Meet Hej Elephant and Castles newest coffee house
Discover Scandi-inspired food and coffee at Hej Coffee house in Elephant and Castle. Roast your own coffee at Hej.
- 29 Nov 2019
If you’re into your coffee, you can roast your own blend, or make an evening of it with friends, locally sourced craft beer, wine, cocktails and delicious Hejballs (you’ll have to visit if you want to know more!)
Jeremy Knight, co-founder of Hej, reveals all…
WHY ELEPHANT & CASTLE?
It’s an upcoming neighbourhood with a really cool vibe; a hugely exciting area right in the heart of London. We’re ready to embrace it and immerse ourselves in the community.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM HEJ IN ELEPHANT & CASTLE?
You can hang out anytime. Use the space for gatherings and chill out with coffee and food, day or night. We hope people will come by after dropping the kids at school, or bring their laptops and get some work done.
We also have a community space that is free to book so whether you run a book club or a residents’ association, we’d love to host you. A laid-back, community vibe is what we’re about.
WHY THE NAME HEJ?
It’s ‘hello’ in Swedish. Hej was ‘conceived in Sweden, born in Bermondsey’, where we opened our first roastery and coffee house. We love the fact we’ve been able to grow our business locally.
WHAT MAKES HEJ DIFFERENT AND SPECIAL?
Simply, we’re proper coffee geeks. We make coffee with love and care, roasting small batches of beans on site so we can experiment. That does mean first come, first served though; if it’s gone, it’s gone.
We’re also a training academy, where people can learn barista skills, grinding, roasting and brewing. We’re looking to recruit locally as much as possible, so if you’re a coffee lover living in the area and want to come and work at Hej Elephant then please get in touch.
WE HEAR YOU’RE DOING YOUR BIT FOR A GREENER PLANET?
All our takeaway cups are compostable – though we’d love it if you brought your own. We’re reducing the amount of plastic and foil packaging we use, too.
WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL FAVOURITE COFFEE?
That would be a flat white, though my waistline is expanding a bit at the moment, so I’ve been moving to macchiatos…
HOW ABOUT THE FOOD?
It’s a seasonal smorgasbord (Swedish again!) of fresh, healthy food and drink.
Overnight oats for breakfast, and open sandwiches, salads and baguettes for lunch. At night, it’s meatballs, craft beer and sharing plates.
Not forgetting our favourite meal – long weekend brunches with a glass of Mimosa and blockbusting flat white.
WHAT ELSE IS IN STORE?
Our ‘Sunday roast courses’, not just on a Sunday. Book in, choose your coffee flavours, and roast your own blend to take home.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HEJ IN THREE WORDS?
Inclusive, friendly and part of the neighbourhood – that’s more than three, isn’t it?!
LOOK OUT FOR HEJ COFFEE HOUSE AND ROASTERY, NOW OPEN IN ELEPHANT PARK, ON THE CORNER OF RODNEY ROAD AND BALFOUR STREET.