The Folklore café at Sutton Coldfield Railway Station was nearly shutdown in 2025 – after its new resident sparked concerns for environmental health officers
Beside a bustling platform at one of Birmingham’s busiest transport hubs is a café with its own community – but blink and you could easily miss it.
Folklore is almost hidden from view beside Platform 2 at Sutton Coldfield Railway Station, and was once the station’s shop.
Wander along the platform, and jump on a train and you may be forgiven for not seeing the café run by would-be Bake Off contender, Alex Light.
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But step inside the café and you are immediately transported from the hustle and humdrum of everyday life.
It’s a space to chill out and watch the world go by, while munching on a Canadian-style bagel or a cake while supping a brew.
Alex was in the running to appear on the 2016 Bake Off series and made it to the last 16, but just missed out on the televised section.
The front of the Folklore café at Sutton Coldfield Railway Station’s Platform 2
Folklore is an homage to Taylor Swift and one of her albums. Owner Alex, a self-confessed Swiftie, gave up a career in HR to start it last year and it is more than a café, it’s a community.
Alex has brought his love of Montreal bagels (chewier than the shop-bought versions) and fine Origin coffee to Sutton’s railway hub.
While I ate a hand-rolled, chewy poppy seed bagel and sipped an Americano I listened to a customer debating the best may to make an espresso martini.
I ordered a bagel with cream cheese. You could have Nutella or pesto too – and a plain or sesame bagel if poppies are not your thing.
An Americano and poppy seed bagel with cream cheese at the Folklore café at Sutton Coldfield’s railway station
They are ‘thinner, chewier and more delicious than their New York cousin’ says Alex.
Tasty yes – but for me perhaps more a snack than a main lunch item, and for £9.20 with a coffee, I was left wanting more – and more I had later!
I then watched as the café’s resident cat, Betty, came over and took an interest in what I had.
But the friendly feline nearly brought the café to cat-astrophe to the venture.
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Earlier this year Alex became embroiled in a bitter row with Birmingham City Council over Folklore’s most ardent regular, in a row which meant either they went or the café risked being shut down.
Betty was a cat living on the streets of Sutton and caught Alex’s eye as he was walking through the town centre.
She had been living by Knights House at the end of the Parade, and had three kittens when Alex intervened.
Alex Light, the owner of Folklore at Sutton Coldfield Railway Station
He said: “We rescued Betty in April or May. Her and her three kittens.
“I walked through the town and saw her walking around and something didn’t look right.
“She was a straggly-looking cat so I followed her for a bit and found she was living behind the hoardings at Knights House. She was malnourished.
“I went in the area and she showed me her kittens and it pulled at the heartstrings.”
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Alex fed the cat for a month and asked for advice from cat charities and cat rescue and they told him to ‘just let her go’, he said.
But he decided to give her, and her kittens, a home, until she had been spayed (neutered) – and ‘she never left’.
They were kept in a ‘humungous dog crate’ to start with but when Betty rejected one of her kittens, Alex took the kitten home. The other two were also found homes.
But Betty was ‘properly feral’ to start with and stayed. Within two months though she was approaching people. Alex said ‘she woke up friendly’ – and is now properly domesticated.
Betty, Folklore café’s resident cat, was taken in by the owner earlier this year but sparked a complaint and environmental health investigation which could have led to the venue being shut down
But Betty’s presence sparked concern from a disgruntled ‘customer’ who complained to the city council’s Environmental Health department in September.
Alex said: “We had not received any complaints but one day an environmental health guy walked in and said there was a risk to public safety.
“He said he was here in an enforcement notice looking for contamination from the cat and from rodents. The person complaining also said that see a cat caused them ‘emotional distress’.
“While we were certain we had all the precautions in place, and our food preparation areas were safe. But we couldn’t put some measures they required in place, in the timescale of 28 days, because it’s a listed building.”
The Folklore café is located on Platform 2 at Sutton Coldfield Railway Station but busy travellers rushing for trains could easily not notice it
Alex said a ‘thorough’ inspection was carried out, and no signs of contamination found in the food or drink so he said ‘case closed right’.
But the council asked for a stringent set of changes to be carried out. Otherwise either the business had to shut or the cat had to go.
Alex said: ”One of the options was closure and the other was to take Betty out of the premises, which had become her home and we did not want to do either.”
Alex was given 28 days to change the set-up or risk losing his business.
Betty has been transformed from a feral cat living in the wild to the friendly Sutton Coldfield station cat at Folklore
But he had other ideas and said: “We were presented with a series of measures we could enact. But most of which were unreasonable both within the space, time and budget that we had available to us.
“Or the only option left, the only feasible option, was say bye bye to Betty.
“But instead we moved all our food production off-site to a micro-bakery called Evermore.”
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He moved the kitchen and said: “I do genuinely think it’s a good move.
“They [Environmental Health] have been out a couple of times since and they are happy with what we have done and what we have got in place, our procedures.
”Ironically, what was the kitchen in the café is now Betty’s bedroom.
“It’s her home. We now have customers bringing her Christmas presents. The kids love her!”
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A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: “It is not the case the cat needs to leave.
“However, following a complaint, an environmental health officer visited the cafe and found a number of concerns, including that the cat was on counters where food and drinks were prepared and served and had access to the kitchen when the café was closed.
“The owner was advised that the cat needs to be kept away from any surfaces or areas where food is prepared, handled or stored.
“While it is a matter for the owner as to how to do this, our officer offered to discuss any potential solutions with the owner.”
A slice of ginger loaf from Folklore
For this observer, the café is a haven from everyday life and now Sutton’s very own cat café – a smaller version of the one at a Birmingham New Street Station, which went, but has then returned again.
As I left the café I bought a slice of the ginger loaf – a generous slice for £3 and that helped sate the gap I felt was left by the bagel. A perfect blend of sweetness with a kick of spicy ginger.
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I found Folklore is much more than the sum of its tiny parts – a drinks stop, a place to grab a bite or treat, or to sit in a corner and pet the cat, if that’s your thing.
It’s a place to step away from the world for a few moments and forget your worries. And places like that, for me, are priceless…