Key Points
- Open Date & Venue: Celebrity patissier Anna Higham plans to unveil her brand new all-day restaurant called Clementine which will be opened in an area opposite to her established Quince Bakery located at 190 New North Road in Islington, London, from Saturday, 3 October 2026.
- Operational Hours: Clementine will run from Wednesday till Sunday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM for seated breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
- Financial Support: Fit-out and equipment for Clementine have been supported by a second community crowdfunding campaign which was successfully launched in July and managed to raise over £30,345 from 373 backers.
- Chef: Marcus Westlake, a former chef at Forno and Brawn, will be the head chef at Clementine and will work alongside Higham on developing a menu before running his own kitchen.
- Design: The interior design has been provided by Dan Wilson Studio with carpentry done by Herb Palmer, featuring the Shaker and Arts and Crafts style of interiors, natural oak, slate tops, and tiled fireplace. The exterior features a leaf-green facade, a clementine-coloured awning, and a fibreglass clementine outside the entrance.
- Seasonal Menu: The menu includes British and Irish baking tradition as well as seasonal produce such as Scottish porridge, tattie scones, Staffordshire oatcakes, sausage sandwiches made by Stella’s butcher, and cakes and cordials made in house.
London (Extra London News) August 20, 2026 — Acclaimed pastry chef and author Anna Higham is expanding her footprint in north London this autumn by opening Clementine, an intimate 20-cover all-day dining space located directly opposite her highly successful Quince Bakery in Islington. Opening its doors on Saturday, 3 October 2026, the new venture translates the community-centric ethos, traditional baking methods, and commitment to British seasonal produce that defined Quince into a fully seated sit-down restaurant format. Trading from Wednesday to Sunday between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, the establishment bridges the gap between casual bakery purchases and relaxed daytime dining.
Why is Clementine opening as the next step for Quince Bakery?
Following the widespread local popularity and regular weekend queues outside Quince Bakery—which was launched by Higham in February 2024 as a crowdfunded neighbourhood venue rooted in British and Irish baking traditions—Clementine serves as a natural evolution for the brand. As reported by various industry publications, the project was partly brought to life through a second community crowdfunding campaign launched earlier this year. According to campaign data cited by Accessible Hospitality, the initiative successfully closed on 7 July after gathering over £30,345 from 373 dedicated supporters to cover crucial fit-out and equipment expenses.
Higham, a Scottish-born pastry chef whose stellar professional background includes senior pastry roles at Lyle’s, The River Café, the Gordon Ramsay Group, New York’s Gramercy Tavern, and Flor, alongside publishing her cookbook The Last Bite in 2022, emphasized the core motivation behind the expansion.
As reported by Islington Gazette, Anna Higham stated that:
“The goal at Clementine is to continue the community feel we have built at Quince Bakery with a similarly joyful and creative menu. We’ll be keeping the same focus on British traditions and working closely with the best suppliers, which is really at the heart of everything we do.”
Who is leading the kitchen and shaping the menu?
To bring her vision to life, Higham has brought on board Marcus Westlake as head chef. As reported by Verge Magazine, Westlake joins the team from east London bakery and café Forno, having previously honed his culinary expertise at the celebrated east London restaurant Brawn. Westlake has been working closely alongside Higham to develop the robust seasonal food offerings before taking full charge of the day-to-day kitchen operations.
The kitchen’s hyper-seasonal menu will shift dynamically throughout the year. For its initial autumn rollout, the breakfast and morning lists heavily emphasize comforting regional classics. Diners can look forward to Scottish-inspired porridge paired with Ivy House Farm cream, panela sugar, and apple compote, alongside tattie scones served with scrambled Cacklebean eggs, and Scotch pancakes accompanied by Abbey Farm butter and poached plums. Further broadening the regional scope, the menu features Staffordshire oatcakes served with Gothelney Farm bacon and Appleby’s Cheshire cheese.
A standout savoury morning highlight, detailed by Verge Magazine, is the Clementine Sausage Sandwich. Prepared using custom-made sausages ordered directly from local butcher Stella’s—which incorporate Quince Bakery breadcrumbs and house-made quince paste—the sandwich is served on the bakery’s signature batch bread alongside a proprietary brown sauce.
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What will be served for mid-morning and lunch?
Mid-morning offerings—positioned under an elevenses menu—will bridge breakfast and lunch with familiar items carried across the street from the bakery. Guests can sample Quince Bakery’s warm scones served with Ivy House Farm cream and house-made jam, alongside signature brown butter buns and oat cookies.
Lunch service runs daily from midday to 2:30 PM, featuring a concise, comforting lineup of dishes designed to celebrate local dairies and farmers. According to reporting by Accessible Hospitality, daytime options include a Westcombe Dairy Cheddar cheese toastie, a hearty chicken and tarragon pie, a warming late-summer vegetable soup, and a traditional Ploughman’s lunch featuring Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese, Gothelney ham, local pickles, and rustic country bread. Later afternoon treats transition toward sweet baked items, including a devilled cheese scone and a striking figgy meringue cake.
How are the drinks curated to match the food?
The beverage menu reflects the same meticulous attention to provenance and independent supply chains as the food. Coffee is supplied jointly by Allpress and Red Bank Coffee Roasters. Meanwhile, the tea selection is curated in partnership with Postcard Teas, featuring an exclusive bespoke blend created collaboratively with Clementine that will be sold solely at the new cafe. Complementing the hot beverages is a rotating selection of artisanal seasonal cordials, with flavor combinations shifting to include fragola grape and damson, peach and fig leaf, and blackcurrant.
What are the design and aesthetic details of the space?
Aesthetic considerations play an integral role in creating Clementine’s welcoming atmosphere. The venue’s physical interiors were designed by Dan Wilson Studio, the multidisciplinary design practice that also conceptualized the original Quince Bakery space. According to design notes covered by Verge Magazine, the architectural scheme draws heavy inspiration from traditional Shaker design principles and the Arts and Crafts movement.
The interior features natural oak timber elements, durable slate worktops, and a focal tiled fireplace. Expert carpentry throughout the fit-out was executed by Herb Palmer, whose impressive portfolio includes previous joinery work for Quince, Brawn, and Tiella. Furthermore, the walls are painted in a bespoke shade developed specifically for the project in collaboration with British paint brand Atelier Ellis.
Externally, the storefront is designed to make an impression on New North Road. The building features a striking clementine leaf-green façade situated underneath a vibrant clementine-coloured awning. Capping off the whimsical branding is an illuminated fibreglass clementine fixture mounted directly above the main entrance door, cementing the site’s distinct identity as Higham’s latest cornerstone in the Islington community.
