STORY: Kennedy and Rhind expands its offering

A popular Jesmond bakery is dishing up a new menu to celebrate opening as a café for the first time.

Kennedy and Rhind opened its doors as a shop and takeaway at Holly Avenue West during the November lockdown and has proven a popular choice for foodies ever since, with their baked goods often selling out.

And alongside a variety of pies, breads, cakes, tarts and pastries, the bakery and café will now serve a selection of brunch dishes as it welcomes customers indoors. 

The new menu includes double yolker boiled eggs with English asparagus dippers and smoked salmon soldiers, ham hock potato cake with a poached hens egg and mustard, and scrambled Clarence Court eggs with buttermilk, dill cured salmon and sourdough toast.

Other options include a twice baked cheddar cheese and spinach soufflé and a charcuterie board, while those looking for a light bite can enjoy toasted sourdough with preserves, Murray’s toasted teacakes, croissants or cheese and fruit scones.

Kennedy and Rhind’s popular pies are served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes or diners can opt for the quiche or vegetarian pastry of the day, served with salad.

And there is always a wide range of sweet treats available, with the selection on the counter changing daily. Chefs David Kennedy and Murray Rhind bake everything fresh each morning at their Westgate Road base and David is delighted to finally open the café.

“We had always planned to have a space for customers to dine in so it’s fantastic to finally be able to invite people into the café,” he said.

“It’s been great fun to come up with the new dishes and it’s been brilliant seeing what our diners think of them so far.

“We are always looking to the future and our next steps will be opening our upstairs space for foodie events, when it’s deemed safe enough to host them.”

The Kennedy and Rhind café is open from 8am to 4pm Wednesday to Saturday and 9am to 3pm on Sundays.

Alongside their Jesmond shop, Kennedy and Rhind host a pop-up shop every Saturday at the Blackbird, at Ponteland, from 10am and can also be found at the Jesmond Food Market, at Armstrong Bridge.

For more information visit kennedyandrhind.co.uk