Forge Bakehouse: Take a look into Beauchief’s new coffee shop with hot coffee and big plans

Forge Bakehouse, with its flagship venue on Abbeydale Road, officially opened its new location on Hutcliffe Wood Road, Beauchief, on Saturday February 25 after a soft opening the previous weekend. The store will be open seven days a week from 9pm to 3pm, with hopes to open earlier and close later in the near future.

General manager Heather Midgeley was joined by the front of house manager Jane McCart as they took on the queue of eager customers ready for a piping hot coffee and a bite to eat.

Heather said it was “heaving” all day. She said: “Me and Jane couldn’t bag pastries and bread quick enough. We were visited by mums with babies, people with dogs, workmen – everyone came to have a nosey. You never know how it’s going to go, but we were really well received by everyone who came by.”

A number of customers who visited remarked that over the years they had lost their McColl’s shop, which was formerly a Co-op, as well as a post office and an off-licence, and that the area has been crying out for a new venue like this.

Forge Bakehouse will be looking to run as a coffee shop cafe with hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries, as well as a convenience store where residents will soon be able pick up staple ingredients, from fresh meats, dairy products, and tinned foods without having to travel to nearby stores in Woodseats.

There are also plans to open up the shop’s backrooms and to create outdoor decking to offer more seating by mid-summer so they can run a cafe with simple tasty lunches without the need for a full kitchen, such as paninis and soup.

Currently on offer is a range of hot drinks, sweet treats such as vanilla fudge, and brownies, savoury snacks from scotch eggs and sausage rolls, fresh bread, orange and apple juice, homemade granola, sriracha, brown and red sauce, and coffee beans and tea from local businesses.

Heather added: “We’re just really excited to be here and we can’t wait to get to know everyone. We’ve got lots of plans which we’re chipping away at, and we are looking forward to being here for a long time.”