Saints on Stony – the ‘heartiest’ brunch in Milton Keynes?

If you think that Saints on Stony (and their older sister restaurant, Saints on St Giles in Northampton) is simply just your run-of-the-mill coffee shop, then think again; these hubs of social enterprise are cafés with real heart.

Saints Coffee is run by Ben and Nicola – two champions of community betterment. Having recently been awarded ‘Community Café of the Year’ in the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, Saints is, at last, getting the recognition it deserves.

What makes Saints different?

In addition to everything you’d expect from a good coffee shop like brunch, toasted sandwiches, homemade cakes and bakes and – of course – high quality coffee, this small business champions those in the community who really need championing. Saints addresses racism, discrimination and inequality through programmes with local schools, business and charities; they also aim to improve the mental health of those in the community by breaking down the barriers surrounding it’s stigmatism through things such as men’s wellness walks and women’s walk and talks; additionally, they harness the social power of ‘meeting for a coffee’ to provide mental stimulation and a sense of community for those that need it.

Saints ensure that pay is fair for their ethically sourced produce and that as much as possible is sourced locally (such as ingredients for their homecooked dishes and the ceramic mugs,) supply chains are kept short, environmental impact is minimised and – perhaps most importantly – they commit 25% of their profits to projects in line with their social goals. Their business is devoted to supporting, promoting and improving their connected communities.

So they do good – but does the food and drink taste good?

On arriving at Saints on Stony, set inside the historic Bull Hotel on Stony Stratford High Street, it’s evident that there is a huge focus on interior design – the café itself is light, bright and adorned in floral décor with mismatched furniture, giving the space a real bohemian feel.

Although I’ve only visited Saints café in the daytime, they do also host events at both branches where their space is transformed; evening events have previously consisted of late night DJ sets, live music and cocktail masterclasses while Saints has also hosted food pop-ups (like the delicious Santina’s woodfired pizza), book clubs, sound baths, nutrition clinics and more.

Their brunch offerings range from the classics to some really interesting and unusual choices. For drinks on my most recent visit, we opted for an Espresso Tonic with their New Ground House Roast Coffee – if you haven’t tried espresso with tonic water, you must – aswell as my personal favourite, the Doe and Fawn Dark Roast Oat Mocha, served in the most beautiful JG Pots mug.

To eat, we went for two of the vegetarian options: ‘It’s Feta Thyme’ – a toasted sandwich on Good Loaf sourdough with feta, thyme, tahini and honey and a ‘Falafel and Feta’ open sandwich with falafel, feta, sriracha, pickled cabbage, radish and mint which, I think, took the crown for one of the tastiest brunch dishes I’ve had in and around Milton Keynes.

On our way out, we picked up a fresh lavender floral arrangement from Eden & Wild too.

It’s fair to say, Saints Coffee isn’t just your run-of-the-mill café – it’s somewhere that serves up great food while doing great things for the community too.

You can find Saints on Stony here: Saints Coffee, 64 High St, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1AQ or, if you’re closer to Northampton, visit Saints on Saint Giles: Saints Coffee 62 St Giles’ St, Northampton NN1 1JW.

Follow Saints Coffee on Instagram: @saintsonstony (Stony branch) and @saintscoffee_ (St Giles branch)

Or you can also follow their Facebook page for upcoming events and updates: https://www.facebook.com/saintscoffeeshop