A new speciality coffee bar has opened inside a gin distillery in Kingsdown. The glass-fronted unit on St Michael's Hill will still be selling gin bottles but is now also the home of Interlude coffee house, owned by Laurence Lawes.
Essex-born Laurence moved to Bristol around six years ago to work as a sound engineer at venues like Thekla and Arnolfini. He sought more daytime hours and started working part-time at Full Court Coffee, going on to become Head of Coffee and subsequently buying the business with three others from founder Mat North.
"Interlude was a chance to put everything I had learnt into something on my own," he explained. He is simultaneously launching his own roastery - Dino's - in Easton with his wife and two friends, which is having a trial run in Interlude. There are also other guest spots for other roasteries, hot chocolate from Ruby Hue and pastries from The Angel Bakery in Abergavenny.
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Interlude is acquiring a rich heritage of food and drink businesses. A sign over the new coffee bar reads A. Jenkins, a former grocer, but Laurence discovered it was also a tea and coffee merchant before that. Most recently, it was the home of Psychopomp Microdistillery which ran its operations there for eight years.
It still owns the unit and runs its workshops there every Saturday. Psychopomps' gins line the walls of the coffee bar with its signature spirits like Bee Vomit Gin, Single Origin Coffee Digestif and Negroni on sale by the bottle.
Interlude is just a two-person operation with Laurence and former FCP colleague Chloe Fella at the helm. It has already gained a dedicated following of regulars since it opened up just a week ago.
"I've been blown away by the support up here. The barbers and the Green Man have been really supportive and Tiffins a couple of doors up, they came in to check to see how things were going," he added.
Find Interlude at 145 St Michaels Hill. Open Monday to Friday 7.30am to 4pm with some Sundays. Follow on Instagram
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