A Lees cafe is bringing bagels to the people of Oldham, and I went down to give it a try.
Anna Roberts is the co-owner of Chapter One Coffee and Bagels in Lees.
Anna, originally from Essex, met co-owner JJ Parry while she was travelling in Cambodia.
The two became close friends, and Anna decided to move to JJ’s hometown, Lees, where they pursued their dream of owning a cafe.
JJ’s parents owned the lease on Chapter One, which operates as a tapas bar in the evening.
However, outside the evening the cafe was ‘dead space’, according to Anna.
The inside of the cafe (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)
She said: “We travelled together 12 years ago and worked in hospitality around the world, and then when we came back we both worked in corporate sales jobs.
“But, owning the cafe was always the end goal – it just happened sooner than we would have imagined.”
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Pregnant with her first child, 30-year-old Anna is serving food and drinks with a smile at Chapter One, with 35-year-old chef JJ in the kitchen upstairs.
Anna said bagels were more common down south – and now she wants to give Oldhamers a taste.
She said: “I’m from Essex and there were a lot of bagel shops throughout different high streets throughout Essex and down south, we thought it was quite a nice little niche to now bring up north to Oldham – something different and new.”
Co-owner Anna Roberts (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)
For those who aren’t bagel lovers, other bread is now available – such as bloomers, an option Anna says was brought in following demand.
Other than bagels, breakfasts and sweet treats are also on offer, with cakes ordered from Hatch bakery, in Mossley.
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‘They absolutely love it here’
The cafe opened in March 2022. Now, the business has regular customers, and Anna says the reaction has been positive.
She added: “We have regulars that have never really eaten many bagels before, they absolutely love it here, and we try and change our fillings quite a lot and do specials just to keep it interesting and new.”
As if to prove her point, I got chatting with first-time customer Nilesh Patel.
The local business owner was visiting with wife Geeta, and he admitted he didn’t usually eat bagels.
However, Chapter One has won him over.
The 40-year-old said: “I travel up and down this road all the time, I’ve driven past it a million times and I’ve never actually stopped to look around and see what’s in this area.
“I’m amazed at this place I’ve driven past a thousand times, I finally stopped and came in. A really nice warm welcome, the heating’s on, they really catered for us.
“The coffee’s brilliant – one of the best flavoured ginger lattes that I’ve ever had, and I’ve travelled so many places for coffee, I’m a coffee lover.
“I don’t normally have bagels, but wow – that pizza Margherita bagel was beautiful. I’d come back here again and I’d definitely recommend it.”
First time customers Geeta and Nilesh Patel (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)
What I ordered
After hearing Nilesh's recommendation, I ordered the Margherita pizza bagel with mozzarella cheese, and I had a hot chocolate to drink.
Both were just what I needed on a cold winter's day, and I can't fault it.
The side salad was also delicious, which Anna told me was down to the honey mustard dressing JJ uses.
The Margherita bagel (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)
Food hygiene report
The cafe was caught by surprise recently after it received a three-star food hygiene report from an unannounced inspection.
The rating is considered satisfactory, but the inspector told the coffee shop to ‘immediately’ get hand soap and towels.
Anna recounted the visit and explained what happened.
She said: “She came in and introduced herself, and went straight upstairs. The main thing was JJ’s mum and dad live a one-minute walk away and the book was there.
“We asked if we could go and get it, but she said ‘unfortunately, if it’s not on the premises, that’s that,’ basically.
“Which was fine, understood. Mistake learnt; the book is now on premises. The other thing was in our kitchen we have a small hand sink, and we didn’t have a towel dispenser above it. We now have a towel dispenser above it.
“On that particular sink we didn’t have the dispenser, we would use kitchen roll, tissues.
"Anything like that, she said it just needs to be allocated. We actually did have soap, so on that I don’t know.”
Menu and prices
The Chapter One menu includes a range of cooked breakfasts, including a vegetarian and children’s option.
The ‘C1 Breakfast’, with two sausages, two rashers of bacon, two eggs, two hash browns, button mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, black pudding, and two slices of toasts comes in at £12.
The C1 Breakfast (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)
Bagels start at £3.95 for the cheapest option, going up to £8.95 for the most expensive – with many around the £6 to £7 price points.
Hot drinks including coffees, teas, and hot chocolate are on offer, with a Latte costing £2.90 and an English Breakfast £1.90.
Smoothies cost £4.50, as do milkshakes. Alcoholic options include Espresso Martini, Bloody Mary, wine, Prosecco, and bottled Corona or Peroni.
Chapter One Coffee and Bagels can be found at 92 High Street, Lees. The cafe is served by Lees bus routes including the 84, 180, 343, 775, 784, 836, and 861.
If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Oldham. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk or click to send me a message on WhatsApp or on Signal on 07517566383.
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