Northern Greats: Home Sweet Home
After four years as the best little cake shop in the Northern Quarter, the time has come for Home Sweet Home to expand its empire with a new venture in the Great Northern Warehouse
Already Manchester’s go-to place for Sunday brunch, Home Sweet Home is soon to become one of the newest residents of the Great Northern Warehouse with a second city-centre venue to cater for the Deansgate crowd.
Occupying the former Lucha Libre site, the new Home Sweet Home will cater for even more diners and boast even more outrageous cakes, and, in the words of boss Beau Myers, the new menus are going to be “truly indulgent and head-turning.”
We caught up with Ben Grainger, general manager of Home Sweet Home, to get the low-down on the new venue.
The Skinny: Hi Ben! Let’s start with an introduction to Home Sweet Home. How did it start and what makes it special?
Ben Grainger: In a nutshell, it’s all about brunch! We opened Home Sweet Home in 2011 and since then it’s been overwhelming and hugely humbling how popular our little place has become, which largely is down to the food, the drink and the staff.
After your hugely successful venture in the Northern Quarter, you’re opening a second cafe in the Great Northern Warehouse. What drew you to this area?
It’s a bit of a dream site for us – more than a cafe, this is going to be a fully-loaded restaurant and bar. Thanks to the size of the new site, we’ll have space to do everything we’ve always wanted to do while still being tucked away in our own little cake oasis.
We’ve heard you’ll be launching an even bigger menu at your new venue – can you tell us what’s new? What would you recommend?
Since it’s on the other side of town, the new Home Sweet Home will be geared towards full-on dining rather than just casual bites. We can't give away all our secrets just yet but there’s a cakeshake menu that we’re really excited about and loads of hot desserts. And thanks to our great new bar area, there'll be a bit more focus on booze and cocktails too!
The menu at Home Sweet Home has quite an American flavour. Do you put your own twist on American dishes or aim to be authentic?
We do, we take a lot of influence from Southern California and, let’s be honest, they know what they're doing when it comes to cooking. Our food is SoCal comfort food at it's best – fresh and interesting with flavours that you end up craving. Loads of sauce, loads of juicy meats and loads of fresh veg.
Home Sweet Home is famous for its spectacular cakes… what’s an absolute must-try?
Red Velvet with Dreamcheese Frosting for the win! Trillionaire Shortbread and Deep Dish Cookiedough Pie always sell out too, and anything topped with peanut butter buttercream is my go-to pick-me-up.
Time’s almost up! Manchester’s full of independent cafes and coffee shops – what makes Home Sweet Home stand out?
We're a lot more than just a coffee shop. While it’s true that our coffee and cake is awesome, it’s just a small part of what we're about. Last year we were the only Manchester restaurant in Yelp's top 100. And we've got as many Michelin stars as anywhere else in Manchester!
Find Home Sweet Home on Twitter at @homesweethome and @homesweethomegn
thegreatnorthern.com | @gnwarehouse
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