11/08/2026
This isn't the update we wanted to write, but after everything that's happened over the last few months, we owe everyone who has supported Wonky Kettle a proper explanation.
Wonky Kettle will not be opening at the Firebird Centre in Hilton.
We are absolutely gutted.
We've put an enormous amount of time, effort, money and energy into trying to make this happen. We genuinely gave everything we could to create a warm, independent, high-quality café and food venue that Hilton could be proud of.
Had we known at the beginning what we know now, we would never have started the project at this location.
Unfortunately, there is an ongoing legal dispute concerning the building between the landlord and another party connected with the lease of the building.
Wonky Kettle, The Larder Table Ltd and ourselves are not parties to that dispute.
However, despite having no involvement in the dispute itself, the consequences of it have directly affected our ability to proceed with the Wonky Kettle project at the Firebird Centre.
Based on the information and advice available to us, resolving the existing situation could potentially take another 6–12 months, and even after that it could take a further few months for us to negotiate and put in place any potential lease or tenancy of our own.
One potential route could also have required us to take responsibility for the entire building, at a rental cost of more than £4,000 per month, before business rates, utilities, maintenance and the many other costs associated with operating such a large premises.
Even allowing for potential rental income from other businesses within the building, that simply isn't a commercially sustainable level of risk for a small independent café/restaurant – particularly one without an alcohol licence.
Sometimes you have to know when continuing to fight for something stops being determination and starts becoming a bad business decision.
And we've reached that point.
I have taken legal advice throughout this situation and, on that advice, I won't be commenting publicly on the finer details of the dispute or the circumstances surrounding it. It is a matter between other parties and it would therefore be inappropriate for us to comment further. Those matters will resolve themselves through the appropriate channels in due course.
Naturally, there has been a lot of speculation locally.
What I can say clearly is that neither Wonky Kettle nor The Larder Table Ltd is a party to the legal dispute. We acted in good faith throughout our involvement with the premises and invested significant time, effort and money into trying to make Wonky Kettle at Hilton a reality.
I'm genuinely sorry that we couldn't deliver what we promised there.
Not because we didn't try.
We tried financially. We tried legally. We tried practically. And we put absolutely everything we reasonably could into finding a way forward.
But there comes a point where I also have a responsibility to protect Wonky Kettle, our other businesses, our team and everyone's livelihoods.
BUT WONKY KETTLE ISN'T OVER.
If anything, everything we've been through has made us realise just how much we believe in it.
We've come too far creating the idea of Wonky Kettle – a warm, slightly different, community-led café and restaurant – to simply walk away from it.
So we haven't.
We've agreed terms on a new home for Wonky Kettle.
It's in a lovely location and gives us the opportunity to create Wonky Kettle as we originally envisioned it, without the uncertainty we've been dealing with.
Sadly, it isn't in Hilton.
We know that's going to disappoint some people, and we completely understand that.
The new location is more than 20 minutes away, but this decision also has to make sense for our wider business.
Wonky Kettle isn't our only operation. Say Cheese and The Larder Table are both growing businesses in their own right, and they urgently need a permanent base for preparation, storage, production and the day-to-day running of our catering and events operation.
After everything that's happened at Hilton, we simply can't leave all three businesses in limbo for potentially another 6–12 months – or longer – waiting for a situation completely outside of our control to be resolved.
The new site gives us the opportunity to bring Wonky Kettle, Say Cheese and The Larder Table under one operational roof, while allowing each brand to continue developing independently.
When we looked at the decision from that perspective – commercially, operationally and for the long-term future of all three businesses – moving became the only sensible option.
SO, WHERE ARE WE GOING?
We're deliberately not announcing the exact location just yet.
After everything we've experienced with Hilton, we've learned the importance of waiting until all of the legal paperwork is completed, the lease is signed and the keys are physically in our hands before making another location announcement.
We're really excited about where we're going, and as soon as everything is formally completed, our Founders will hear the news first, followed by a full public announcement.
TO OUR FOUNDERS
This part means an enormous amount to us.
We've been overwhelmed by how many Founders have chosen to stick with us throughout everything that's happened and leave their investment with Wonky Kettle.
Some of you have effectively told us that you weren't just investing in a building in Hilton – you were investing in us and in the dream behind Wonky Kettle.
We won't forget that.
At the same time, we completely understand that someone who supported a café they expected to visit regularly in Hilton may feel differently about a venue more than 20 minutes away.
That's why every Founder has been given the opportunity to request a full refund of their Founder investment.
If you would like your investment refunded, please email [email protected] with your name and the details of your original Founder investment so we can arrange the refund directly.
That refund option will remain open until Friday 28th August 2026.
After that date, any remaining Founder investment will automatically transfer to the new Wonky Kettle location, and all of your original Founder benefits will transfer with it.
Every remaining Founder will then be contacted directly with details of our new home and an invitation to the pre-opening.
THROUGH ALL OF THIS...
There is also a personal side to the last few months that I haven't spoken about very much publicly.
Alongside everything that's happened with Wonky Kettle, I've had to deal with the devastating loss of my sister and some incredibly difficult personal challenges, while continuing to run our existing businesses, look after our team and somehow keep moving forward.
I'm not saying that for sympathy. I'm saying it because context matters.
There have been people who have criticised how we've handled this situation, and we've even seen some pretty ridiculous accusations and speculation along the way.
People are entitled to their opinions.
The reality is that very few people outside those directly involved know the full sequence of events, what has happened behind the scenes, the professional advice we've received, the money we've committed or just how hard we've fought to find a solution.
Some of the media coverage and social media commentary hasn't always reflected that full context either.
That's the nature of these things – the headline is inevitably simpler than the reality.
I'm comfortable with that.
Because knowing everything we've had to contend with, I'm actually incredibly proud of how we've handled ourselves.
We've acted in good faith. We've taken professional advice. We've kept communicating. We've offered every Founder their money back. We've protected our team and our existing businesses. And when it became clear that continuing at Hilton was no longer commercially responsible, we made an incredibly difficult decision and found another way forward.
So despite everything that's happened, our heads are held high.
And rather than spending our energy fighting every rumour, comment or headline, I'd rather put that energy into what happens next.
Because if people want another Wonky Kettle story...
I fully intend to give them one.
Just hopefully the next headline is about the comeback.
The little independent business that got knocked sideways, refused to disappear, picked itself back up and finally opened the doors to the place we'd been trying to create all along.
Everyone loves an underdog story.
And ours isn't finished yet.
FINALLY...
To Hilton: I'm sorry.
We really did try.
To everyone who helped us, backed us, worked with us, shared our posts, bought Founder packages, offered advice or simply stopped us in the street and asked when we were opening – thank you.
This chapter hasn't ended remotely how we wanted it to.
But perhaps the comeback will be better than the original story.
Wonky Kettle is moving.
Wonky Kettle is still coming.
And our story is only just getting started.
We'll tell you where very soon.
Danny & the Wonky Kettle team
