Papa Dutch 'The Little Dutch Café'

Lockdown inspired many of us to pursue passion projects, explore hobbies and get creative. But for one Greater Manchester family the great pause catalysed an entirely new professional venture, with co-owner Josh Jorritsma teaming up with his father, Sjoerd, to launch a street food business selling Netherlands-style mini pancakes, cooked to perfection and covered in mouthwatering toppings. Skip forward a few years, and the family enterprise expanded into a brick and mortar operation here in Altrincham, and Papa Dutch now plies an enviable trade in various sweet treats inspired by one of Britain’s closest European neighbours. 

The Little Dutch Cafe, as the business is also known, has become one of the most popular fixtures in the Altrincham Market area. Occupying a former bottle shop, inside this small but charming eatery you’ll find paintings by Johannes Vermeer, one of the most celebrated Dutch Masters, setting the tone for a genuinely unique culinary experience. Suffice to say, mini-pancakes are one of the biggest selling points, or Poffertjes as they’re known in Amsterdam. Light, fluffy and impossible to resist, whether they come with simple icing sugar, fresh fruit or chocolate sauce, you’re guaranteed to want more. 

The menu goes well beyond this, though. Stroopwafels, another sweet-toothed Dutch staple similar to the classic caramel wafer, are also available, and best enjoyed with a dollop of fresh ice cream from one of Cheshire’s most celebrated farms, the Daresbury Dairy. Alternatively, just order a couple of scoops in one of the delicious cones, made locally by Antonelli Bros over in Irlam. Beyond this, you’ll also find homemade Appeltaart (a Lowlands take on the humble apple pie), and artisanal milk shakes. Not forgetting an incredible range of coffee — another very Dutch tradition — with beans roasted right here in Manchester by Heart and Graft, and sourced from fair trade producers in India.