Maidstone<\/a> to bring the vision to life, with a view of creating a \u201chome from home\u201d style environment which is cosy and warm but modern.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/NN97SPB27JZ69G5SK71C.jpg\")
The coffee shop is in the former NatWest in Larkfield which closed in 2024<\/p>\n
The mum-of-two, who also works as a bookkeeper, said: \u201cYou get what you pay for. So we wanted quality that is going to last. Not something that we\u2019re going to have to replace or repair in a year or two.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, high-quality coffee is on the menu provided by GoatHerd Coffee in Wouldham, with a view to \u201ckeeping the whole vibe local\u201d.<\/p>\n
The proud parents from Ditton, who have a daughter aged three-and-a-half and a nine-month-old baby, say the journey to opening has been \u201cdifficult in some places\u201d but Sam says the hard work is going to be worth it.<\/p>\n
They can\u2019t wait to welcome the local community who they say has already shown so much love and enthusiasm for the coffee shop.<\/p>\n
Barry added: \u201cWhere we moved from London, there was no community feel. And moving here, there\u2019s a good community feel.<\/p>\n
![\"Seating](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/D23MMTZ052IUB8SQNS3C.jpg\")
Seating at the Old Bank Coffee Shop in London Road, Larkfield<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought, why not give something back to the area. A nice, warm, safe, space where people can come and sit down and they\u2019re not rushed out. You can sit down and chat to your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old confesses he loves entertaining, from a BBQ to cooking for friends and thought: \u201cWhy not do it for other people?\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing the challenges in the hospitality sector, Sam said: \u201cIt is a challenging time but we are basing our coffee shop on quality, not just chucking out frozen food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first coffee at six in the morning, we know is going to be the same as the last coffee at 4.30pm at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple say careful consideration has been put into every aspect of the business, from pricing, to the interior, the team of nine staff members, and the menu which boasts a range of baguettes, sandwiches, gluten-free and vegan options, cakes, pastries and children\u2019s plates to make sure everyone is included.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, one of Barry\u2019s first jobs as a chef was in a former bank, a restaurant called the Metropolitan in Newcastle, where he prepped everything in the old safe which was underground.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019ll be preparing food next to a safe of his own, as the former bank safe is one of the only remnants of the building\u2019s time as a branch of NatWest, to remain.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/H2AY18EC27NE84YERMVY.jpg\")
The Old Bank Coffee Shop in London Road, Larkfield opens today (May 18)<\/p>\n
The Old Bank Coffee Shop opens today (May 18). Weekdays, it is open from 6am to 4.30pm.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, doors open at 7am until 4pm, and Sunday opening hours are 8am to 3pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A dad has realised his dream of owning a coffee shop to pass on a legacy to his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[26],"tags":[1398,529,309,27,307,1118],"class_list":["post-39634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-london","tag-food-and-drink","tag-human-interest","tag-kent","tag-london","tag-malling","tag-syndicate"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116595040244108674","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/XI7WHVK6O8IXB11DEQ6R.jpg\")
Sam and Barry Linsell inside the Old Bank Coffee Shop in London Road, Larkfield<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/B0Y4G0SX7V5EKKY27K6Y.jpg\")
The Old Bank Coffee Shop in London Road, Larkfield<\/p>\n