Brunch Bliss
Celebrating 10 years of exceptional coffee and brunch: an interview with Donna from The Paddle Café.
Hi Donna! Can you give us an introduction to The Paddle?
The Paddle café is the realisation of a dream that I've had since my teenage years when I travelled to New Zealand and Australia, and my passion for exceptional coffee and brunch ignited. In 2013, I turned that dream into reality by opening The Paddle, and I haven't looked back since. Highcliffe needed a vibrant new café that could cater to a wide range of tastes, and The Paddle was born to fulfil that need.
A few years into our journey, my husband Harry, with his extensive culinary expertise, joined our team. His addition brought even more enthusiasm and creativity to the table. At The Paddle, we take great pride in offering modern, innovative twists on brunch through our ever-evolving specials menu. Alongside these exciting options, we continue to serve our beloved classic, the Ultimate Paddle breakfast. Our commitment to quality shines through in the use of homemade hash browns, baked beans, and locally sourced meat, eggs,
and sourdough.
As we approach our 10th anniversary, which falls on November 20th this year, we couldn't be prouder of the journey we've embarked upon and the fantastic community that has grown around The Paddle.
How does The Paddle deliver exceptional guest experiences across its three locations in Highcliffe, Milford on Sea and Brockenhurst?
Our team pride themselves on being super welcoming and friendly along with having a passion for excellent coffee, tasty homemade food and not forgetting our cakes, all made by Harry’s mum Jane.
We are also dog friendly which is a real positive, because who wants to enjoy their daily coffee without their best friend?!
What would you recommend off the menu this winter?
Our New Forest creamy garlic mushrooms on sourdough are always a hit, served with homemade rocket pesto and a fried egg. Or if you have a sweet tooth, our Highcliffe café serves an amazing french toast special. The current one is chai poached pear with cinnamon cream and pistachios!
The Paddle prides itself on sustainability. What steps have you taken to achieve this?
We are really passionate about using as many local and sustainable suppliers as we can. Just a few are Bad Hand Coffee, Toats Organic Oat milk, Meggy Moos Dairy, Noahs Ark Farm Eggs, Danestream Farm Butchers, Bread Port Bakery, Bakehouse 24 and Marshfield Farm Icecream.
What is the future of The Paddle?
Keep doing what we love, trying new fresh approaches to brunch and listen to our customers wants and needs to ensure we remain their favourite place to come.
We have monthly pop ups from pizza nights to burger nights and we are always open to event enquiries, however bespoke!
Website → thepaddle.co.uk
Instagram → @thepaddlecafe | @thepaddleintheforest | @thepaddleonthegreen
