It's been a long time coming, but this June will see the grand unveiling of Pollen’s second site. Having built up a strong reputation for its sourdough and viennoiserie on Islington Marina in Ancoats, the bakery’s new flagship pastry kitchen and café will open its doors at the Kampus neighbourhood on Thursday, June 9.
Occupying a 2,600 square foot unit on the ground floor of Kampus, the new pastry spot features a ‘glass gallery’ wall - designed by local interior design studio No Chintz - giving diners the chance to watch Pollen’s talented pastry chefs in action. Here, they’ll be preparing everything from pastries and cakes to sourdough loaves.
Pollen started its life underneath Manchester Piccadilly's railway arch in 2016 and was founded by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly. By 2018, they had outgrown the archway outpost and moved to a bigger location at Cotton Field Wharf in Ancoats, located beside New Islington Marina.
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Commenting on the new opening, Chris said: “Our second location in Kampus forms part of our evolution and growth. After drastically running out of space at our Ancoats bakery, the new location re-homes our pastry team in a dedicated pastry kitchen behind a glass gallery so you can see all the action taking place throughout the day and the masters at work.
“We will still serve the full range as usual at the Marina, but the new kitchen will allow us so much more creative freedom. With a bigger café space, we’re creating a brand new, modern, refined menu which will change with the seasons and showcasing the best produce available at the time.
“We’re working with some fantastic suppliers and can’t wait to show you a taste of what we’re working on.” Co-owner Hannah added: “Kampus is a fantastic development with a strong focus on housing some of the best independents in the north and we are privileged to be a part of it.”
Some of the notable independent suppliers they'll be working with include local favourites Littlewoods Butchers, Hasbean coffee and Growing at Field28. They’ll also be sourcing produce from London Fermentary, La Sovrana and Organic North.
Pollen’s new café space will be joining a raft of other independent businesses at Kampus, including Nell’s New York Pizza and Bar, Yum Cha Dim Sum Kitchen, Madre’s Mexican Taqueria, Great North Pie Company, Beeswing Wine Bar, Cloudwater beer hall and a General Store. Adam Higgins at Capital&Centric said: “We’re absolutely made-up to welcome Pollen to Kampus and the space looks awesome.
"Our residents and neighbours really are lucky to have their delicious hand-made bread and bakes right on their doorstep and I think we’ll be seeing the famous Pollen queues round the block again! They’re the first in a number of openings we’ve got over the next few weeks, so Kampus is going to be absolutely buzzing come the summer.”
Pollen’s new site will open its doors to the public on Thursday, June 9. It will be open from 7am on Wednesday to Friday and 8.30 at weekends.
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