Groke Sheffield: First look as new dog-friendly brunch restaurant opens in Kelham Island

Groke Coffee and Kitchen opened this week at what was Craft & Dough pizzeria, on Kelham Square.

The dog-friendly, independent specialty coffee venue is the brainchild of Tom Stentiford.

He was general manager at Tamper Coffee and has spent 13 years building his knowledge about what makes a good - and ethically sourced - brew at sites around the world, including Australia, Thailand and Canada.

Groke is open seven days a week, from 8am-4pm on weekdays and 9am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and serves an all-day brunch.

“It’s a brunch restaurant, with a full fresh menu,” said Tom. “Everything’s cooked on site, all our sauces are homemade and it’s table service.

“We’ll be putting on some coffee-based cocktails and we’ll be doing nice wine pairings.”

Groke’s menu includes a rotating seasonal waffle dish, with savoury and sweet versions - this week’s sweet option being red wine poached pear waffles.

Tom has gluten sensitivity and it’s important to him that everybody has a good range to choose from, whether they’re gluten intolerant, vegan or have allergies.

The coffee is carefully selected from ethical suppliers so you know which farm the beans have come from, that it’s been fairly and sustainably produced, and that it will have the best possible flavour.

For Tom, it’s crucial that the staff within the business are well looked after, as well as the people growing and harvesting the coffee beans.

“We’re working towards a business that’s equitable to everybody,” he says. “The goal is to have a place where everyone’s happy to come to work in the morning.

“We’re working on a bonus scheme so everyone’s rewarded if we hit our targets.

“We’ll also be uptraining all our staff. I want to be the kind of person who gives his team the skills they need to move on to bigger things.

“I would be over the moon to see someone leave here to open their own business.”

As for the name, ‘groke’ is an old Scots word which describes someone gazing longingly at food hoping to be given some.