Pollen Bakery KAMPUS

Having branched out from its Piccadilly archway roots with a move to Ancoats marina two years in, popular purveyor of sourdough and Viennoiserie Pollen has acquired a second spot, taking up residence in Kampus’s garden neighbourhood with a 2,600 sq ft bakery and cafe.

Sporting a stripped-back Scandi style and plenty of space outside as well as in including an expansive terrace, the newest permanent Pollen site features a dedicated pastry kitchen which you can spy through a glass gallery, the skilled team busy at work creating sweet cakes and savoury bakes, breads, pastries and other speciality oven-fresh goodies. Classics to accompany your coffee include the likes of cinnamon buns and pains au chocolate; creations include cruffins – a croissant and muffin mash-up, with flavours such as chocolate and roasted hazelnut, brown butter and caramel popcorn, and cereal milk with Lucky Charms – and clotted cream and strawberry ice cream croissant sandwiches (basically a cream tea in frozen form), made using Rogue Ice Cream from Ordsall’s Makers Quarter. It’s this kind of imagination as well as working with a load of indie suppliers that helped founders Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly pick up the Artisan Food Producer Of The Year title in the Manchester Food And Drink Festival Awards 2021. The bigger premises means Pollen can create a bigger menu showcasing the best available produce across the year, using ingredients sourced from the likes of Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire and Littlewoods Butchers in Heaton Chapel. Sandwiches constructed from the 28 Hour Sour, available since the get-go, include marinated roasted chicken, crispy streaky bacon, Isle of Wight tomato, mojo verde and housemade garlic aioli, black winter truffle and grilled cheese, and fried tofu with Plucky Pickles carrot and mooli slaw, fried shallots and smoked chilli mayo. Breakfast buns include the set egg bap and the brioche bacon butty; breakfasts on a plate include housemade hash browns on both the full English and the vegetarian.

Get your early-morning fix from 7am Wednesday through Friday and from 8.30am on the weekend. It’s walk-in only, but there’s always a takeout option if you can’t bagsy a table.

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