Edit 7/2/2020: The Kind Grind is now closed for good.

The Kind Grind had its opening yesterday and I allowed Kate to shake me awake early on a Saturday to check it out first thing. Our expectations were high. Our mood was giddy. Our stomachs demanded cake!

Decorated with wood, chalkboard and succulents but in a way that makes it seem more homey than hipster, the Kind Grind is a welcoming space. Cute toys line the wall for your small children, there are plenty of places to sit, and if you are in need they are part of the suspended coffee movement.

The Kind Grind wears its politics on its sleeves. They source locally, buy fair trade products and — of course — almost everything is vegan. The only non vegan thing on offer is milk for coffees. The dairy free among us can choose from almond, soy, and oat. Cakes are prepared by two local vegan ‘cake faeries’ and there is a selection of packaged foods, including Ten Acre Crisps.

So what did we get on our very first visit? Well we ordered two hot chocolates, with almond for me and with oat for Kate, and two cupcakes. Mine had a delicious shard of chocolate. I adored the cakes. They taste better than they look and they look amazing. We where drawn in by the homey atmosphere and ended up staying longer than we intended. To keep our stamina up we also had a packet of When the Cheese Met The Onion and a packet of How Chicken Soup Saved The Day. We swapped halfway through to get a taste of each.

We’ll be back in The Kind Grind often. They have both sweet and savoury snacks covered and when the weather gets cooler again I expect I’ll be in for a lot of hot chocolates. I’m also intrigued by the quiche, which we didn’t get to sample this time. I’m sure I’ll be able to report back soon on that one though.