Northampton restaurant owner’s tearful goodbye as she puts business up for sale following cancer treatment

The owner of a popular tapas restaurant in Northampton has announced that the business is up for sale, following what was supposed to be a temporary closure as she underwent cancer treatment.

In November 2021, Bread & Pullet - situated in Wellingborough Road - announced a six month closure following owner Jennie Bowmaker’s breast cancer diagnosis.

This week, Jennie announced - with a heavy heart - that the business is now up for sale due to further health complications resulting from her chemotherapy.

Jennie said: “It was a really horrible decision to have to make but it had to be done unfortunately. The fact my hand has been pushed by things out of my control is very frustrating.”

The good news is the chemotherapy was effective in targeting Jennie’s tumour, which she refers to as ‘Tina’, however, her heart was severely affected by the cancer treatment. She will undergo tumour removal surgery next month.

Due to the uncertainty around her recovery time, Jennie took the difficult decision to put Bread & Pullet up for sale.

Jennie said: “Many tears have been shed but it was a decision that had to be made and I am now mostly at ease with it.”

The news of the business’ closure was met with an outpouring of support from loyal customers on Facebook.

One commenter said: “We’re sorry to see you go, we’ve had many wonderful meals and takeaways over the years and you were a true gem of the town. However, your decision is the right one and that’s all that matters. Good luck with the future, health and happiness wise. You’ll be missed.”

Reflecting on the last four-and-a-half years of running the Northampton foodie staple, Jennie said it has been a “steep learning curve”, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns, but she said this only strengthened her business.

Jennie told The Chronicle & Echo that she is proud of what she - and her staff - have achieved in the past and present and she has enjoyed serving the food she loves to eat in a relaxed and friendly environment with great service.

Jennie added: “I loved working with lots of amazing local suppliers to create what I hope was something individual in Northampton.

“I’m sad that we can’t push the restaurant on further but, once I’m fit and healthy again, I’m looking forward to the next foodie chapter, whatever that may be.”

Bread and Pullet’s chapter may not be over yet. Jennie hopes that someone will snap up the popular tapas venue and take it in a new direction.

Jennie said: “It would be lovely to see Bread & Pullet continue and for someone to come in and build on what we built up over the last four-and-a-half years. Fresh eyes will bring new ideas and I can’t wait to see what they may be.

“We’ve proved that the people of Northampton want great value, tasty, freshly cooked food made using local produce served in great independent restaurants so we must keep supporting them.”

Anyone interested in taking on the Bread and Pullet restaurant is asked to contact Jennie’s business selling agent by emailing [email protected].