Back to the blog (and back to myself)
I used to write a lot.
Little love letters to coffee, the seasons, Southsea. Then life did that thing where it gets very, very full: we built a café, raised a tiny human into a teenage, survived a pandemic, and (because apparently we like a challenge) opened a second shop. Somewhere in there, the writing took a nap.
Consider this the wake-up.
If you’re new here: Martyn and I got the keys to 63 Osborne Road in February 2013. We whitewashed the windows, peeled back decades of shop fits, uncovered old floorboards and higher ceilings, and wondered (often) if we’d lost the plot.
We begged and borrowed our first espresso machine, opened on May 4th, 2013, and then promptly wiped the sandwich specials off the board that first day because we were too busy to make them and pour coffees at the same time.
It was scrappy. It was joyful. It was ours.
SO MANY things have changed: we now have a proper kitchen team, a menu we’re proud of, and a basement that’s very much not empty. Some things haven’t: we still make decisions with our guts, we still learn in public, and we still believe a café is a community hub first and a business spreadsheet second.
Along the way we shaved heads for charity, hosted cuppings, dabbled in supper clubs, adjusted to take-out life during Covid, and (thanks to you) kept going. We reinvested every pound into better kit and a growing team, and we’re proud to still be here, thriving well over a decade later.
And then, ten years in, we opened Southsea Local on Marmion Road: our smaller, earlier-rising little sister.
Great coffee to go, bread and daily bits from people we admire, sandwiches, salads and cake (obvs), plus a shelf or two of things we make behind the scenes. Same heart, different rhythm.
So… why bring the blog back now?
Because I’ve got stories to tell and useful things to share, and honestly, I missed writing like this. Expect:
Behind-the-scenes peeks (menu tests, why we steam milk cooler, what goes into those Friday specials).
Seasonal guides to what’s good now and how that shapes our menu.
Supplier love letters to the growers, bakers and makers we buy from.
How-to sips (choosing a brew method, ordering the drink you’ll actually love).
Community bits: cuppings, events, and how to get involved.
What I promise
Short reads. No fluff. A mix of useful and joyful.
The occasional opinion, always delivered with kindness. And, yes, the gentle nudge to come and eat the thing / try the coffee / join the list because after all these years I’m finally learning that telling a good story and inviting you in are allowed to happen in the same paragraph.
Thank you for sticking with us through all the unbeautifully messy bits but also the magic bits. Here’s to the next chapter of your favourite coffee shop… both on the page and in the shop.
Tara (and Martyn) x
