I'd heard a lot about this little place. One of my work buddies had been telling me all about it, so I was dying to see for myself. Nestled in the heart of Prestwich,
Nonsense is one of the new kids on the block, who promise to revive Bury New Road. Although there are a number of established eateries nearby (notably Slattery, Cuckoo, All the Shapes and Solita), at first glance, I think Nonsense might be doing something a little bit different.
Owners Alex and Jeanette are having a bash at living the dream; running their own business, where they can bring the kids to work, doing something they both love. Alex appears to be running the coffee house side of proceedings, whereas Jeanette is busy creating pieces of art to sell in the shop at the front.
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| Photo credit: Renata Stonyte |
We were lucky enough to visit on a rare sunny day, which flooded the shop with natural light. Seems to me like they love cacti at Nonsense, which I have to admit, I became a little fascinated with whilst perusing the goods. It's filled with bizarre magazines, quirky jewellery and the kind of items I suddenly have the urge to buy for no specific reason. We absolutely loved the little pots some of the cacti were housed in, which appeared to be painted by hand.
At the back of the building there are two smaller rooms. The first has a larger table with a chalkboard wall, which was a huge hit with the kids (reminds self never to let husband within a meter of this - cannot be trusted to play nice), and then a quieter room behind it. Families seem to gravitate towards the larger of the two, whilst the room we settled in was full of people just like us, enjoying a brew and having a natter.
Despite being in a coffee house, neither of us are huge coffee drinkers, but it did smell outstanding. Alex promised me I would not be considered a heathen for snubbing it! Now I've seen at least one leaf on the ground, I am in full autumnal swing, therefore it had to be chai for me. No dusty teabags here. I was presented with a glass mug full of boiling water and a small strainer packed with loose-leaf tea. It's also worth mentioning that for those less adventurous tea drinkers, they have Yorkshire Tea! King of the standard tea bag in my humble opinion. Lee opted for the cutest can of coke I have ever seen, in fact, she had two.
Although Nonsense don't do food as such, they do offer a lovely array of simple snacks, but the kind that go perfectly with the drinks they offer. There were a number of bakes to choose from, including a rather interesting looking brownie, but I was sold on sourdough toast when I heard that legendary bread-makers Trove were supplying the goods.
No exaggeration, best toast in the west - possibly beyond. Simplicity at its very finest if you ask me; soft bread with tonnes of flavour, a firm crust, salted butter, and jam the WI would fawn over. Loved it. I'm as confident as I can be that I could snaffle two rounds with ease (then followed by a little whinge about my own gluttony perhaps).
It's early days for Nonsense, but it's looking very promising indeed. Space is somewhat limited, but in the future I'd like to see a slight expansion of the food on offer, perhaps bagels or crumpets, and a wider range of baked goods. However, they seem to be achieving what they have set out to do. When I visited, the gift shop was buzzing, and the seated areas were full of families and friends having a chilled Saturday afternoon. Plus, what's more inspirational than a family quitting everything to follow their dream? Good luck to them.
Disclaimer: The folk at Nonsense had no idea I was visiting to complete a review, and I paid for our refreshments. They have not asked me to say nice things about their cacti, and my toast received no special treatment.
