Nan’s Place in Bournemouth crowned Café of the Year

Nan’s Place in Moordown came out on top following hundreds of votes and nominations for cafes across the conurbation.

Owner Debbie Eades described the win as “amazing”. She said: “I couldn’t believe it. To win something like that is amazing.

Read more: Bournemouth Echo Café of the Year finalists – how to vote

“I’ve got the most amazing and supportive customers, and I couldn’t have done it without the staff I’ve got behind me too.”

Debbie opened Nan’s Place in July 2021 with a drive to introduce a “community café” to the area.

The team at Nan's Place celebrating their win (Image: Debbie)

She said: “I just wanted to have my own café. I absolutely love people, so I wanted somewhere that people can come in and sit for as long as they want.”

“We’ve got games, a play area- all these areas where kids can play, or families can sit. I very rarely see people sit on their mobile phones in here.

“I wanted a community café, which is what we’ve built. It’s become everything I wanted it to be.”

Read more: Christchurch cafe wins Daily Echo's Café of the Year

Nan’s Café has also become a hit with elderly customers, with many visiting on the daily to enjoy a hot breakfast, or talk with their favourite staff members, Debbie said: “We love to make a fuss of them.

“It’s so nice to known that they come here and feel comfortable, and it means so much that we’ve got that with our customers.”

Nan's Place (Image: NQ)

The café also regularly hosts events and activities to engage the community even further, including quizzes, music nights and themed evenings.

There will also be extra-special celebrations hosted over the Christmas period.

But it is not just the community spirit that makes Nan’s Place so special, the café also offers hot breakfasts and lunches, as well as afternoon teas, cakes, and drinks. There are also a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free alternatives on offer for diners.

Debbie said her most popular serving is the messy chips. She said: “I got this idea from Glastonbury; they had something called hippy chips. They covered the chips and it’s the most comforting food.

“You can have different toppings. They’re absolutely loaded.”

Nan’s Place is found at 976 Wimborne Rd in Moordown.