As You Sip is our content series where we chat to some of our favourite businesses: they might be local to us, friends of ours, or just businesses who we admire and want you to find out more about. We’ll be chatting to them about their work, their values and of course, their drinking habits. Today we’re talking to Pinch, a Suffolk-based cafe and food brand.
For those who don’t already know, tell us a bit about Pinch?
Pinch is a food business based at Maple Farm, Kelsale, that celebrates the fantastic producers of the county. Initially, the business started as a covid-friendly meal kit creator, but has since pivoted into a takeaway cafe serving coffee, crullers, ice cream and a few weekly pastry specials. As well as this, you can find various Pinch products in Maple Farm Shop, all of which have some sort of tie to the county. From Tiramisu made with Fen Farm mascarpone to Whipped Cod’s Roe made using Pinney’s of Orford smoked cod’s roe.
As fellow small business owners, we’d love to know what drives you every day, and what values are most important to Pinch?
I recently left London where I was cheffing in a fancy restaurant in Mayfair. The kitchen was in the basement, which at the time seemed fine, but in hindsight, wasn’t the ideal way to spend my days. I’m now based on a farm, it’s very calm and peaceful, I’m so much happier. The thing that drives me to make Pinch work, is the gruelling chef life in London that I don’t want to go back to.
What does a typical day look like at Pinch, and what’s currently keeping you busy?
Every day is different, but at the moment I’m taking every day as it comes as it’s peak season and pretty busy. It’s just me and my assistant who helps me two days a week. I’m just about staying afloat but once I have more help, I can plan more exciting things like supper clubs and feasts. The thing I’m most excited about in the coming weeks is a new ice cream churner which should be arriving any day.
At the end of a long week, what’s your favourite drink to settle down to?
If I could click my fingers and have any drink ready to go at any time, it would be a vodka martini, slightly dirty. Although recently I tried a white port and tonic which was pretty close to perfection.
Lead us nicely on to cocktails, do you usually like to experiment with new drinks or stick to the classics?
A mix of both. I like the classics, as long as they're not too sweet. At the moment I’m making lots of frozen jalapeno margaritas at home. Also, Zingi Bear (ginger beer) is an excellent mixer for elite cocktails!
Where’s your favourite place to take a moment and savour a cocktail?
I’ve just moved into a house where the sun sets over the garden, and as it’s summer time, my own home seems to be the best spot for a drink at the moment. I have all the cocktail gear and am slowly learning the ropes with it all. I’ve been growing a tahiti and kaffir lime tree. Their fragrant leaves will be making their way into the cocktails soon.
Now, we’d love to know what you’re enjoying as you sip the perfect cocktail — firstly, what are you listening to?
Sonate Pacifique by L’Imperatrice is a perfect sundowner song. The ode to William DeVaugn’s ‘Be Thankful For What You Got’ at the end really does it for me.
And what are you reading?
I usually get hooked to the Sabor cookbook this time of year. Ixta Belfrages new book is arriving any day now, so probably that soon too.
And finally, what might you be watching?
During the Summer I don’t watch much tv at all. But now that I’ve moved into a house with a small garden, I wouldn’t mind getting into the Create Academy online classes and learning a few things about floristry and gardening.
