27 Aug 2026
Following the closure of high-end brunch venue Marmalade on Holywell Hill, there are plans to reinvent the premises as a traditional English caff.
After brunch and burgers diner HATCH relocated from Holywell Hill to a new home in Christopher Place Shopping Centre, its former home was given a new lease of life as spin-off Marmalade in April 2024, offering a stripped-back breakfast menu with some grown-up twists on much-loved dishes.
But although business was slowly on the rise, owner Chris Evans decided to close Marmalade, carry out a full refurb and offer their interpretation of a good old London café – Morning Affairs.
He explained: “What this means to us is simple and tradtional breakfast dishes done really well at the best possible price. We are not making any culinary waves, from beans on toast, to great fry ups, ham egg and chips and toasties. Our food is purposely very familiar but using the same quality ingredients as we are known for at HATCH.
“Prices will range from as little as £5.50 for a very well filled breakfast bap to £20 for our Olympic breakfast, which is borderline an eating challenge. Our traditional breakfast, with its homemade bubble and squeak, we think will be the best in town at a reasonable £12.50. Coffees start at £2 for an Americano, whilst still using the same beans as HATCH.
“How are we doing all this? Like a sports car might strip out all unnecessary weight, we have stripped out all unnecessary faff. Your latte won’t come with a swan, soft drinks will be served straight from the can, eggs come fried or scrambled only, customers order at the counter when they are ready, service will be to the point and we might just call out from behind the counter rather than rushing to the door etc.
“For us, a caff is for everyday functionality and should be affordable everyday. By focusing on what matters, the food and prices we hope the rest will follow and Morning Affairs will become a sanctuary from a sea of brunch, matcha and chives on everything. (Fully aware of the hypocrisy here!!)”
Morning Affairs will open for a soft launch on September 2-5 and 7-10 with 25 per cent off all bills, before temporarily closing and reopening again on September 15.
