From tiny Acorns great food grows

On Friday I was lucky enough to be treated to a birthday lunch at Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen. Formally Demuths, and formally one of my favourite restaurants Acorn continues to deliver exceptional vegetarian food.

Under the ownership of Rachel Demuth's former head chef and front of house manager, Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen serves modern, exciting vegetarian food, in a contemporary setting in the heart of Bath city centre.

Following a recent refit, mainly centred on new kitchen equipment (including an all singing all dancing induction hob) but also including a new lick of paint and some beautiful copper industrial lighting, Acorn now feels like it's found its identity in every sense. Coming out from the shadow of Demuths was always going to be a risk - Rachel had run the restaurant since the mid 80's and it was widely recognised as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the UK. But the vegetarian accolade never did it justice. Demuths made the vegetables sing and Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen has taken this concept and elevated it to something even more special.

Based on the three principles of relaxing with friends, incredible ingredients from local artisans and food prepared with skill and served from the heart, Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen is truly a gem. I was there with a self confessed carnivore who commented that with food like this why would you ever need meat. This was shortly followed by "how do you make a carrot taste like that" - praise indeed!

It was here that I celebrated my five year anniversary, here that we asked our best friend to become godfather to little M. and here that I will continue to celebrate even when there's no occasion.

Happy, relaxed lunchtime customers

Good food served from the heart

Lovely new lights

Pizza. On a Bike

On Tuesday Sarah and I literally stumbled across one of Bath's newest businesses, The Pizza Bike. Run by Angel and set up on an ordinary push bike, The Pizza Bike is a mobile pizza oven which will be set up in Bath on Tuesdays and Fridays at Green Park station.

Sarah and I often say that it is the creativity and ingenuity of the independent business owners of Bath that impresses us and this business is certainly no exception. We happened to catch Angel on his first day of trading in Bath and he happily chatted to us about his idea and talked us through how it all works. And boy does it work; not only is his idea economically and ecologically viable but the pizzas are really delicious and he has built the whole thing himself. 

Born out of a passion for mountain biking and a desire to eat more than BBQ food when exploring the bike trails The Pizza Bike has been in development since last year. Using only local organic ingredients and a sourdough base made from Spelty the sourdough starter, Angels's three pizzas are fantastic. Add to this a huge smile and an open attitude and you have a business that deserves to thrive. But be quick, he only has a six week pitch at Green Park Station. See you there tomorrow?

The Pizza Bike

Sarah chatting to Angel about the creation of The Pizza Bike

Menu

Angel making Sarah's pizza

#thepizzabike

Be a guest writer for Independent Bath

Are you an indie owner? Do want to guest write for us? If so look no further because we would like to invite you to write a post for us about what matters to you.

Do you want to discuss the challenges and pitfalls of running an independent business? Do you want to talk about how you set your business up or what inspired you to take the leap from secure, paid employment into the world of self-employment. Do you want to tell us about how different,  unusual or even unique your business is? Or do you want to share some of your favourite indie businesses? Are you just starting out or have you been in the indie game for decades?

Whatever you want to talk about, please get in touch with your ideas...we welcome them all because we want this to be your platform as much as it is ours. The only thing we ask is that you address even your biggest challenges with positivity and optimism; we do not want this blog to become a space for negative soapboxing, but then I'm sure you don't either.

Drop us an email at independentbath@gmail.com and lets see what we can do together.

Bath Artisan Market

I feel a really strong synergy between what the guys at Bath Artisan market and us are trying to achieve. They too are giving a platform to to small independent creative is so that together they can shout louder.

On the second Sunday of every month in Bath's Green Park station, now the go-to place for markets in Bath, the Bath Artisan market springs to life with dozens of stallholders ranging from illustrators to makers of the finest award-winning chai. Catherine who runs the market was away today for the first time since the markets were set up 2 years ago but she left it in the capable hands of Emma and together they have pulled off another triumph.

This month is an even bigger and better spectacular than normal with the Artisan market teaming up with Beyond the Kale. If you've read this blog before, follow us on twitter or on Instagram it will not have escaped your attention that Sarah and I love this place!

It was great to meet so many amazing creators today. Yet again I am amazed by your creativity, and the diversity of your creations. 

Serenading the wile event this month was folk trio Kadio with tales of randy pirates and as we left a lovely little Daft Punk cover. This really is a special event but don't take my word for it - pop down! It's on from 10am-4pm on the second Sunday of every month so whether you need to buy a gift or you want to treat yourself to something original then this is the place for you.

Record shop woes

I (Erica) was sad to hear this week of yet another indie business being pushed out for re-development in what has become an all too familiar story. Rare and Racy in Sheffield's Independent Quarter has been in business since 1969 selling records and books and although I have never visited it, this is the kind of place I spent my teenage and Uni years in, pouring over the mixture of sixties, seventies and contemporary records. 

Bathonian lovers of music will no doubt remember the joys that were Replay, Rival and Nashers Music Store all of which were responsible for the spending of much of my saturday-earned wages (these and the flea market where I got my hands on some lovely sixties classic albums!). As the retail environment changed, and as music 'evolved' into the digital behemoth that it is now, these record businesses moved or downsized until they were no more. But Rare and Racy is so much sadder: this is a business with loyal regulars, widely recognised as central to Sheffield's indie quarter and yet forced into closure by imminent demolition. And all of this despite record numbers of signatures on a petition to the council. I can only imagine how sad the demolition of Southgate must have seemed, especially when it's replacement was unveiled. 

