A cafe has returned to the well-used Eden Rural Foyer building in Penrith for the first time in over three years – and its proprietors are keen to get the message out that all are welcome.
Julie Mitchinson, aged 52, of Penrith, said starting a café was something she had always wanted to do, so when the
opportunity came up, she jumped at the chance.
Prior to opening Jule’s Café at Eden Rural Foyer, in Old London Road, she had been working at a café in Troutbeck, Windermere.
“Kitchen work is something I love to do and I enjoy doing,” said Julie.
The 40-seat café’s offering includes a lot of breakfast options, but Julie stressed that it was not your regular “greasy spoon”.
There was more of an emphasis on healthy snack foods, with a range of sandwiches, and home-made dishes available including beef lasagne, pies and soup.
There is also a wide range of homemade bakes, cakes and scones – including Julie’s famous Mars bar cake.
Julie said the café’s first three weeks had been good. It is close to two supported housing schemes, Merlin Court and Dutton Lodge, so residents who live there have been very pleased to see the café reopen for the first time since before Covid.
She is being supported in the venture by family members including son Kieran, aka “Mr Pop”, daughter Martina, daughter-in-law Charlotte and granddaughter, Kyla.
Shirley Riding, who is the resource centre facilitator at Eden Rural Foyer, said it was good that a café had opened again because it meant that staff who work in offices, which are rented
out to organisations including Cumbria Action for Sustainability, Inspira and Recovery Steps, now had somewhere to go.
“It is a community hub and a space for the community as well to just come and sit,” said Shirley.
The Foyer also hosts a weekly community banking drop-in facility for Halifax (Thursday) and Lloyds (Wednesday) customers, following the closure of their premises in Penrith town centre.
When the youth club for children aged up to 16, run by Europhonic Circus, returns to its regular Thursday afternoon slot from 3-30pm to 5pm
after the summer break in September, the café will also be providing food for it.
Its opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Julie is also available to cater for outside events.
