Whenever the announcement comes that a Bury St Edmunds venue is closing, you can guarantee that you’ll find a comment on one of the local Facebook groups joking that “a new coffee shop would be great there”. Joking, because our town is FULL of coffee shops, both chain and independent.
Most of them are always pretty busy when I walk past: there’s clearly a demand. And that’s certainly the case at Blend on Abbeygate Street, which opened in December 2024. It’s not just a coffee shop, though, it’s a coffee and wine bar, with wines and cocktails sitting alongside their varied hot drink offering.
It’s a bit of a Tardis: while its frontage is pretty tiny, there’s a decent amount of space inside. Walk down to the back of Blend, past the counters laden with sandwiches, bagels, cakes and pastries, and there’s seating for around 15 people at the back. There are two short counters to sit at: one between the food counter and seating area, one in the front window: the perfect people-watching spot. And, of course, you can also order your food and drinks to take away.
Since the place has opened – despite the plethora of coffee shops in Bury St Edmunds – I’ve managed to stamp one full loyalty card and redeemed my free drink this week (a very tasty strawberry iced matcha). I’ve bought drinks to take away, I’ve sat in for coffee with friends on a few occasions, and I’ve been in for lunch, too.
My first ever visit was a takeaway stop on the way home from town after their winter berry iced matcha caught my eye on Instagram – and it didn’t disappoint.
With such a variety of incredible-looking toasties tempting me on every visit, I had to give one a go. The combination of pulled ham hock, onion jam and Cheddar (£8.50) was a delicious one. I loved the well-balanced flavours, the perfectly toasted bread, and those incredible crispy bits of cheese round the edges. It came with an unexpected side of slaw: creamy, mustard-spiked and delicious.
The dirty chai latte (£3.90) I ordered on that particular occasion was nicely spiced but poorly mixed, leaving a fair amount of sludge at the bottom of the cup.
Whenever I visit, service is friendly and cheerful – I’m always made to feel welcome. Next time, though, I need to head to Blend for a glass of wine or a cocktail, rather than a coffee and a sandwich – it would be rude not to…