Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Changing tastes demonstrated by low-fat restaurant
Healthy eating on offer at fitness-inspired venue
If ever there was a potent illustration of change in Canterbury, this is it.
Not so long ago, 7 St Peter’s Street was a bakery knocking out carb-loaded farmhouse loaves, cakes dripping in icing sugar and cream fingers.
Now it is The Skinny Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to those who want to eat low-fat, low-carb meals as part of a carefully maintained diet.
Opening last week after a fourmonth refit, The Skinny Kitchen is the brainchild of couple Joel Belchem and Lois Breckell.
Joel, a fitness expert, and Lois, who has designed the healthyeating menu, have already opened three other restaurants – two in Ibiza and one in Bournemouth.
They opened the first one in San Antonio, Ibiza, in 2014 and watched as business boomed.
When the former Barrow’s Bakery unit, opposite Third Eye in St Peter’s Street, came up, they decided to pounce.
Former St Anselm’s pupil Joel, 32, said: “There really was nothing like this in Canterbury and a location like this with all the footfall and passing traffic is a great spot.
“We’re taking familiar dishes like burgers or pizza and giving them a healthy twist which retains all the flavour of the goodtasting meals they are.
“After we started in Ibiza, we realised it was something people really wanted to eat and the concept has just really grown.”
Main meals include the satay chicken burger with sweet potato fries or the “beefcake”, a lean mince burger with mozzarella.
There are protein bowls for those eating as part of a fitness regimen and skinny pizza, lower in fat than its counterparts.
Lois, 27, a former pupil of the Chaucer School, has devised the menu.
She said: “I just really enjoy cooking healthy food. This is reflected in our menu, which is filled with fitness-inspired food to satisfy the needs of various diets.
“We go in for clean cooking, for that is healthy, fresh and tasty.”
Joel and Lois run the Skinny Kitchen chain with their business partners Rachel Saunders and Dave Mason.
The Canterbury branch is open seven days a week from 9am to 10pm, with last orders at 9.30pm.
See www.skinnykitchen.co for more information.