Cambridge Edition March 2020

INDEPENDENT OF THE MONTH

INDIE OF THE MONTH Bicicl e tta THIS PART-CYCLING SHOP, PART-CAFE HAS BECOME A COMMUNITY HUB FOR SAFFRON WALDEN RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS CYCLING CLUBS AROUND THE COUNTRY

WORDS BY SIOBHAN GODWOOD

The cafe has retained the striking black, white and yellow colour scheme that is such a recognisable part of its brand, but the menu is now much bigger, catering for vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements, and the cafe is fully licensed between Thursday and Saturday evenings, staying open until 10.30pm. “There’s a local feel to the bar and restaurant,” adds Mandy, “with craft beers from Brewboard and Wylde Sky, both local breweries, and wines from Joseph Barnes – another Saffron Walden business. We get our bread fromMini Miss Bread in Saffron Walden and use local greengrocer Blue Nature for our fruit and veg.” The new size of the cafe makes it more suitable for use as an event space, and the Bicicletta team has a busy schedule of talks and demonstrations planned for the whole year, as well as visits from food trucks and DJs. “On Thursday evenings we focus on arts and community events, and on the first Thursday of each month we have a guest speaker,” explains Mandy. “We got off to a flying start in February with an evening with Mini Miss Bread, an artisan baker who’s almost a cult figure in Saffron Walden. Tickets for that sold out within a week. On Fridays and Saturdays we have a late bar, and a rotation of different DJs. We also have live music: The Hooligans, a traditional folk band, are playing a St Patrick’s Day set, and another local band, Twisted Funk, are coming to play in April. There is always information and tickets for our events on the website.” Food has always been an important part of what Bicicletta offers: alongside its

icicletta is a bright, airy cafe with a cycling theme that opened in Saffron Walden in 2015. When general manager Peter Moore

took the reins in 2017, his ambition was to make the cafe a centre for the community, making the space available for local events and using local suppliers for the food and drink offering. Now, the space has quite literally opened up, with an expansion and refurbishment almost doubling the place in size, and opening up a host of opportunities. “For the last couple of years, we’ve seen Bicicletta find its way into the hearts of people in Saffron Walden and beyond,” says Mandy Weetch, Bicicletta’s events co- ordinator. “It’s very much a community cafe, and the refurbishment and expansion have only enhanced that.” Bicicletta has been in its spot on Market Walk since it opened, and it wasn’t small to begin with, offering seating for around 30 people; but in 2019 the building next door became empty, so it was the perfect opportunity for the business to grow. The cafe closed its doors at the end of 2019 and remained shut for the whole of January, celebrating its new look at a grand reopening party on 31 January. “It’s a huge space now,” says Mandy, “and comfortably sits around 60 people at tables. We had this crazy deadline for reopening, and we were so delighted that we actually got everything done in time. The relaunch event was brilliant – we had food from Steak & Honour, three DJs doing sets… and since then it’s been going from strength to strength.”

“Being a part of the town’s community is important to us”

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