Chunky knits, new boots and a lazy afternoon snuggled up in Exeter’s Sacred Grounds. What’s not to love about autumn?
In Exeter, a fantastic place to lean into the season is Sacred Grounds, the award‑winning vegan cafe in McCoys Arcade. Sit beneath the atrium roof among the plants and indie shops or inside the vibrant cafe.
If the season is all about plenitude, then the bounty of harvest on the plant‑based menu fits the bill. Dishes are mind‑bendingly creative and include the award‑winning tofu “poached eggs” or a bagel lavished with oak‑smoked carrot “lox”, avocado, “cream cheese”, capers, dill and rocket.
As summer slides into autumn, the cafe celebrates the shift by holding events. Owners Nathan and Hayley Maker – who have form in their previous roles as curators of indie art haven and lifestyle store No Guts No Glory – run an autumn fayre with live music, street food, a market and cocktails, as well as regular candlelit long‑table supper clubs.
‘It makes sense to celebrate the wonderful produce through the food we serve but also the creative culture we’re immersed in,’ says Hayley.
‘Many of our regulars are artists or designers and we love to support them via our events. Our fayres take place around the dates of the equinox and the solstice. It’s the perfect time for people to make changes in their lives, and for artists to be inspired by these changes.’
The space beneath the atrium and the bar are also hired out for private events, book launches, literary festivals and talks.
‘The cafe comes alive in the evening and the atrium roof provides a natural amphitheatre and great acoustics for performers,’ says Hayley.
Don’t leave without stocking up on ceramics and table linen, jars of homemade nut butters and bags of coffee beans roasted by Foundation Coffee Roasters in St Ives, to recreate the Sacred Grounds experience at home.
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