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20
Nov
From burger van to 'greasy spoon’: Harrogate's latest café opens
A Harrogate woman has expanded her burger van business into a café.
Jessica Hammond, 28, opened Miss Piggies in the former Sandwiches & More unit on King Edward’s Drive on Monday (November 18), after starting the business in a van less than two years ago.
She today told the Stray Ferret the van, which was stationed outside Bilton Club on Skipton Road, opened 15 months ago.
Jessica said:
I saw this for rent a few months ago and I said to my husband, ‘I can’t not do this’. We came to see the unit and six other people wanted it – luckily, we got it. We got the keys two weeks ago and opened just two days ago.
The Stray Ferret asked Jessica how she got into the catering business.
She said she worked at the Bread Bin on Skipton Road from the age of 13, even between having children, and eight years later her husband received some money from selling a vehicle.
He asked Jessica what they should do with it and she said, ‘let’s buy a burger van’.
Jessica added:
That was three years ago. It sat on our driveway for a year-and-a-half, then we just thought, ‘we’ve paid for it, we need to use it – why not’.
After our kids started school, it seemed like the right time to start it up. Since then, I have catered at Leeds Fest, I did an event for Saint Michael’s Hospice - lots.
But just saying, ‘I’m a café owner’ is crazy.
Inside Miss Piggies café.
Jessica said the Miss Piggies van, which is still available for mobile catering, became known for its sausage patties. The meat is sourced from Kendall’s Butchers - quite literally just down the road.
Miss Piggies café still serves the sausage patties, as well as Kendall’s beef burgers, traditional English breakfasts, breakfast wraps, omelettes, jacket potatoes, chips and snacks. People can also enjoy hot and cold drinks and, as of next week, homemade cheesecakes.
There will also be a Christmas menu, including hot beef sandwiches and pigs in blankets, Jessica added.
We’re a greasy spoon café, essentially.
We’ve had quite a few regulars who came to the previous café in this week.
We welcome everyone, no matter who you are. It’s a friendly atmosphere; we laugh and joke. We want to cater to everyone – we’re not currently gluten free but we hopefully will be in future.
Jessica also said sausage sandwiches and spam sandwiches are the most popular menu items.
The Stray Ferret asked Jessica where the brand name came from. Laughing, she told us:
I got with my husband 10 years ago - he's a joker.
I must’ve been eating something at the time and he started making pig noises at me. Then he said I looked like Sharon from Eastenders! Anyway, it became a bit of a running joke. So, when I bought the burger van and knew we’d be selling pork, I just thought, ‘Miss Piggies’.
Miss Piggies is open Monday to Friday, from 9am until 2pm, and 7.30am-1.30pm on Saturdays.
Jessica said she hopes to open even earlier in the near future.
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