Kelham Island welcomes new café and deli Brew & Bloom to the neighbourhood tomorrow (7 March).
Serving up nostalgic homemade cakes, hearty lunches, and beautiful bouquets – The mother-and-daughter-run spot in the burgeoning Merchant’s Court development is bringing something fresh yet comfortingly familiar to the area – that won’t break the bank.
Angela Lenihan and Charley Wildsmith, the duo behind the venture, didn’t originally set out to open a café together, but fate – and a few drinks – had other ideas.
“I actually run a cleaning business,” Angela explains. “But I came to a party at Pad 12 one night [the bar in Merchant’s Court], had a couple of drinks, and said to Dan [the co-owner], ‘You know what? I really like it in here. I’d love to have something in this space.’”
A few days later, she got a message. “Dan said, ‘Were you serious the other night – are you actually interested?’ And that was it.” But this wasn’t a solo project. Angela had already been chatting to Charley about the idea of running something together. “I asked her, ‘If you could start your own thing, what would it be?’ And she said, ‘A coffee shop.’ So when Dan mentioned a deli space, everything just clicked into place.”
What is set to make Brew & Bloom stand out in a city packed with coffee spots will be its focus on nostalgia. Alongside fresh paninis, soups, jacket potatoes, and croissants, they’ll be serving up old-school cakes – the kind that instantly transport you back to childhood. “We’re talking sprinkle cake, pinwheels, jam roly-poly, cornflake tarts, custard slices – all those proper school dinner favourites,” says Angela. “My friend had a bakery for years, so she’s been making them forever.”
And unlike some of the pricier spots popping up in Kelham, affordability is a big part of the plan. “We don’t want it to be one of those places where you can only afford to come in as a treat,” says Charley. “You should be able to pop in for a coffee and cake or lunch a few times a week, not just as a payday splurge.”
Angela agrees. “I know what it’s like – you go somewhere, and you think, bloody hell, I can’t afford to come here again for a month. That’s not what we’re about. We want to be somewhere between the more expensive cafés around here and just grabbing a Tesco meal deal.”
They’ve also partnered with Heavenly Coffee, a local roastery, to ensure their brews match the quality of their bakes. “We had our training with them the other day,” says Charley. “They’re really lovely people, really helpful, and the coffee is great.”
But it’s not just food and drink that’s on offer. As the name suggests, flowers play a big part in Brew & Bloom’s aesthetic and offering. “We’re selling little bouquets – not big expensive ones, just small cones of flowers that people can take home or pick up for the office,” says Angela. “We’ll also be using edible flowers in some of the cakes, just to make everything feel a little bit special.”
The décor will follow the same theme. “We’re working flowers into the logo, the artwork, and even hanging baskets in the space,” adds Charley. “We want it to feel fresh, welcoming, and a bit different.”
It’s clear that Brew & Bloom is as much about community as it is about coffee. “We’re not here to make millions,” Angela laughs. “We just want to create somewhere people genuinely enjoy coming to. We’re putting together packages for offices too – big boxes of nostalgic cakes, cut into small chunks so people can just grab a bite. Something different to the usual tray of supermarket doughnuts.”
With a prime courtyard-facing spot and a strong sense of what they want to offer, the excitement is building. “It just feels like everything is coming together perfectly,” says Charley. “Obviously, it’s going to be hard work, but all the decisions – the menu, the design – have just fallen into place so easily. That’s how we know it’s right.”
Angela nods. “It’s just meant to be.”
Brew & Bloom opens tomorrow in Merchant’s Court, Kelham Island. Keep an eye on their socials for updates and get ready to take a trip down memory lane – one slice of sprinkle cake at a time.
