Darlington healthy eating café Meet and Marrow to open on February 16

Meet and Marrow, run by childhood friends Nicola Patterson and Axel Tucker, will open on Duke Street in Darlington on Monday 16 February after relocating from an earlier planned site. The founders say the café has been refurbished and will focus on unprocessed, mostly in‑house food.

Meet and Marrow, a healthy eating café run by childhood friends Nicola Patterson and Axel Tucker, will open on Duke Street in Darlington on Monday, February 16. The opening comes several months later than originally planned after the pair decided to move from an earlier site. They found a new premises in October 2025 and carried out a full refurbishment to fit their long-term plans. The founders have described the final stages of preparation as emotional and careful. Key details: - The café is scheduled to open to the public on Monday, February 16, at a Duke Street location in Darlington. - The business was originally planned for Firthmoor Community Centre with an intended September opening but the founders relocated after deciding the site did not suit their long-term plans. - In October 2025 the pair confirmed they had found new premises, and the following month they confirmed Duke Street as the new home. - A full refurbishment was carried out; recent images show interior fittings, countertops and seating in place, and external signs and branding installed. - The menu has not been fully revealed. The founders have said there will be no processed food, with much made in-house, and that meat will be sourced from local butcher Hutchinson Hobbs in Yarm; they have also mentioned items such as kombucha and homemade lemonade. Summary: The opening adds a new healthy-eating café option to Duke Street after a period of relocation and refurbishment. Founders have emphasised unprocessed, mostly in-house food and local sourcing and described the final fit-out as an emotional stage. The next public step is the café’s opening on Monday, February 16.