Bedslife Meets

Rasa Varanauskaite from The Friendly Nettle Café, Shortstown

I grew up in Kaunas, the second biggest city in Lithuania.

What was your favourite lesson in school?

At school I mostly loved arts, biology and home economics.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young, I found it difficult to decide what I would like to be when I grow up. I liked so many things! I wanted to be a gardener because I like plants; I dreamed to be a fashion designer because I liked sewing and other fabric crafts such as knitting and crochet (I have a degree in fashion now).

What was your first job?

My first job was serving breakfast in a hotel in central London. Funnily, the first days of my café opening reminded me of working at that hotel. Shortstown people love their cooked breakfast!

How did the Friendly Nettle Café come about?

I always loved hanging out at cafés and wished they were a little like pubs. A place where local people meet. I thought I will open café one day when I have enough money, but later in life I had a thought, why wait? So, 10 years ago, I started my journey on making this dream come true. Initially I launched a blog called Friendly Nettle where I blogged about everything I loved: crafts, baking, gardening, travel, and what inspires me. When I moved to Shortstown in 2015 I was ready, and the right space opened up. Although the café is now open, it still has a long way to go to really become what I originally imagined.

What is the most popular thing on the menu?

The most popular item on the menu is our Maple Sea Salt Latte. I came up with it last year when trialling out different drinks. I tried adding salt on top and I was pleasantly surprised how well that goes with coffee. A lot of customers who taste it always come back for this drink. And I am very proud of it as I must be the only café serving this.

What is your favourite thing to cook?

I love trialling out new recipes, especially those that have lots of different flavours. I love when different unexpected ingredients get matched but work brilliantly!

If you ever eat out locally where is your favourite place to go?

I love eating out at different cafés for inspiration. Currently my favourite café is The Pavilion in Bedford Park.

What future plans do you have for the Friendly Nettle Café?

I have lots of plans for the Friendly Nettle Cafe, but the main one is to be able to open doors longer hours in the evenings and become a social place for the community where locals can learn new skills or make new friends.