Spillers in Cardiff,  the oldest record shop in the world (its been open since 1894!), has since 2006 managed to cling on to its city centre location despite a massive regeneration of the surrounding area. Thanks to public support from welsh bands like the Manic Street Preachers, Spillers continues to provide a little indie haven amongst the high street behemoths.

But Spillers is rare. The Rare and Racy story really makes my heart swell as it is exactly businesses like record shops, businesses that trade on a niche passion, that seem to take the hardest hits of all. The teeny tiny silver lining is that Rare and Racy's tenancy may yet allow them two more years of trading in this, Sheffield's heartland, but only time will tell if they can weather the storm.

All Hail Beyond The Kale

It's tricky to write about this place without doing my classic over excited, tripping over my words, clapping like a seal (just ask Erica, it is a wonder to behold) because I'm so excited to talk about this little gem of a place tucked away in Bath's Green Park Station.  If I ever get into conversations on healthy eating, green juices, nut butters or coconut oil which I often do as it seems to be all the rage these days. Beyond the Kale is my number one recommendation in Bath! 

Beyond The Kale in Green Park Station

Now to some I know the health thing can be a bit daunting. It is always daunting to me on a Monday morning when I am trying to undo my mistakes of the weekend.  This is usually where my love for Beyond the Kale begins.  Monday, after the chaos of the school run, usually slightly blurry eyed from 'Sunday worship'.  (Sunday worship entails drinking far to much gin in my local village pub-there is nothing healthy about this I know) 

I'll head straight to Beyond the Kale for a mammoth dose of green goodness in the form of one of their glorious Blends.  It tastes amazing! A mixture that uses the whole fruits and vegetables so you get all the nutritional benefits. Ridiculously Tasty!

So it seems we're all putting beetroot in brownies, nuts and seed snacks in our bags and watching you tube videos of how to make your own almond milk (I have done all of these with varying success)
As time consuming as all this healthy food preparation is, It's clear that we are all striving for the same thing.  We want look and feel good and ultimately be healthier people.   Beyond the Kale is the foodie place that helps me on my mission to be healthy.  I love that I can pick up a 'Blend' in the morning, a super food salad or butternut squash curry for lunch and If I need something sweet, which I seem to be justifying most days at the moment, I can grab a deliciously healthy treat. Seriously if you are a cake lover like me you have got to try one of 'Kale's' Raw cakes, they are literally 'The Bomb!'(Really there is one called The Bomb made with dates, coconut, almond and peanut butter) Clever huh!

The Bomb!!! 

Beyond the Kale is a combination of cafe, takeaway and grocer.  It has the feel of a lovely old fashioned green grocer.  It's relaxing in here. In the busyness of the Saturday Farmers Market, I'll pop in for some time out, grab a juice and get some groceries. It's the polar opposite to shopping in a chaotic supermarket. It's just how shopping should be. 

Blends, Juices and Boosters. 

If you are a lover of healthy whole food and haven't found this place yet...you must go. You will fall in love. If you're not a lover of health food and find it all a bit overwhelming you should simply go and sample something utterly delicious that will make you feel great.  

ALL HAIL BEYOND THE KALE! Thank you for being there in my Monday morning time of need (really I do need you!) and supporting my mission to eat healthy.

Independent Bath Salutes you xxx

Bath Farmers Market

You may buy now have noticed that Sarah and I have a slight food and coffee obsession! Don't panic, we'll be covering all independent businesses in time but for now let me tell you about one of Bath's greatest foodie success stories.

Bath farmers market, held in Green Park Station every Saturday is one of the best success stories Bath has to offer. It was the very first farmers market in the UK, set up in the mid 90s, and is today stronger than ever.

It's the diversity of the traders here that always surprises me. From the butchers and bakers you would expect to see, via the also to be expected cheese makers and green grocers to Jeffery serving wine and oysters at his pop-up oyster bar and Zoe the herbalist who brings years of nursing experience to her herbal medicine practice, there is something for everyone and still enough choice to properly whet your appetite.

The really great thing about this market is that it highlights, in one setting, the fact that having a great product, and being passionate about it really is the key. It was heartening to see such a thriving, vibrant market with traders really selling their products to loyal and new customers alike. Eddie at Round Hill Roastery was doing a roaring trade and still found time to give me flavour notes on all the blends they were selling. The Thoughtful Bread guys accommodated my dithering and helped me towards a delicious onion sourdough whilst serving known regulars, and my pastry love-in with Lovett Pies was delightful (as too was the pie by the way: sweet potato, squash & spinach with goats cheese and plum chutney if you were wondering).

As Sarah and I go through the process of  organising the first Independent Bath Awards we talk a lot about the criteria and how we want the judges to approach their task. One thing is becoming very clear to me: over and above the creative techniques all of Bath's independents need to employ in the dirty business of marketing (I can say that, I am a marketing manager), it is the simple strategy of loving your product and knowing and caring about your customers that sets independent businesses apart, a million miles apart in fact, from the high street. And I hope this is the essence that comes across in this blog - that Sarah and I are simply in awe of you all for creating businesses around your passions. 

As we work on the finer details of the awards we would love to hear from you if you think we have missed anything (or anyone!)or if you have any ideas. In the immortal words of my guilty pleasure McFly "it's all about you".

Eddie from Round Hill Roastery grinding my coffee

Green Park Station

Lovely Lovett Pies