Purnell’s Café & Bistro at Charterhouse to open this month

Purnell’s Café & Bistro at Charterhouse will open on 27 April in what was previously a Grade I listed fourteenth century Carthusian monastery in what will be the chef’s venue.

The all-day café will take a ‘field-to-fork’ approach that will make the most of the produce being grown in the on-site garden with a menu that will include cakes, pastries, snacks and hot drinks as well as small plates for a lunch or evening meal that will include chickpea cassoulet; crispy squid; cheese and leek croquettes; grilled octopus (below); mini chorizo; tiger prawns; and an aerated vanilla mousse.

The new café follows the opening of The Mount by Glynn Purnell in Henley-in-Arden​​ in March 2022, Glynn and is part of the Birmingham chef’s plans to further expand his businesses outside of Birmingham.

Plans for the cafe were first released back in 2019. ​​

“I am thrilled and proud to be part of what is unquestionably an amazing venue,” he says.

“Charterhouse is a remarkable building of national importance and the project to restore it has been fantastic. Ian and his team at Historic Coventry Trust have seen their vision and plans for Charterhouse become an attraction of regional and national standing.

“It is an honour to be part of one of the most important times in Coventry’s history as it enjoys its legacy from UK City of Culture. Bringing the Purnell’s brand to the city of Coventry is very exciting, especially to be doing so on such a historic ground.

"It is a massive opportunity to bring such a strong food brand into Coventry and to hopefully be the catalyst of an explosive new food culture, as I was in Birmingham in the early 2000s.”

The building features three carefully restored and conserved wall paintings and a newly revitalised garden as well as the new café bar and follows a £12m restoration project.

Purnell’s Café & Bistro at Charterhouse will have indoor and outdoor seating and will remain open after Charterhouse itself has closed.