One of the ‘longest serving’ businesses in Stonehouse’s busy high street continues to thrive.
Whole Hearted is a wholefood shop and café, which was previously known as Mother Nature run by Trevor Searby from the late 1980s and 90s, boasting during that time period shops in Stonehouse and Stroud.
The Stonehouse business was bought in 1999 by Mother Nature staff member Ruth Nares, renamed the shop Whole Hearted. Ruth is still very much a focal point of the shop, but passed on the ownership reigns to her former Saturday boy – Joe Morgan, who started at the shop at the tender age of 13.
Now 27, Joe told Stroud Times: “This year will be my 13th year working with Ruth at Whole Hearted, serving customers from pretty much babies to teenagers, and for Ruth, from boy to man.
“For the past 27 years, Ruth has ran Whole Hearted, changing and progressing the business with modern times, from being what Mother Nature was, and transforming it what it is today, a local business selling made to order baguettes, homemade pasties and coffee.”
Keeping the same phillospies that has made the shop the very fabric of the town, Joe has however made some small tweaks, he added: “When I took over the business I went through the struggles of totally renovating the shop, filling in the cellar with 115 tonnes of stone and 15 tonnes of cement, with the landlord’s help of course and help from my brother.
“This refurb took over two months, where I documented all the progress on our social media, every step of the way, showing us filling in the cellar day-by- day to installing the flooring and trying out new types of coffee.”
What we tried at Whole Hearted
On a sun-kissed morning, Stroud Times popped into Whole Hearted to try the food on offer.
We were warmly greeted by the charming Joe and Ruth, who immediately made us feel welcome. A busy stream of customers followed as we settled at our table – opting to stay inside despite an array of outside seating.
Appreciating the rich history of Whole Hearted, I eagerly anticipated our mid-morning food experience. Gazing at the menu, it took an age to decide what we wanted from the menu board.
After deliberation, Faye Hatcher picked the aptly named Stonehouse Pasty – filled with swede, potato and beef. Made on the premises – it hit the spot.
I opted for the Stonehouse Brick! Our more venerable readers will recall the fact that the town once had its own brick works. At its peak it could produce more than two million bricks a year. However, this Stonehouse Brick was filled with tasty chicken, bacon, mayo and coleslaw.
In between photography duties, colleague Matt Bigwood asked Rob to muster up a brie and cranberry baguette, which was topped off with grated carrot.
We were full to the brim, but Joe kindly handed us something to take home in what he described as the showstopper. The Whole Hearted certainly has the wow factor. Filled with beef from Broomhall Butchers, cheese, broccoli, salad, lettuce and mustard.
We wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Whole Hearted.
To find out more about Whole Hearted, click HERE
