plenty of parking, so there is no excuse for not popping in to pay us all a visit. The food offering at Honesty Hungerford ranges from our beautiful handmade breakfast pastries to pancakes or waffles for breakfast, as well as bacon or sausage filled rolls. For lunch, you can enjoy a charcuterie board made using our homemade houmous and

Every month we introduce a new bake of the month. This month you will see lemon curd swiss roll in our shops. The bakers are working on a Greek roll called a bastounakia which is the perfect accompaniment for picnics or summery lunches and dinners. It is made using fresh rosemary and will be an interesting addition to our great range of breads. We have a whole new team at Hungerford. So say hello to Glenn, Sharon and Megan when you next pop in. They are all excited about being involved in the new venture. We really want this place to become our flagship coffee shop to show what a small, independent business can offer a community. We have just re-signed our commitment to Living Wage UK to make sure that all our lowest paid workers are paid the living wage and they are all encouraged to train and develop within the business. We shall continue to use local producers wherever possible, so if any of our customers have someone they would like to promote or introduce please let us know. It is important to support local, small businesses so that your shopping experience is adding something of value to the local community.

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