Buckingham coffee shop Cornwall Place Kitchen has this month received industry and customer recognition by winning a prestigious Good Food Award.
The Blue Ribbon is awarded to establishments which “excel in food quality, service, and value”, taking on board customer feedback and online voting to ensure that chosen award-winners are “based on merit and reflect the opinions of actual diners”.
The Good Food Awards has been rewarding and recognising establishments since 2002 with a “commitment to honour local, independent businesses” believing that ventures like Cornwall Place Kitchen are the “backbone of our communities”.
Cornwall Place Kitchen, known fondly in Buckingham as CPK, opened in 2020 amidst national lockdown during the pandemic. Despite this auspicious start, they are now preparing to celebrate their fourth birthday, with co-owners Sarah King and George Spires crediting their success in the face of unprecedented challenges to the support of the town for encouraging and helping them through the first year in particular.
Sarah, who leads the business’s front of house operations, explains the journey that CPK has been through so far: “When I think back to when we opened to where we are now, it’s unrecognisable.
“At the start we could only have one person in the shop at a time; people had to order and wait out in the cold and snow! Now we have a loyal regular trade and have become something of a routine in many peoples lives.
“It feels like a real privilege to have become a consistent part of the community in Buckingham and a hub for people here to meet, spend time and enjoy each other’s company.
“Being recognised in this way is a huge honour for us and a validation of something we are so passionate about – providing the best possible service and experience for all our customers, whether they are every-day regulars or once-in-a-lifetime visitors to Buckingham.”
Good food and coffee, created using the best of Buckingham, is at the heart of everything that CPK does. On any given day, visitors to Buckingham will often see George or Sarah collecting bread from the market or meat from local butchers, Smith & Clay.
During the day, CPK can be seen as a coffee shop serving locally roasted Wooden Hill Coffee and brunch, created with a background in rosette-quality restaurant service. George, CPK’s Head Chef, elevates coffee shop dishes to the next level, with the same care and attention to detail as in that of the premium establishments where he learned his craft, something which can be seen when CPK is transformed into a restaurant during evening services.
George explains what makes CPK services outstanding: “For me this award celebrates the incredible effort the team puts in every day, but it’s also so much than that.
“It shines a light on the amazing produce and relationships we have with our suppliers in the town, which allows us to push ourselves further and exceed customer expectations.
“Working in the mindset we are a key part of the Buckingham ecosystem adds a deeper layer of pride and quality, which we transfer to everything we produce.
“This is something we know our customers really appreciate and value when they dine with us.”
Cornwall Place Kitchen is open as a coffee shop from Wednesday – Sunday during the day and offers evening events most weekends in addition to being available for private hire. Find out more via their website cornwallplacekitchen.co.uk.
Cornwall Place Kitchen 