Chloe Horner is grinning from ear to ear as she shows me around her new cafe and shop Chloe’s due to open next month in Charlbury, where she lives.
Unable to contain her glee and excitement, her enthusiasm is understandable, because not only has it been a long time coming, but Chloe is well known for her incredible cooking skills, inventive food and sustainable credentials.
“I can’t wait to feed lovely, local food to our fantastic community”
From the Magdalen Arms in East Oxford to opening Oxfork on Magdalen Road, running the cafe and kitchens at Farm Ed, setting up pop up suppers at home and now finally opening her own premises, the time has finally come for Chloe to shine.
“Chloe’s is just a way of me saying here is my food, come and eat it. And that will mean a succinctly sustainable menu using seasonal, local produce with veg at the forefront of everything we do,” she says.
“My passion is for sustainable food but I also wanted to so do something that enhances where I live. Plus I just love cooking.”
“IT’S GOING TO BE WONDERFUL COOKING EVERY DAY AGAIN“
Locally reared meats, Missing Bean coffee, Saltpig’s cured delicacies, Bruern Flour, King Stone Dairy produce, plus Kitchen Garden People and Church Lane fruit and veg will also feature prominently as Chloe gets her suppliers lined up, while frantically preserving and pickling as much fruit and veg as she can muster.
Setting up shop (literally) in the former book store in Charlbury on Market Street, the premises has also been a butchers in the past, and Chloe says it fitted her brief brilliantly.
there is so much going on in Charlbury at the moment food-wise and I want to be part of that
“It has such a great vibe, so much history and lots of nooks and crannies, so I knew it was right. Plus there is so much going on in Charlbury at the moment food-wise and I want to be part of that reinvigoration.”
Anyone lucky enough to have tried Chloe’s food, knows to expect delicious brunches, lunches, tea and popup suppers to start with, the future holding endless possibilities, although Chloe is keen not to run before she can walk.
“I want this to be a long term project – to still be open in 10 years time – so I don’t want to burn out too quickly by trying to attempt too much at the start,” she says. “I want it to be a fun experience.
“I want this to be a long term project – to still be open in 10 years time – so I don’t want to burn out too quickly”
“So we will only be open during the daytime for the first four weeks and then closed for August during the school holidays. By then we will have got a feel for what people want and what we can contribute and manage,” she says.
Staff wise, Chloe says she has got an amazing team of women working with her and ‘is really punching above my weight’ although I’m sure they are delighted to be working with someone with so much integrity, vision and skill in the kitchen.
So how is she feeling? “I am excited! I can’t wait to feed lovely, local food to our fantastic community. It’s going to be wonderful cooking every day again, working with a wonderful group of women and a great team of growers, farmers and producers,” she says.
Not as excited as we are!
For more information on Chloe’s in Charlbury follow them on Insta and Facebook @chloescharlbury and watch this space for further updates!
