Indie bakehouse Batard is opening a new Manchester cafe

Indie bakehouse Batard is opening a new cafe inside SEESAW on Princess Street, giving fans of their artisanal bakes something new to look forward to.

A project born out of lockdown after Batard co-founder Lewis Loughman left his head baker position at doughnut and cookie brand Gooey, the newcomer bakery has made some serious waves this year.

First opening as a pop-up at Withington Public Hall Institute before transitioning into a wholesale business, Lewis and co-owner Dorothy Jaffa have spent the past few months supplying the likes of Osma Kitchen Bar, Edinburgh Castle, Foundation Coffee House, Takk, and Bernie’s Grocery Store with their ‘proper good’ bread and bakes.

But now, come the end of September, they’ll be taking up a new permanent residency inside SEESAW – a fresh coworking space that’s recently been opened by the team behind Takk in the Northern Quarter and Ancoats new ‘part-time’ wine bar and shop, Kerb.

Serving up the bakes they’ve become known for using flour freshly milled on-site, as well as a food menu focused on local produce and seasonality, they’ll be bringing back some all-time favourite bakes as well as introducing a new breakfast and lunch menu.

Fans of Batard’s notorious steak bakes will be pleased to hear these will be making a return, alongside some new dishes like a ‘fish butty’ comprised of house-made Hokkaido milk loaf, beer-battered haddock, tartar sauce and iceberg lettuce.

There are also some plans to add a selection of pies to the offering here further down the line.

The new menu will consist of breakfast and lunch items using the best produce Manchester has to offer – and each dish will be created using a product baked freshly on-site, with Batard showcasing their baking skills through creations like Hokkaido milk loaves, babka, and sourdough batards.

All menu ingredients will be sourced locally, with Batard working with independent suppliers including Littlewoods butchers, The Crafty Cheese Man, and Cinderwood (a new one-acre market garden in Cheshire focused on growing food for flavour, founded by organic grower Michael Fitzsimmons and Higher Ground chef Joseph Otway).

Coffee will be served by SEESAW’s baristas using beans from local roastery Swansong, with natural wine, local beer and cocktails to follow.

Speaking on the new opening plans, Philip Hannaway, Managing Director at SEESAW said:

“We’re really excited to welcome Batard into SEESAW. As a fellow startup they share our love of the creative and doing things differently. We couldn’t think of a better addition to our SEESAW cafe offer and we look forward to our members, as well as the public, enjoying what we have to offer between us.”  

To keep up with new developments ahead of Batard’s opening, make sure to follow them on Instagram here.

You’ll find their new cafe inside SEESAW at 86 Princess St, Manchester M1 6NG. The opening date is still TBC.

Feature image – Adrian Brenner / Batard.