The Groundworks in Hitchin is open every day of the week, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch to discerning customers. Here, all of the food is made fresh to order using local and sustainable suppliers wherever possible, and the coffee is roasted by Allpress Espresso.
Brunch begins with sweetcorn fritters made with red onion and cardamom, celeriac and fennel slaw, cashew veganaise, garam masala ketchup and coriander, with the choice to add smoked streaky bacon or halloumi. Then there are butter beans and chickpeas cooked with chipotle, served alongside halloumi, salsa, chimichurri, jalapeno jam, corn tortillas and a poached egg. Grilled cheese always goes down a treat, and there is perhaps no better way to start the day. This special cheesy sandwich is filled with mature cheddar, Red Leicester, chives, spring onion and shallots with homemade chilli jam. Also on the brunch menu is the spiced apple and almond milk porridge with cinnamon syrup, and a rhubarb banana bread with crispy caramel whipped butter and caramelised white chocolate.
On the weekend, the menu is mainly the same, but there are some changes. For all day brunch, you'll still be able to enjoy plenty of the classics, like the Groundworks breakfast with dry-cured smoked streaky bacon, Cumberland sausage, Portobello mushroom, slow-roasted tomato, Meadow Farm egg and sourdough toast. Sometimes, simple is all that you need, and if that's the case, order the breakfast roll with dry-cured smoked streaky bacon or black pudding. Warm sourdough toast with homemade berry jam or marmalade always goes down a treat with a cup of tea, too.
Allpress coffee comes in many different ways, and you can enjoy it with oat, almond or coconut milk if you don't want dairy. If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you can also ask the staff for more information on their seasonal guest coffee, and enjoy that for a little extra.