The importance of fresh food is a significant talking point these days. Between BBC documentaries and a recent UK number one bestseller - Ultra-processed People - people are increasingly concerned about what goes into their food. 

All Things Nice is a restaurant in Marple which recognises this, aiming to provide quality fresh food at an affordable price. 

Friends Nick Garner and Dean Blackwell took on All Things Nice in Marple in 2020, and have since opened a second restaurant in Macclesfield following the success of their Marple Market Street site.

Dean - baker and co-owner at All Things Nice Marple - has grown the business with an emphasis on quality, freshness, and affordability. 

Quiches and bhajis can be enjoyed inside, outside, or to take away. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

"We buy the best quality products that we can buy, and we hope that comes across in the food", he says. 

"We don't cut corners; we use local suppliers.

"We pride ourselves on producing the best stuff for your body you can get."

The eatery offers everything from takeout lunches and cakes to a rotational international menu in the evening.

They are located at 48-50 Market St, Marple, Stockport SK6 7AD. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

The newly-launched Grab & Go lunches, for example, are freshly prepared and ready to take out. 

"We're trying to produce something where people can grab a freshly made sandwich, all made here in-house", Dean explains. 

"It's all ready to go, so there's no queuing, no waiting." 

A Grab & Go sandwich, cake and drink costs £8.50. 

Their menu has variety and caters for specific dietary requirements. For example, bakes having gluten free and vegan options. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

"We're trying to keep it reasonable for people to have not just once a week as a treat, but as their lunch." 

This kind of fresh eatery culture is evocative of the European style café. Certainly, Dean is proud of the fact that there is an in-house bakery producing fresh bread attached to the restaurant. 

"If you look at the ingredients on the back of some supermarket breads, the ingredients list is very long", he says. 

"It should be flour, water, salt and yeast."

Dean is just one of two bakers at their site, which supplies both their Marple and Macclesfield premises as well as many local businesses around Stockport. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

Himself a long-time baker by trade, Dean is passionate about his work, as indeed are the staff. 

He speaks fondly of five other All Things Nice bakers, so serious about the craft that they spend their own time researching and making outside of opening hours. 

Nor is the bakery the only thing which is local; at one point Dean even points down Marple High Street to a fruit and veg shop which supplies All Things Nice.  

Other suppliers are similarly local. Dean mentions Stockport butcher Neil Frost, as well as local farmers, who, in addition to supplying food, also help with waste. 

The Croque Madame is a signature dish (top left). It contains a handmade casino loaf, thick cut ham, cheese, béchamel sauce and a fried egg. Croissants and vanilla slices are best-sellers on the sweet side of things. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

"There's a local farmer that comes down and takes all the waste to feed his crops and animals", Dean explains. 

"And then, he brings us a load of fruit, which we use in the bakery in turn. 

"It never gets chucked - it all gets used in another way, because we find it important to have minimal waste."  

Even before this, any unsold items from one day get put on a half price shelf the following day. 

Their evening menu will tour the world in the coming months, changing from a current Middle Eastern theme to future themes like English summer and Scandinavian. The dishes will also be joined by suitable global wines to pair with the meals. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

The ethos of freshness and sustainability thus runs through all aspects of business at All Things Nice, from delivery to disposal.  

Dean also emphasises above all else the positive atmosphere, for both staff and customers. 

With around 40 members of staff, "this is a family more than a business", says Dean. 

"We try to make the business as a whole somewhere where people are happy to work. [...] We don't just open and close then go home. We love what we do."

A Louisana chicken sandwich with salads, chips, as well as garlic mayo and chipotle ketchup dips. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

This warmth in turn rubs off on the customers and indeed the wider community; All Things Nice regularly contribute to street parties, local sports clubs, and more, and this relationship works both ways. 

For instance, Dean says of working during the Covid pandemic: "The local people have supported us really well. [...] If it wasn't for the people coming out everyday, we wouldn't have been able to keep going." 

If you fancy a taste of the continental lifestyle, some fresh, quality, affordable food free of preservatives, and want to support the local community whilst you're at it, you know where to go.  

You can walk-in to All Things Nice seven days a week, although booking is recommended for their international-inspired evening menu. Please click here to head to their website.

All Things Nice Marple is open 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 10m Friday to Saturday, and 9:30am to 2pm on a Sunday. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Stockport Nub News)

Stockport: They are also on Facebook and Instagram.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.