Sarah McLean talks us through her new cafe The Cogges Kitchen at the historic farm

Coffeesmith opened in September 2014 on Langdale Court, a little street of independent shops off Market Square in Witney. Since opening, we’ve developed a loyal following and it’s a joy to see our daily regulars and catch up with them. We hope that their loyalty stems from an appreciation of the care with which we like to do things. We have over 400 members of our Coffee Club, a loyalty card scheme, which rewards you with a free coffee after 8 stamps. Coffeesmith is also used for community events such as ‘Pubchurch’ and knitting groups. We love being at the heart of this community and we’re grateful for all of the support we’ve received over the past 18 months of trading.

When we opened Coffeesmith, we were happy with a small shop as we felt it would be more manageable as a first site. What we didn’t envisage at first was just how popular we would be in a short space of time.

We knew that we needed to open a second site and we started looking last year. At around the same time we were approached by the Cogges Manor Farm Trust and asked if we might be interested in submitting a tender to take over their cafe space.

The tender process took quite some time but we were thrilled to be chosen and opened The Cogges Kitchen in March

It has not been an easy road! Juggling my own job as an educational coordinator for schools across three counties, two small children, pets, family illness when my Mother broke her hip on Christmas Day, as well as supporting my husband Rob who runs Coffeesmith, has been a major challenge.

Something had to give. After Christmas I gave up my job to help Rob develop the new site at Cogges. And I don’t know quite how I managed it all before! Recently, much of my time has been spent most enjoyably deciding on the look of The Cogges Kitchen and designing new stationery with Mat Jolly of Cheltenham’s Jolly Good Design. However, there have also been hours of anguished phone calls to our solicitors who have been very supportive in organising a complicated lease. There’s been a lot of paint sprayed around, and many cold and damp missions over the bridge into town to get warming provisions from Coffeesmith to fuel the build!

Cogges Kitchen occupies a beautiful medieval milking parlour. We have freshened everything up and breathed some new energy into the space by adding plants, lime-washed wood, bright splashes of colour courtesy of the fantastic Relics of Witney, and a totally new kitchen with state-of-the art equipment. Rob will be heading up the kitchen and overseeing a daily-changing breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea menu using carefully-sourced local and seasonal produce inspired by the produce grown in the walled garden at Cogges Farm.

Just like Coffeesmith, we will also be offering the same superb, ground-to-order coffee and a range of coffees through our La Marzocco Strada Italian coffee machine, alongside loose leaf teas, artisan soft drinks and healthy juices. Visitors can also expect a warm welcome, friendly service and great food served in a beautiful environment. We are licensed, and will be offering carefully selected wine and craft beers too.

Our outdoor space, also seats 50, and has been revamped with some smart new parasols, and overlooks the popular wooden tractor play area. On summer evenings we hope to stay open a little longer so visitors can enjoy watching the sun set behind the Manor House whilst sipping a glass of something chilled.

Cogges Manor Farm is at the very heart of Witney. Located on the original site of the town, Witta’s Island, it really is a special place, beloved and used by many generations of Witney folk. We hope that our new cafe, only five minutes walk from central Witney, will encourage more people to come and discover this magical, bucolic place right on their doorstep.

The Cogges Kitchen at Cogges Manor Farm, Church Lane, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 3LA. Tel: 01993 77260

coggeskitchen.com