Northampton tapas style restaurant will close for six months following owner's cancer diagnosis

A popular British tapas style restaurant in Northampton town centre will temporarily close for six months following the owner's breast cancer diagnosis.

The owner of Bread and Pullet on Wellingborough Road, Jennie Bowmaker, made the announcement on her restaurant's Facebook page yesterday (Monday, October 25).

She posted: "A slightly different Monday morning B&P post…

"Don’t know how to say it so let’s just go for it!

"I (Jen, & owner) have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It’s all really new and my mind is obviously working overtime but it’s been caught early and tests have shown it hasn’t spread. My family, close friends and the rest of the A-team have been there for the whole thing and been amazing.

"My surgeon has told me that due to Covid (good old Covid again!) I need to isolate whilst undergoing surgery and chemotherapy treatment, which will commence towards the end of November.

"So I have had to make the hard (but obvious and safest) decision to temporarily close the restaurant. Due to the way we work, it isn’t feasible to do it any other way."

Saturday, November 13 is expected to be Bread and Pullet's last day of service before they close their doors to the public for six months but this is not yet set in stone.

Jennie added: "This is obviously dependent on how treatment goes but, rest assured, we will be back bigger and better than ever before when it is safe for us to do so.

"So that’s another Christmas gone!

"Vicky (my right hand woman/rock ) has been busy contacting all our bookings for the festive period and all deposits will be refunded this week. We needed to act quickly so you lovely lot could find other venues for all your staff parties and Christmas get togethers."

Bread and Pullet are still going ahead with their Christmas Boxes, which are designed to take the stress out of customers' festive catering. They consist of free range turkey, roasted gammon, a variety of vegetables, a cheeseboard, a range of puddings and Boxing Day brunch along with all the instructions for reheating and finishing.

Those wanting Christmas Boxes just need to fill out an order form that can be downloaded from Bread and Pullet's website before emailing it to the restaurant by December 3. A 10 per cent deposit is required to confirm orders with full payments to be made by December 10. The boxes can be collected from the restaurant on Christmas Eve.

Jennie continued: "So…let’s make the next three weeks amazing; we can’t wait see and feed you all, there will be lots of smiles and laughs and maybe the return of a few B&P classics along the way... Onion bhaji scotch egg anyone?!

"And remember…

"Check those boobs (& moobs)!!

"Anything that feels or looks different, just go see your doctor; nothing is too small or insignificant on the surface of it. The sooner you go, the better prognosis if anything is wrong and bets are there is absolutely nothing to be worried about anyway."

Upcoming events at Bread and Pullet include a Boozy Brunch on Sunday, November 7 where customers can pick two scrumptious brunch dishes from the menu and then have a choice of bottomless Prosecco, Passion Fruit Martini, Carlsberg Pilsner, Sloe Bramble or Snowball Fizz for one hour and 45 minutes at £30 per person.

Bread and Pullet are also hosting a Halloween Afternoon Tea on Sunday, October 31 where horror enthusiasts can quench their thirst for blood with Bloody Mary Gazpacho Syringes and tuck into warm Pumpkin Spice Scones as well as a variety of other themed savouries and treats. There is even a children's menu too.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and local peer group, Breast Friends Northamptonshire, advises people to check their breasts at least once a week for any changes so that a doctor can be informed as early as possible.

For more information about Breast Friends Northamptonshire or advice and support, visit their website at https://breastfriendsnorthampton.org/.

Menus at Bread and Pullet can be viewed at https://breadandpullet.co.uk/.