SERVING up great coffee and homemade delights, it is clear to see why regulars are loving Grind and Grape in Leigh.

Sarah and Danny Wood opened the doors to the café on London Road on September 25 and since then have been building a reputation as the place to go for a decent cup of coffee.

They stock Perky Blenders which is an award-winning coffee supplier in East London.

It is the first business venture for Danny and Sarah and it came about by chance.

“I looked after my friends’ café, The Woofer Café in Woodgrange Drive, for a week and I absolutely loved it,” said Sarah.

“I enjoyed talking to people and couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do all day than run a café.”

Echo: Grind and grape - Sarah and DannyGrind and grape - Sarah and Danny (Image: Newsquest staff)

Luckily for fans of the café that is exactly what the duo have decided to do, and they have thrown themselves into running the café.

They specialise in great coffee, homemade food and live music and are dedicated to doing all of these things to a high standard.

She said: “We measure exactly 18 grams of coffee for each cup to get the right amount each time. Too much and there is a bitter taste and this way it means the coffee is consistently great.

“I have a lady who makes the cakes, and she made my wedding cakes so I trust her completely. Our customers feel the same and I have had to replace the huge cakes three times in one week.”

The café also has live music every other Sunday.

Taste test

Nothing beats a Victoria sponge cake. Except maybe a three-layer Victoria sponge cake.

After debating between the chocolate cake, Victoria sponge and the vegan lemon cake, it was the classic sponge dusted with icing sugar that proved irresistible.

The thick layers of cake were gravity defyingly light and the whole cake had a luxurious softness with layers of cream and jam that oozed out in between the sponge.

Sarah admitted she had to reduce the cake to three layers from four because she couldn’t fit the generous portions into takeaway boxes.

The large slab of cake was still big enough to share between me and two hungry kids and they declared it ‘the best cake ever’.

I couldn’t leave the café without tasting their coffee and the Perky Blenders blend was rich and smoky with just the right strength.

The café is proving a hit by focusing on doing key things really well, coffee, alcohol, homemade food and live music.