Beloved Chichester Cathedral cloisters café reopens

There was outrage three years ago when it was announced that the café in Chichester Cathedral’s 600-year-old cloisters shut its doors. Readers of this newspaper told of their upset as the popular venue closed down leaving residents and visitors alike without such an important amenity.

But the beginning of Spring has seen a new café take its place following years of deliberation.

The new Cloisters Kitchen and Garden opened yesterday following a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the mayor of Chichester, councillor Julian Joy, and the acting Dean of Chichester, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles.

Graham Turner managing partner, Seasoned Venues said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Cathedral team on this new venture and we are proud to underpin our core value of freshly made food on site, using fresh local produce. Wherever we work we always want to enhance and work with the local community. To this end we have already reached out to local support groups, one of which will be undertaking the upkeep and development of the café garden.”

Acting Dean of Chichester, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said: “With Seasoned on board we are confident that the Cloisters Kitchen & Garden will be a fantastic dining destination, providing a warm welcome for the Chichester community and visitors to our great city.”

The Cloisters Kitchen and Garden will be offering an exciting new menu featuring the bountiful local produce from the county and the café operators, Seasoned, are delighted to have recruited their full onsite team from the local area too.

More than a quarter of a million people visit the cathedral every year visitors per year and residents will be delighted to read that the café will be busy once more after closing at the beginning of the pandemic due ‘unforeseen challenges’.

Seasoned Venues had been chosen last year and there had been plans for the café to reopen in the summer of 2022.

The Cloisters Kitchen & Garden will be open daily, 9.00am – 5.00pm during the Autumn/Winter and 9.00am – 6.00pm during the Spring/Summer.

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