Lying along the Peak Forest Canal and with its flight of locks, aqueduct and access to parks and lakes, the town of Marple is one of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque spots.
Not far from the town’s centre and part of the wider suburb lies Hawk Green, which sits along the Macclesfield Canal and is based around a traditional village green. Just down the road from the green you’ll find Goyt Mill, the last cotton mill to be built in the Marple, and the only building of its kind left standing in the area.
While it counts a corner shop, hair salon and chippy as neighbours, just across the road – and also overlooking the canal – a new addition to Hawk Green has been bedding in over the last few weeks, giving locals and day-trippers another reason to wander beyond the winding towpaths.
READ MORE: Village with Corrie legend’s tearooms and award-winning farm shop just off the M56
Tawny Stores, a canalside cafe and grocery store recently opened its doors and is fast becoming a one-stop shop for breads, cakes, coffees and some extra special treats for your weekly shop.
It’s been brought to life by chef Beth Hammond, previously of Stockport bakery Yellowhammer, who has been busy impressing food lovers with her supper clubs and pop-ups over the last few years. After making a name for herself at Little Window at Altrincham Market and the acclaimed Flawd at Islington Marina, the opportunity arose to fulfil her dream of opening her own place.
“Originally, I was just viewing a house on Goyt Road to live in, but as myself and my dad were leaving we drove past the unit and saw it was available,” reflects Beth as she recalls how she first came across the idyllic waterside spot. “We just looked at each other and thought what an amazing place, lets at least enquire.”
That was a few years ago now, and while the bottle green signage has been visible from the towpath for just over a year now, Beth wanted to make sure it was just right before opening the doors. Being patient has paid off too, with the spot brimming with visitors on its opening weekend in early May.
Turn up at Tawny Stores and you’ll be greeted by Beth, her fiancé Lawrence, and Ashley, who also worked at Little Window, as well as Stretford Canteen, and has been partnering with them on supper clubs in the lead up to opening. All three are busy in the kitchen or behind the counter, giving customers plenty of space to explore the shop or pick up something to eat.
To create a welcoming space, there’s a mixture of both Mid-Century and contemporary elements, with many of the furniture, fixtures and crockery upcycled or sourced from Facebook Marketplace. “It’s where I bought the bread trays in the window from,” says Beth, who also drafted her dad in to create the frame in the window.
“My dad will be retired after this, that’s how much he’s helped me. He’s very good with restoration and renovation, I’ve been very lucky to have his support and keen eye for detail.
“Even with the signage outside, I wanted to reflect the canal element and Greg, who did all the signs at Altrincham Market, helped with that too. I also wanted to have the typical canal boat colours. Essentially, I wanted to create a place where I would like to come to, filled with things I would buy or eat.”
Fruit and vegetable boxes in vibrant hues of red, green and yellow line the shelves in the window, and are accompanied by freshly baked focaccia and sourdough – some made in-house and others sourced from Yellowhammer. In truth, there’s very little left, which is testament to how popular they’ve become.
Preserves, olives, tins of sardines, biscuits and oils can be found dotted around the shop, while in the fridges, a selection of cheeses, meats and canned drinks are ready and waiting to be snapped up. Many of the items in the shop have been sourced locally or from organic producers, something that’s very important to Beth and the Tawny team.
“We’re very passionate about all the goods we sell so we’re trying to do high-quality products, but still accessible and at a reasonable price-point for everyone. We’ve tried to use small, independent suppliers, and a lot of them we know well and are friends with – we’re very much up for championing them.”
Coffee comes from Blossom Roastery down at Trafford Park, tea from across the road at Goyt Mill, cheese from The Crafty Cheese Man in Preston, meat from Littlewoods, and fruit and veg from Organic North based in Openshaw, along with Cinderwood Market Garden in Cheshire, who Beth has worked with on curating her menus too.
Cakes lining the counter include cinnamon buns from Yellowhammer too, along with an earl grey tea loaf baked by Beth’s mum and a colourful apricot and almond cake whipped up by Lawrence late the night before. And as well as a range of coffees, customers can take a seat in the window, or even head down to the garden, to enjoy Beth’s carefully considered lunch menu.
“After doing so many years at Altrincham Market I didn’t want to do brunch really, so it’s not brunch, it’s specifically lunch,” she smiles. “We’ve also applied for our alcohol licence too so hopefully we’ll do evening service soon.”
Dishes include the Tawny Morning Plate, which comprises fresh vegetables, cheese, pickles, boiled eggs, dip and sourdough – though as Beth points out, the dish can be mixed up depending on what’s in season, and its previously featured fresh fruit too.
It’s joined by plump and juicy asparagus tips encased by crème fraiche, brown butter vinaigrette and soft boiled egg (£12), that looks particularly appetising as the sun pours through the large windows at the front of the shop. There’s pork meatballs with marinated peppers, chickpeas and Ogleshield cheese (£14), and plates of meat and cheese (£12) to get stuck into too.
Beth reckons it’s the amount of food and options that offer that’s drawing people in. “I sometimes wonder if we do offer to much,” she ponders, before her fiancé and work partner Lawrence chips in.
“We definitely do,” he laughs. “We’re up until 11pm every night cooking and baking for people, we should just do the sandwiches, but actually it’s just a case of lets try lots of stuff and see what works – but it seems that everyone seems to like everything.”
The couple say they’ve already had enquiries about using the space for parties and weddings, and hope that if the sun comes out this summer, visitors can make the most of the terrace area down by the canal where they’re also building a pagoda.
“We’re really keen to make this somewhere for the community too. I’m keen to let people run pop-ups or events here and make it for everyone.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
