LOMOND COFFEE SHOP: HOW DID IT ALL START?
Situated in the heart of Deptford is the female led coffee shop, Lomond. The café is the perfect brunch spot for grabbing a quality coffee and delicious bite to eat.
We caught up with Linzi and Hayley, owners of the popular café, and asked them a few questions about all things Lomond.
When did Lomond coffee first open and how did it all start?
Lomond opened 5 years ago last month. It’s the brainchild of my sister Linzi and I (Hayley). Linzi had moved home from living in Melbourne and was driving 45 minutes every weekend from our parents’ house to Browns of Brockley for a decent coffee. At the time, about 7 years ago, a good coffee wasn’t on every high street as it is today. So, we chatted about how we like our coffee to taste and from there decided to learn to roast. Linzi took a roastery course at London School of Coffee and then purchased our first 1 kilo roaster to practise on. It took us close to a year to perfect our Market Yard Blend, which to us is our favourite coffee, hitting the chocolate and nutty highs with a fruity undertone. We wanted to create a coffee that was very smooth, but in no way bland. The opportunity for a space in Deptford Market Yard became available and we snapped it up. As South East Londoners born and bred, Deptford was the perfect spot for us.
What is your favourite thing about Lomond?
The thing I’m most proud of is its authenticity. Everything we make comes from the heart. The whole menu was created by Linzi and I. We bake our cakes in-house, we source ingredients from our favourite independent brands, and we roast beans that we would want to drink. We source our beans from an ethical supplier who focus predominantly on social responsibility, and we try to echo that. We aim to treat our staff exactly how we would want to be treated, and no one does a job that we ourselves wouldn’t be happy to do. We’re also a London Living Wage employer.
Could you tell us about where your coffee comes from?
As I just said we source it from an excellent supplier called DR Wakefield who are London based and focus on supplying the best coffee we could have access to with a large focus on social responsibility and paying farmers fairly. Our Market Yard blend comes from Columbia, Brazil and Kenya, and we have a number of single origins on at the moment, most recently we’ve roasted an excellent Ethiopian, which is perfect for a filter snob!
What inspired you to start up a female led business?
Mostly us just wanting to work together as sisters. There had been a big gap in the market for female roasters and we didn’t see a reason why we couldn’t fill it. We compliment one another a lot, we seem to have a good balance of differences and similarities. We were raised to be very independent, and we really wanted to create something that was ours together.
What advice would you give to another female who is also looking to start up a female led business?
My main advice would be to be true to you. If you stick to being authentic in what you like and your ethics, other people’s opinions hurt a lot less. It also leads a much clearer pathway to reaching goals and feeling proud when you achieve something new, no matter how small that achievement may seem. Always celebrate the small wins!
What is your go to coffee order?
A customer has coined my coffee order as ‘the Deptford latte’ as it’s the same as what he has! An Americano, a little shorter than usual, topped with a little extra oat milk than usual. It’s the perfect compromise between no milk and too much milk!
Aside from a morning or afternoon coffee at Lomond of course, where else could we find you on a typical day in Deptford?
Number 1 hotspots for us are Bread & Butler for an incredible cinnamon bun followed by brunch at Stockton for fried chicken crumpets! An excellent coffee or cocktail at Isla Ray, more cocktails at The Watergate and then a chance to sweat it all out on the dance floor at Buster Mantis! Hop Burns and Black do an excellent choice of independent beers and hot sauces to take home and the tomato bread at The Tapas Room is my go to snack with a glass of their house Rjoca! Deptford is the place to be.
What do you love most about having a business in Deptford?
Has to be the community. All of the local businesses support one another (we’re forever ‘borrowing’ things from the lovely guys at Dirty Apron), and the customers are genuinely amazing. They begin to feel like friends.
What makes Lomond Lomond?
I’d say that we are authentically ourselves. We try to source any inspiration further afield from the local community so that we aren’t offering the same as other local businesses. Also, that we always seem to employ singing chefs! Don’t be alarmed if the chef bursts into a Meatloaf solo whilst making your bacon sandwich.
Finally, what is one thing that you would want the locals know about you?
That you can always sit with us. Everyone is welcome. We try to keep our prices very affordable and to always serve with a smile.
We quizzed Lomond on a few ‘this or that?’ questions to see how they prefer their breakfast. The answers are in…
Coffee or Tea?
Erm, Coffee!
Sweet or Savoury?
Savoury - especially our pork and Stilton sausage rolls. My go to hangover cure.
Scrambled or poached?
Poached. Though my actual favourite is soft boiled.
Bacon or Avocado?
Avocado on toast with extra bacon. Is that allowed?
If you’re as eager as we are to visit Lomond coffee shop, we are sure you’ll be needing all the details to head straight over there. Here is the latest info:
Address: Arch 7, Deptford Market Yard, Deptford High St, London SE8 4BX
Opening times: Monday – Friday 9AM-4PM, Saturday 9AM-5PM and Sunday 10AM-4PM
Oh, and check out their Instagram @lomondcoffee or website https://lomondcoffee.co.uk/