Get creative and enjoy home-made food at Cobbles and Clay

Cobbles and Clay is a café and pottery painting studio on Haworth’s picturesque Main Street.

Established in 2006, the business - our Telegraph & Argus Trader of the Week - was founded by owner Jill Ross who, while raising her family, decided to bring together her passion for artwork and good food.

Cobbles and Clay in its picturesque setting on Main Street

Jill Ross founded the cafe

She created Cobbles and Clay. The studio was originally sited a few doors along the street, offering a limited menu of soup or a sandwich alongside a small collection of pottery for customers to paint. With a team of three staff, serving ten tables, the café grew busier by the day.

“After expanding as far as possible, it became clear that bigger premises were needed,” says Jill.

In 2014 the decision was made to upsize to a double- cottage building.

“We took on a huge renovation project that took more than a year, to lovingly restore the property."

Now the café and pottery has a team of 30, with the café - which has an attractive garden to the rear - seating almost 100 customers.

The welcoming cafe is buzzing with creativity

There's a lovely garden outside

The extensive menu now offers a wide selection of choices for breakfast and lunch, as well as drinks and cakes and a children’s menu.

There is a focus on fresh, healthy and modern dishes, with a wide selection of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options.

Lunch choices include wild truffle mushrooms on toast, Bombay bhaji butty and sweet potato and chorizo hash.

Sharing boards are available - there’s a Yorkshire board which includes Ellison’s pork pie with local ham, a selection of cheeses, Yorkshire chutney and crusty bread.

Afternoon tea is a popular choice, with mini savoury treats, as is breakfast-style high tea. Delicious home-made scones with jam and cream are a highlight for many customers.

Afternoon tea is popular

Home-made scones are popular

“We offer a range of special afternoon teas for certain occasions such as Christmas and Mother’s Day,” says Jill.

“Our large selection of cakes and drinks means there’s something for everyone.”

Another hit is waffles or American pancake stacks, with choices including maple and banana, chocolate and streaky bacon and maple.

Pottery sessions take place during the week and at workshops outside opening hours.

“Some pottery is made by Jill herself who keeps up to date with different techniques. Earlier this year she attended a pottery workshop in France.

The café has a number of resident artists: Amy McKimm, who specialises in pastel portrait workshops, Anji Tomlin for gouche landscape painting, and acrylic painting artist Lisa Metcalf.

Decorated pots

Elle Ellerton from Moorland Macrame, holds macrame plant workshops.

“All artists have regular evening workshops in the café - information can be found on both our social media and the artists socials,” says Jill.

The cafe has many regular customers. “Some visit us weekly, some daily. We have many returning customers who come in the school holidays with their children. We also have people who return regularly to paint additional pottery pieces for their collection,” says Jill.

Pots include plates, mugs and tea pots. “We have pots that will appeal to all ages. We have found recently that we have more and more adults coming in to paint, many of them like to make their painting experience a bit of a competition with their significant other.”

Visitors can combine pot painting with food and drink

An appetising glimpse of food from the menu

Cobbles and Clay hosts a range of different parties; children’s parties, hen dos, baby showers, wedding breakfasts and special birthday gatherings.

“We are very flexible and can nearly always adapt our space to fit any party.

“A wide range of people come to visit, from tourists to locals. Many of these people come along to paint and eat.

"We can arrange pottery to be posted out to them if they are not local, or they can come back and pick it up.”

Cobbles and Clay hosts regular events including Italian night with their resident Italian Chef Carmelo, French night with the beautiful voice of Luciene De Ville, painting and prosecco evenings and a Mamma Mia evening - an Abba sing-a-long with a Greek-inspired buffet.

In May they held a charity fashion show and auction hosted by Christa Akroyd, featuring fashion blogger What Lizzie Loves, with all proceeds being donated to Sue Ryder.

The fashion show featured clothing from the café’s sister shops; Piccadilly and Pretty Penny, both also on Haworth Main Street. With help and donations from various businesses, the show raised £2090 towards Manorlands Hospice, part of @suerydercharity.

“We pride ourselves on being a warm and welcoming space for everyone, a place to be creative and enjoy a piece of cake any day of the week,” adds Jill.

*Visit cobblesandclay.co.uk; 70 Main St, Haworth, Keighley BD22 8DP. The café is open 7 days a week 8:45am-5pm.

*Cobbles and Clay is on Facebook.