The Reader Bar & Restaurant is now open
There wasn’t a dry eye in the Confidentials house when Cuthbert’s Bakehouse, the quaint little tea shop on Mount Pleasant, announced its closure in November.
What we will offer through the venue is quality produce and excellent service.
“Today we say goodbye to the Bakehouse on Mount Pleasant as we embark on a new adventure with @thereadersocialenterprise,” Cuthbert's wrote on Instagram.
“From December we’ll be hosting Afternoon Teas in The Reader’s Mansion House, in the beautiful Calderstones Park. We’d like to thank everyone for their loyal support over the last 13 years – we’ve had a ball and wouldn’t be where we are without you.”
Scone, just like that. Well, now it seems they’ve changed their mind. Kind of. This week, a press release landed on our desks (old school, ya know) announcing a new food and drink venue was being launched at 103 Mount Pleasant by Liverpool-based charity, The Reader.
It seemed a bit of a mad coincidence that Cuthbert’s had moved to The Reader and then The Reader had moved into Cuthbert’s. We sent a message back by carrier pigeon; was Cuthbert’s involved in the new bistro?
“Yes the teams have joined and all of the Cuthbert’s staff work across the enterprise at the Mount Pleasant and Calderstones site," came the reply. By email. If only we'd thought of that.
Now that’s all cleared up, we’ll tell you about the new venture. The Reader Bar & Restaurant will open this Friday 9 December and will offer a bistro style menu, inspired by continental European flavours and created using locally sourced seasonal produce.
Operating seven days a week, the venue will open from 12pm until late. Executive chef Jeffrey Gardner is at the helm and there will also be a bar area serving drinks. It aims to be “Liverpool's most ethically run restaurant.”
Since 2014, The Reader has successfully built its social enterprise businesses at its HQ in Calderstones Park, including its popular café, ice cream parlour and a variety of events from the Mansion House. All of its enterprises are not for profit, with every penny donated to the charity, which uses the power of great literature through reading aloud to transform lives.
Laura McCarten, head of commercial, sales and events at The Reader, said, “Creating a bar and restaurant in such a desirable area has always been part of our long-term strategy, as we continue to drive our overall development and widen the revenue streams that are required. In order to provide the support that we do, we knew we needed additional locations across the Liverpool City Region for us to grow our charitable contribution to The Reader.
“Our brand and principles have always been heavily focused around quality, ethical practice and conscious consumerism, and this project is no different. We have a brilliant team of strategic leaders behind it who have more than 50 years’ combined experience in the hospitality industry, including restaurants, cafes, bars, accommodation and events, so we really are excited to show everyone what we have created.”
The Reader Bar & Restaurant promises to be inclusive and innovative, providing a day and night offer for people to get together, relax and enjoy themselves. The Reader says its commitment to ethical employment and offering skill building opportunities to those "who need it most" will continue at this latest enterprise.
Laura added, “The Reader’s social enterprises have three clear mission principles, which are to generate income to support the charitable work, provide meaningful and ethical employment for the community and to continue to build our community engagement. What we will offer through the venue is quality produce and excellent service. The success of this business is ultimately success for the charity.”
Cuthbert’s Bakehouse will continue to be based at The Reader in Calderstones Park, which they’ve already been supplying for the last 13 years.
On the Cuthbert’s website, owners Matt and Elaine Price wrote, “We will be hosting Afternoon Tea events throughout the year in the Reader’s Mansion House, and will be offering a cake collection / delivery service so people can still buy our baked goods & brownies, but it's time to hand over the keys over to its new owners who have exciting plans ahead for 103 Mount Pleasant…” Awwwwww. To book a festive Cuthbert's afternoon tea, visit The Reader website.
The Reader Bar & Restaurant, 103 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5TB
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