Fresh is best as gallery coffee bar grows its own

Time for tea: Stuart Cunniffe and his fresh produce.

EVEN the world’s top chefs can’t claim to have ingredients any fresher than Stuart Cunniffe’s.

The chef and owner of Naked Bean in Gallery Oldham has the cream of the crop on his sun terrace!

When Stuart brought his coffee bar to the gallery 15 months ago he decided to make use of the raised flower beds and veg trugs outside.

Thanks to his ingenuity his salad ingredients, herbs and vegetables come from right outside the door.

“When I took over here there were flower beds and veg trugs but they weren’t really used.

“I wanted to make the most of them and contacted the University of the Third Age (learning for retired people) to see if they wanted to help maintain them.

“We got some extra funding, bought more beds and every week U3A members tend the garden.

“It’s amazing to have such fresh ingredients to use in the cafe and its great to be able to offer the Naked Bean as a place for community groups to use as a base.”

The coffee shop also hosts Zimbabwean stone sculpting group Matombo-Tombo, which welcomes new members to Saturday sessions.

From next week Stuart will also be putting the sun terrace to more good use by serving afternoon tea. Call him on 0161-770 5717.