Take us back to the beginning. How did Two Old Goats begin?
It began just before the pandemic in 2020. My friend, Clare, and I decided to do something together, because she is great at selling and I can cook. At first, we thought we would open a little stall in the market, but then lockdown happened. I had made lots of jams and chutneys, so we thought we might as well sell them to friends and family. It started as door drops and then we thought: ‘Why don’t we do a Friday delivery from my kitchen?’ The name came about because, basically, we felt like two old goats! Plus, goats eat everything. Then my daughter reminded us that ‘goat’ stands for ‘greatest of all time’. From there, the Eco Village asked us to do a pop up. Eventually we moved into Eco Fresh, the part of the village where all the fresh food is. We did three days a week, but it was absolutely freezing! We started doing a Thursday night hot dinner and testing out soups and all those kinds of things, and it just grew nice and slowly. When the café space inside the Eco Village became available in March 2021, we moved in there. We had a great time at the Eco Village, and then two big things happened at the same time. Clare told me she was getting married and the shop we are now in became available. I really wanted to go for the shop in town. It was such a beautiful location and felt right, but it wasn’t the right time for Clare, so I bought her out. Clare is still very much an integral part of Two Old Goats and works part time in the shop. We are still very much joined at the hip! We talk to each other about everything and are each other’s life coach. What was it like to take the space over from the previous occupiers? Aldins, the café that was here before we moved in, had been here for 26 years, so there was a bit of work to be done. I had just come back from South Africa after visiting my dad and two weeks later we were supposed to sign the contract for the café. I got back on Thursday evening, and on the Friday morning I got a phone call to say that my dad had been in an accident. So, I immediately got back on a plane. Clare, my partner Jim and Clare’s husband-to-be Nick basically did everything for me. They did all the signing and made sure everything was done right. Nick is a builder and Jim is a roofer, so we were in good hands! We painted everything, put a new kitchen in, took down the blinds and stole lots of things from my house to decorate. A lot of the furniture, lighting and the hangings are from my house. My daughter loves it, she says it always feels really homey – and that’s because a lot of it is from home! The top windows had been painted black, but you could see the old signage underneath. Jim and Nick looked at it, but they did not want to damage the original windows. One day, a customer came and said: ‘Oh, those windows are really nice.’ I asked him if he knew anyone who could restore them, and he said: ‘I can give it a go!’ It only took him a day to gently reveal each of the original signs. What has been the response from locals since you opened? We’ve had a lot of customers, old and new, come through the doors. Some of them accepted us straight away, others not so much! The menu is different, and we don’t apologise for that because it is a different business. This is what we wanted to do, so we can stay true to who we are and use as much local produce as possible. What is the ethos behind the food and where do you get your inspiration? Growing up in South Africa, everything is really bright and abundant and fresh. I grew up around food as my dad is a real foodie. We left South Africa when I was 13 and moved to Ireland. When I was 17, I moved to Jersey. I saved up and went around the world. I kept going back to South Africa and Australia. I worked in lots of different restaurant environments with all these amazing people and chefs. There’s a lot of dried fruit in my cooking and Indian masala flavours and that all comes from South Africa, because of the spice route back in the day. I lived in Australia for five years, so there’s a lot of flavours from there, too. I worked for a place in Sydney called Lime Espresso, which is a Greek restaurant run by a Greek family. They had these big trays full of really colourful, delicious salads. You know when they say: ‘You eat with your eyes’? This was a perfect example of doing just that. So, when I eventually moved here, I got a bit sad when I asked for a salad it was just lettuce! Two Old Goats tries to show people that salad’s aren’t boring. You can do all sorts with them with good, seasonal produce to make them delicious. What should customers expect when they come to TOGs for the first time? Freshness. Nothing I make is difficult. Everything is really simple. There’s hundreds of flavours in there, but it’s all really fresh. It’s quick to make, it’s tasty and you don’t need to add tomato sauce or brown sauce – they’re banned! Everything in the café is made here. We do breakfast and lunch, and we make it how we believe it should be because I want you to taste the flavours. It’s not going to be overly spiced or hot or any of those things that people are worried about. It’s just nicely flavoured so that everybody can enjoy it. What are your most popular items? At breakfast, it would either be masala scrambled eggs (which the kids love) or the breakfast bowls. The breakfast bowls are my daughter’s little brainchild. They’re colourful smoothies that we top with granola, fresh fruit and chia seeds, served with coconut yoghurt. They are delicious. What has been your biggest challenge? I think the biggest challenge is changing people’s perceptions of the food. Sometimes customers come in and say: ‘Oh my god, this sounds really amazing!’ But sometimes people aren’t so sure. Then it’s down to the staff to tell them: ‘Honestly, you’re going to love it!’ My staff make life so easy. I’m so lucky. We all really support each other, and we wouldn’t be here without them. Do you have any plans for the next few years? I’m starting to focus on catering, as well as the café. We’re beginning to do a lot of grazing tables and event functions. We’ve managed to open a little kitchen in the old Ambulance station with Laura from CAKED whose baking is outstanding. Open: 8am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.
3 Church Square, Market Harborough |