A hidden gem on Delph high street is the perfect place to get a moment of peace
Delph looks like it’s been plucked out of a picture book in the April sunshine. And with walkers and families flocking to Saddleworth to make the most of the warm spell, it can be tricky finding a quiet spot to enjoy the sun.
But a hidden gem on Delph high street is the perfect place to get a moment of peace.
And when I say ‘hidden gem’ – I really mean it. Part lifestyle/household shop and part cafe, it’s easy to walk past Frostery Living without realising there’s a cosy coffee shop. It’s tucked behind a window display of luxurious (and expensive-looking) stationary and kitchenware.
In fact, on my visit there I managed to walk straight past it. Twice.
But once inside, it’s easy to feel right at home in the cheerful and welcoming shop. With less than ten tables in the whole place, the atmosphere is calm and intimate.
I picked a sunny spot at a large round table in the cafe’s cute courtyard. For shade lovers, there’s another outdoor area which is roofed over. But I was determined to make the most of my escape from the office.
While the view from the courtyard is limited to a private residential car park, the café owners have clearly tried hard to turn the yard into a little oasis. A plume of bamboo fans out over one of the tables and a rock garden slaloms around an assemblage of potted plants – though not all of them appear to have survived the winter.
I opted for a straight-forward latte to taste test the cafe’s fabled coffee. I’d heard about Frostery Living because I spotted an Instagram post about it being featured in this year’s Indy Coffee Guide – an annually published bible listing the best spots for coffee lovers.
The coffee menu is no-frills and no-nonsense. This is clearly no place for lovers of frappuccinos and flavoured syrups.
The latte set me back £3.40, which is a little steep compared to my local £2.80 brew, but not bad for an ‘artisanal’ drink.
The coffee comes from Leeds-based North Star Coffee Roasters and certainly packed a caffeine punch and had a pleasant peppery flavour.
But what truly won my heart were the cakes.
At first I was surprised to find only six options on offer at the counter – each delicately displayed under individual glass domes. But even six options were too many to choose from, as every single sweet treat looked irresistible.
I tried to choose adventurously, opting for the spiced scone and a gluten-free hazelnut and orange cakelet – passing up a dense looking carrot cake with a heavy heart. The bill came to £7.
Both were spectacular. I’d never even heard of a spiced scone before, so didn’t have much to compare it to.
The unassuming dish looked like the lovechild of a fruit scone and a flapjack, with a mixture of raisins and dried morello cherries. It crumbled majestically in my mouth, with a texture soft as suede.
Meanwhile, the hazelnut cake was light and fluffy and was topped with an orange zest cheesecake cream that was so tasty, I would have unashamedly spooned up an entire tub of the stuff if the opportunity presented itself.
It’s no surprise the cakes were so good. As it turned out, they come from the shop’s partner business at the Frostery Studio in Uppermill, a specialist wedding cake shop.
Suzanne Thorp, one half of the husband and wife duo who run both Frosteries, has been making cakes for more than 15 years. In fact, the idea for the cafe came to the couple after Suzanne was told people wanted to be able to eat their cakes without having to get married.
“Oh crumbs,” Suzanne said when I put her on the spot about her baked goods. “It’s just about keeping things really simple and classical. Showing off all the things you can make with really simple ingredients – butter, flour, eggs, the usual.
“The idea with the shop was just to have somewhere to appreciate the cakes and have a good coffee, somewhere really peaceful where you could easily pop in on your own and feel completely comfortable.”
But the couple still ‘wanted to do something a bit different’, her partner James admitted, gesturing to the shop.
“We wanted it to be like a village shop or post office – where you can pop in, see familiar faces, browse for things, and grab a cup of coffee,” he said. “Except, we also didn’t want it to just be produce. That’s why we pitch it as more of a ‘lifestyle store’.
“We’ve tried to choose really special objects, mostly from independent retailers or craftspeople. Everything has its own story.”
With a selection of handcrafted vases, homemade smelling balms and high-end stationary, the shop seems like a great place to shop for gifts. But for me, it was the stand-out cakes and coffee that made my visit.
And I will be back to try that carrot cake.