An Ely coffee company that has always dreamed of adding food to their menu is teaming up with the chef and former manager of an independent restaurant to open their own bagel bar.

With the idea of serving ‘artisan bagels with the finest coffee’, Silver Oak Coffee and Josh Held, the Cambridge chef and former general manager of 68 Market Street will open The Bagel Bar at the former home of Tea For Two in Buttermarket.

Susanne Stent, of Silver Oak Coffee, who have a rig at Ely market, said: “We have always wanted a food offering at Silver Oak to add to the seriously foodie reputation our great market now has.

“When we heard that Josh was up for a new project, we tasted his bagel ideas and were blown away by his ability to make the humble sandwich into an event?.

“Josh makes all his own sauces, pickles, jams, seitan, smokes his own meat and has great contacts with exceptional local foods producers. He has even produced an espresso and maple bacon for Silver Oak using their own coffee.

“So Silver Oak Bagels was born. The Bagel Bar, as it will be known, will open its doors in a few weeks and will offer a breakfast and lunch menu. More than that, customers will be able to order from the market and have their bagel delivered.”

MORE: It’s the end of an era as Tea for Two closes

She said that people will be able to order at the rig on the market and have their bagel delivered, and that the menu is coming soon (including Silver Oak’s own espresso and maple bacon).

“After an initially very concerning few weeks when the markets were closed during lockdown, Silver Oak Coffee was incredibly well supported by local coffee lovers who boosted their online sales of coffee beans and coffee products and enabled them to keep their team together,” she added.

Bruce Garside, owner, said: “We took the opportunity provided by the Government to access support to enable us to bounce back, after we had to close our station café.

“Together with the market team’s support, it has enabled us to provide additional jobs for local people and help keep our town centre alive and buzzing.”

All seating is outdoors, spaced out and with track and trace measures in place, say Silver Oak, “as we know this means a safe environment for people to enjoy. Let’s hope the weather improves”.