• ‘Potion’ is now open!

• Menu 100% sustainable and ethically sourced from local producers

• Founded by popular Afflecks trader “Earth Friendly Rocker”

A brand-new cafe is open for business on the third floor of the iconic Afflecks building. Potion, owned by the team behind the popular Earth Friendly Rocker shop currently situated on the third floor, is now open and is serving up a concept created with four ‘magic ingredients’ at its heart - local, sustainable, vegan friendly and affordable.

Operating right through the “Afflecks Day” Potion will be serving breakfast from 10:30am when Afflecks opens, as well as lunch and drinks all day long. It’s all designed to refuel hungry shoppers and traders alike, right through until closing time.

The Hocus Pocus ‘build your own breakfast’ allows customers to create their own hearty start to the day from any of the vegan and non-vegan products on the menu. A range of handmade sandwiches made with freshly baked bloomers are also on offer as well as cakes and brownies. The menu will be expanded soon to include hot dishes too, and everything is created with the cafe’s core values in mind. Ingredients will be sourced as locally as possible from independent businesses, and, as you’d expect from the creators of the Earth Friendly Rocker brand, every effort will be made to ensure ingredients and packaging is as earth friendly and sustainable as possible, with a particular focus on minimizing both food and other waste.

Plant-based options are an integral part of the menu - although there will be non-vegan choices on the menu too, the majority of dishes will be vegetarian or vegan and all can be “veganized”.

The Potion team are also committed to bringing an affordable offer to one of Manchester’s most inclusive and creative buildings. Created by an Afflecks trader, the menu promises discounts for fellow Afflecks businesses, ensuring that talented indie entrepreneurs on site have a welcoming, affordable space to refuel. Plus owner Lauren will be offering a delivery service to traders on site too.

With an earth friendly green and vibrant pink colour scheme, Potion has put its own mark on the space, with plenty of space and gorgeous comfy chairs and sofas.

Lauren Hutchinson, owner of Earth Friendly Rocker has been trading on the 3rd floor of Afflecks since August 2019 and is Afflecks’ first ever zero waste shop. Commenting on the launch, Lauren said:

"Potion has been developed with a unique insight into the whole culture of Afflecks and an understanding of the needs of the Afflecks community. From the menu to decor it fits in perfectly with the Afflecks building - it’s about us being able to expand our zero-waste, sustainable lifestyle approach to the eating and drinking element of the building, something which we know is important to the Afflecks audience and businesses. We think our menu will really appeal to the customer base, and the cafe will provide a great spot to relax and enjoy good food and drink. Whether it’s shoppers at Afflecks or people just popping to visit us there will be comfy chairs and great food and drink waiting for them!”

Kerry Rooms, Retail Operations Manager at Afflecks, added:

“We are really pleased to welcome Lauren’s Potion Cafe to our third floor cafe space at Afflecks. It fits perfectly with our ethos of creating sustainable opportunities for our Afflecks shoppers and traders alike and it’s wonderful to have an existing trader bring their knowledge and passion for the Afflecks community to the table. We’re delighted to support Lauren in this exciting new chapter for her brand - her Earth Friendly Rocker shop has been a real asset to the building and we can’t wait to see how she brings those same values to our cafe space.”

Potion will be open 10:30am - 6pm Monday - Friday and 10am - 6pm on Saturday.

Food will be served up until 5pm and drinks right through to close.