IT had been an early start to a Sunday, covering the inaugural running of the Anderton Boat Lift 10k.

With the sun beginning to win the battle over the clouds, we decided to walk along the river and into Northwich for a much-needed brunch.

The town is awash with coffee shops and cafes but after enjoying views of the Weaver on the walk, we decided to carry on the theme and headed to BEAR.

After opening in August 2020, the cool coffee shop and eatery has already established itself as one of the most popular. And it’s easy to see why.

Northwich Guardian: The decor in Bear is very much stripped-back and industrial in styleThe decor in Bear is very much stripped-back and industrial in style

The stripped-back minimalist décor has an industrial feel, with the massive floor to ceiling windows filling the place with natural light.

We hadn’t booked ahead and although it was busy, we – me, wife Julie and our beloved pooch Rufus - secured a table by the large open hatch to the kitchen.

The menu is full of kinds of brunchy-delights and the dilemma of what to eat was easily the most difficult decision of the day.

Northwich Guardian: The delicious Angry MacThe delicious Angry Mac

In the end, I plumped for an Angry Mac – a pork-based take on a certain golden arch’s classic – which was ticking plenty of boxes. Julie went for the Shakshuka with poached egg.

You order at the bar here – which I found a little unusual for the number of staff working – but it doesn’t in any way dilute the experience.

Our drinks came first, a perfectly frothy looking cappuccino for Julie and a breakfast tea for me. The milk came in a pretty adorable mini-milk churn, which was a nice little extra touch.

Sitting so close to the kitchen, and seeing the chefs hard at work, made the wait for food pretty tantalising, but it was worth it when it arrived.

Northwich Guardian: The Shakshuka came in a cast-iron panThe Shakshuka came in a cast-iron pan

The Angry Mac was made up of a pork pattie, fried egg, cheese, caramelised onions and sriracha mayo – it was deliberately messy and despite having to eat with a knife and fork like a grandpa, it was absolutely delicious, and I could have polished off a second one.

Julie’s Shakshuka also got rave reviews, with the homemade tomato and red pepper ragu proving to be the perfect foil for pink onions, herbs and sumac.

With the bill coming to a little more than £20, the brunch satisfaction box was most definitely ticked, and we shall return.