A match made in foodie heaven Philomena Foggs Bistro Cafe and Quirky II The Restaurant join forces to serve delicious home made, locally sourced food Two local businesses – that would initially appear to be competitors – have teamed up to support each other and show that two heads are better than one when it comes to running businesses in the highly competitive hospitality industry. Quirky II The Restaurant in Meltham and Philomena Foggs Bistro Cafe in Thongsbridge, Holmfirth have proved that working together offers a huge advantage in the marketplace and shows how local businesses can support each other in many ways. Both Quirky and Philomena’s concentrate on locally sourced ingredients, cooked by a team of highly regarded local chefs, with everything handmade on the premises.
Quirky II The Restaurant QUIRKY II The Restaurant started life seven years ago as Quirky Corner in tiny premises in the middle of Meltham. By offering great food and service, the restaurant quickly outgrew the premises and two years ago took over the building next door and expanded, leaving the tiny premises of Quirky Corner for good. This building is the former Meltham Conservative Club, a building rich in history as originally it was the first ever state school. Restaurant owners Kyle Hopkin and Rachel Crowther (pictured left
outside the restaurant) knew it was important to convert such an historic building with love and attention. The finished result led to an amazing transformation as they opened up the ceiling and walls to be much like the original school. In this amazing building Kyle and his team serve up ‘old school’ traditional dishes with a modern Quirky twist. The restaurant is open evenings with breakfast and lunch served on Sundays. Quirky II The Restaurant is now thriving and is known as a game specialist. New for 2017 sees the tapas menu being served in the relaxing wine lounge. Tapas can be ordered along with wine, cocktails and draught and bottled beers and is an ideal place to
Philomena Foggs Bread, handmade on the premises daily. socialise in a relaxing environment. The tapas menu is very ‘quirky’ and includes Yorkshire Tapas dishes alongside more traditional tapas. The new wine bar is providing a welcome alternative in Meltham for those who prefer this to a traditional pub. Quirky II The Restaurant, offers a fixed price menu which is £17.50 for two courses and £21 for three courses. This includes dishes such as carrot and parsnip Scotch egg and a specials board with, amongst other things, grouse, pheasant, hare and pigeon. Why not think about treating your loved one to a meal out, maybe for Valentine’s Day? The restaurant also takes daytime bookings for funeral teas, christenings etc. All sizes and types of parties can be catered for.
PHILOMENA Foggs is a new cafe, serving local, freshly prepared food from its premises at Albion Mills on Miry Lane in Thongsbridge. The cafe is owned and run by local businesswoman Allison Wagstaff, who set it up after a lifetime love of travel and good food.
Chefs and waiting staff have been employed from the local area, including Head Chef Nick Goodfellow who previously ran Nick’s Kitchen, a restaurant voted number one in Holmfirth on Trip Advisor. “We are delighted to have Nick on the team. He has a wonderful creative flair and shares our passion for using high quality local ingredients to create food from scratch. Even our baked beans are freshly prepared by Nick,’’ said Allison. Allison opened the cafe after getting the all clear from cancer last year. As a lover of travel, she named the eatery after the
fictional explorer Phileas Fogg, changing the name to Philomena after her late mother who also loved travel and going out for a cake and a cuppa. “After my recovery, my options were to either retire or take the plunge and do something I’d always wanted to do by opening my own cafe. “I wanted to offer high quality food at a reasonable price and being a natural workaholic, the retirement option didn’t really appeal. Philomena Foggs is now run alongside our other existing businesses. “Converting the space took a lot of work but in just seven weeks with the help of family, friends and local tradespeople, it was transformed. We have now been open for four months and already have a regular clientele
who return week after week to dine with us.’’ Items on the menu include traditional fare such as ploughman’s lunch and traditional afternoon tea as well as a range of unique dishes and drinks including ‘wizard’s butter beer’ and dishes such as Slow Braised Spiced Lamb with Chickpea and Spinach, which is part of the low calorie `slimmer’s menu’. New for 2017 is the addition of a special Around The World Afternoon Tea featuring specialities from around the world. Fully licensed, the cafe also has a gin parlour. Customers are pleasantly surprised when they enter the old mill building to find quirky, cosy décor, a friendly welcome and great food.
Head chef Nick Goodfellow NICK leads a team of seven in the kitchen at Philomena Foggs and offers a delicious range of freshly cooked dishes made from locally sourced ingredients. Previously he has worked in restaurant kitchens around the world, learning and perfecting different styles of cooking. With a lifelong love of Yorkshire, Nick’s experience led to the opening of Nick’s Kitchen in Holmfirth where, for five years, his expert cooking gave him the number one spot on Trip Advisor as he created the food he wanted. Now he has brought his expertise to Philomena Foggs, still making the delicious food he loves to create.
What our customers say... “Hidden cafe, needs discovering.’’ “Nothing else like this in the area and a great place to visit’.’ “Superb food in lovely surroundings. We went for lunch and were surprised at the quality of food and excellent value for money. I had the pastrami and red onion marmalade panini and my husband had the kedgeree, both were really tasty.’’