New locally-sourced, home-cooked and wholesome café to open in Bath’s artisan quarter

By Jamie Hill - 3 May 2019

Food & Drink

The Provenist in Bath opens its doors for the first time today.

Today, British interiors brand, Neptune, opens its first-ever café within its city centre store in historic Bath.

Known for its commitment to craft and quality, its celebration of natural materials and transparency, and its belief that the home and good design can fuel a happier lifestyle, Neptune has channelled its ethos into an environment for healthy, wholesome and honest food.

The Provenist opens its doors today, serving from breakfast through to early supper.

By sourcing ingredients from small, local growers such as Bath Farm Girls who are one of the few British quinoa farmers and Oxford’s Modern Baker who fuse leading scientific research with slow-carb baking techniques to produce health-centric breads and biscuits, Neptune’s The Provenist offers a transparent, entirely traceable menu with a focus on doing the right thing for your body.

“The name came from us wanting to place the word ‘provenance’ front and centre of the café. It’s what has driven all of our menu choices – that and the balance between health and flavour. It’s a word that we wanted to coin, because we’re big believers in individualism and creativity,” said Paul Dugdale, head of Neptune Cafés.

Every Neptune store is designed to feel like a home. Guests roam from room to room with working, fully-stocked kitchens, roaring fires and an invitation to settle in and take your time.

The Provenist is no different. Neptune wanted it to feel as close to opening the cupboards and eating what you fancy, when you fancy, as they could.

While the menu includes dishes that are typically breakfast, such as smashed avocado with poached eggs and its indulgent smoked salmon-stuffed croissant, as well as lunch or early supper options like the generous slice of seasonal home-made tart and its nutrition-packed goodness bowls, the entire menu is available all day long. “Sometimes you feel like a bowl of cereal in the afternoon, or a mid-morning coffee and something sweet to go with it. We wanted the freedom of choice that you have in your own home to be a big part of The Provenist,” Dugdale continued.

John Sims-Hilditch, co-founder of Neptune explains the rationale behind choosing Neptune Bath as its first café location. “We picked Neptune Bath as the home for our debut café for a few reasons. When we opened it last summer, we’d purposefully earmarked a portion of the store as a potential space for

The Provenist. Neptune Bath provided a good amount of space – enough to spread out but not without losing the cosiness and intimacy that help you to feel relaxed and at home – and our menu philosophy suited the spirit of Bath’s Walcott area particularly well. The Provenist is about supporting independents, promoting locality and sustaining close relationships with suppliers. It’s centred on food that does good and makes you feel good. And that’s a mindset we felt was very much aligned with Walcott.”

Until now, Neptune was a name synonymous with home design. From kitchens and furniture to lighting and accessories for your home and garden, the Wiltshire headquartered brand designs and makes pieces that will stand the test of time.

“We’re in it for the long-haul,” said Fiona Strang, marketing director at Neptune. “Pieces that are considered and considered again to go above and beyond what you’d expect; pieces that aren’t governed by trends but a quest for timelessness so that they’ll never fall out of favour; pieces to invest in for a lifetime of love and use that will make your everyday life that bit easier and your home that bit happier. Fundamentally, our belief is in the power of good design, consciousness and doing the right thing. Extending that mindset to diet and wellbeing has always felt like a natural extension for us. We can’t wait to start welcoming people inside.”

www.theprovenist.com

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