Proudfoot & Co. refreshment rooms

When we walked down a side street in Winchester looking for somewhere to grab a coffee, we found so much more. Proudfoot & Co. offered us “refreshment rooms” and “British drink innovations.” Their hashtag #fortheboldandcurious was made for The Adventurous Glutton, so in we went with our curiosity piqued.

It has an airy, upmarket feel with plentiful plants and colonial style furniture (the bespoke furniture was designed by Mr Proudfoot and made by Bakri in Java, from 100% sustainable teak with hand-woven rattan). The back wall is stocked with glass bottles and jars and resembles a mad scientist’s laboratory - albeit far neater - with ingredients barrel-aging, brewing and fermenting. They make everything themselves, and go foraging for many of the ingredients.

There is nothing I can align this place with, nothing remotely similar that I have ever experienced. And that is mighty EXCITING. In fact, it provokes the same level of excitement that travelling brings me, the same feeling of curiosity and discovery. Speaking to the owner about his inspiration, there isn’t a neat tangible answer. He’s inspired by history, tradition, cultures, food heritage, foraging, slow food, reviving old recipes and perfecting new techniques. Just as his cafe doesn’t fit into a box, neither does he.

I ordered a drink called ‘Native Roots’ - a blend of 18 native British ingredients including wild fennel seeds and sweet cicely root. It was served Vietnamese drip coffee style over condensed milk. I tried it hot and over ice - both were delicious and brought out different flavours - but I loved the sweet comfort of the warm version.

My mum had ‘The Woodsman’ - five-year, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup infused with foraged roots, a layer of light-roast chicory milk, a double shot of cold brew espresso and a cold milk foam. Sort of like a very, very fancy Camp Coffee. It tasted incredible.

We tried a couple of sticky slabs of Horsham gingerbread, made to a 200-year-old recipe. It was more the texture of flapjack than gingerbread biscuits we know today - chewy, treacly sweet with an kick of ginger warmth. And it would have been rude not to also try a slice of Westmorland pepper cake, a regional fruit cake dating back to the 18th century. It was absolutely wonderful, almost savoury with a black pepper heat - it’d be ace with cheese.

You can buy rare and endangered British products, from Goosnargh cakes, Kentish cobnut oil and Black Mitcham mint creams to Cumberland rum butter, as well as the pepper cake and gingerbread we tried. Alongside each item is an informative description of its historical importance. You could get yourself a traditional Sussex trug or a handmade British sieve made by the last remaining craftspeople in the country. Or how about buying a jar of raw honey from Mr Proudfoot’s own bees?

In possibly the worst timing ever, Proudfoot & Co. opened just four weeks before lockdown, so they are still establishing themselves. But there are plans underway for masterclasses, Japanese tea ceremonies and more. In the meantime Mr Proudfoot can be found making foraging videos on Instagram or mixing up incredible creations in the refreshment rooms.

While Proudfoot & Co. is undoubtedly niche, I think the people who get it (the bold and the curious) will love it - just as we did. Part history lesson, part foraging masterclass and part mind-blowing taste sensation, it’s somewhere to be celebrated. We left refreshed in body and spirit. And for the people who want their usual latte, there’s a more traditional cafe a couple of doors down.

30 St Thomas Street, Winchester