St Basils Bistro at The Pod Bromsgrove

29/10/2026

Unfortunately this post is sharing a little bad news 😔

The cooker is currently broken- also the card machine !
This has left me deliberating whether to open - I have come to the conclusion that opening during our normal hours is pointless.

Today we will be open between 11-3pm with a reduced menu - we will be open tomorrow using the same hours again.

I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused 😊✌️

24/10/2026

✨The last few weeks have been great - The bistro feels back on track! The tables are full, the kitchen is busy. It may be hard work but it’s incredibly worthwhile.

On Thursday it was Wayne’s birthday - he was 41 😮
Wayne didn’t ask for the day of, nor any recognition. We spent the day deep deep cleaning the kitchen. Fryer oil changed, fridges scrubbed and a Wayne Nile and Chris very worn out. Hard work pays off and I feel we are in much better stead.

🧹🫧Chris joined us about 6 weeks ago and will be going back to work on Monday. When he started I could hardly hear his mutters over the extraction fans, I kept having to ask him to speak up .
He does this no longer. I have watched this highly intelligent young man grow over the weeks and become vital member of our ever growing team. He now talks confidently and proudly.
His tick list for life was complete- good job, company car regular holidays but he wasn’t happy . we aren’t logical beings so logic doesn’t lead us to happiness. We need more and I think he has found more 😊

We all love him to pieces he will always be a friend of mine and the bistros . I hope there is someone which can fill his shoes ( they are big shoes to fill ) either way he has make my life so much easier which in tern helps all involved with the bistro.

From the bottom of my heart THANK YOU
Your friend
Nile x

21/10/2026

Meet two of our new volunteers, Clare and Nicolas 😊

They have only done two shifts so far but they seemed to have slotted straight in - they are both so cheerful 😀

I look forward to many more shifts to come! 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳
It’s great to have you both onboard and thanks for your help this week🙏

20/10/2026

🍰 The first cake of this week was A team effort 🙌

Anthony has been with us for a while, he normally stays behind the scenes doing admin (something I’m not so good at so am incredibly grateful for!).
He has now decided he wants to stretch himself and do some kitchen work👨‍🍳

Both himself and Wayne worked together and made this beautiful Victoria sponge, sadly they had both left by the time it had cooled ❄️

This meant that Sam, one of our newest volunteers finished the cake off filling it with fresh cream and raspberry jam 🍓

They have all done such a great job 😊
Come and grab a piece before it’s all gone ⏳⏱️

17/10/2026

🫧🧹 This is Millie and Hellen, they give some of their time at the beginning of the week to get the bistro prepared for our customers.

✨We have all known Millie for a very long time, she used to volunteer many years ago when the building was the Starlight Cafe. Don’t let her innocent appearance fool you, she has a vicious prodding finger and very often frightens the life out of me by sneaking up and affectionately digging me in the ribs 😳 🤣
I’m not sure what was different this week but I got a very lovely hug from her ☺️
She is very sweet really 😉

Earlier in the year Millie broke her foot😢
This meant she was unable to help for a little while. This gave me the opportunity to work with Helen one on one - I feel during this time Helen came out of herself a little more, I got to know her much better which was very lovely. She has a wicked sense of humour!
Helen is definitely a worker bee 🐝
She ends every shift out of puff and does not stop for a breath until all her jobs are finished. 😮‍💨

Both of them have smiles which light up both the Bistro and all of our hearts. 💕

I very much look forward to seeing you both next week😁
Thanks for all your hard work girls !!🙏🙏

14/10/2026

🍰Chris has been at it again and this is the best one yet. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t baked for nearly 10 years. 😮

With this one he has excelled himself 🥮

Carrot and Walnut with a hint of cinnamon 👌

10/10/2026

✨This is Wayne and Jason, they are brothers (believe it or not) who’s whole family have been close to the cafe since the beginning - they used to live upstairs.

A few years ago they sadly lost their dad Dave 😞
Many on you probably remember him riding around on his bike wearing his hi-vis jacket.
This massively destabilised both of them, they had already lost their Mom many years before.

Jason made some mistakes which led to them breaking contact and living in separate areas but he has now turned his life around, he is working and has his own flat 🙌
They have spent the past year rebuilding their relationship and it has been lovely to watch❤️

🛠️Jason has shown he has an incredible work ethic by volunteering his time to help with some odd jobs. On Thursday he spent nearly 4 hours on his knees weeding in between the slabs - A job which has been far to long overdue !

He didn’t complain once or even stop for A break🙏

❤️This picture is a really special one - it fills all of us with happiness
Well done Jason 👍

08/10/2026

✨Chris and his bearded friend have been busy baking again 🍰

This time they made a Chocolate Velvet Cake ( Red velvet with a lack of food colouring 🙄)
Filled with Cream Cheese Frosting 😋

A slice of Cake - £2:50 🍰
A cup of Coffee - £1:75☕️

What A bargain 😉

05/10/2026

✨Chris has decided to do a little volunteering at the cafe during a break he is having from his very stressful job. His job doesn’t provide much social interaction so he is using the cafe to boost his confidence and stop him becoming socially isolated. During his short time with us I can see a tangible difference , he is coming out of his shell and it’s a pleasure to see. He is now A highly valued member of our team. ❤️

🍰Last week he decided to do some baking and he was very proud of his coffee and walnut cake - As was I
Come in and grab a piece before it’s all gone !

04/10/2026