The first couple of hours are the hardest for Hanan Yafai when waking up before sunrise each day for a month.
Thoughts can often turn to longing for another hour in bed, she says, sitting inside the Coffee Lodge café on Lodge Lane, Toxteth, especially when caffeine isn’t on the agenda. A flat white is normally the drink of choice but it is something she won’t taste for the next four weeks during Ramadan – personally choosing to cut out the stimulant altogether.
“I will miss my coffee, but there is nothing like that first one after 30 days,” she adds. “It is just amazing. You taste all of the different textures, the flavours – you haven't had it for so long so your palette is so fresh.”
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Hanan, 39, opened the business with her husband Abdul eight years ago and it has since cemented itself as one of the most popular destinations on Liverpool’s busiest and most lively culinary high street. The coffee machine whirring away in the background is one of the shop’s biggest draws, but so is the English-Arabic blend served up on the menu.
The offering has produced what is arguably one of the most diverse customer bases in the city, where halal full English fry-ups sell in as equal number as Lebanese-Egyptian ful medames breakfasts. Crepes, cakes and wraps cap off the Middle Eastern-meets-Scouse cuisine, with a host of drinks to keep people fuelled throughout the day.
The clientele is roughly a mix of 60% Muslim people, says Hanan, with a wide array of other religions and the non religious making up the rest. Regulars include David, who often marks different points in the shift for staff given he usually shows up at three different times pretty much every day.
Another customer leans over to the table after finishing what can only be assumed was a satisfying meal. “Number one veggie sausages in the land bro,” he says, taking his plate back to the counter.
The latte Hanan is drinking is set to be one of her last tastes of coffee before Ramadan starts. During the Holy month of fasting [in most cases practising Muslims will fast from 5am to as late as 8pm, depending on where they are in the world] she has decided to part with caffeine and concentrate on drinking water.
This is a personal choice, but many Muslims will still rely on coffee at the times of the day they can break fast – normally before 5am and then again later on in the evening after sunset. And it’s easy to see why when coffee is such a core part of Yemeni culture – one of the largest communities in the L8 area.
Hanan, whose parents came from Yemen to Liverpool, notes how ‘Bunn’ – ground coffee beans with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger – will normally be drunk in the morning. ‘Gishr’ – made from coffee husk – will normally be had in the evening.
The menu and drinks selection doesn’t change at the Coffee Lodge throughout the holy month. All that does change are the opening hours, moving from 9am – 6pm to 9am – 4pm.
“I'd rather all my staff be at home preparing for Iftar [the evening meal] with their family and friends, rather than working and breaking their fast at the same time. It's not quite the same otherwise."
While Ramadan may be viewed in terms of what is given up, fasting is only one part of the day. The best family recipes and dishes often emerge during the holy month.
Hanan adds: “During Ramadan, Ramadan food comes out. Special food that's only prepared in Ramadan. You look forward to that. You forget about what Yemeni food you have daily.”
She points to the forthcoming nights of Ma'Soub, a sweet, crispy pastry drizzled with honey or brown sugar. There’s also Shreba soup, a mixture of wheat carrots and lamb and chicken – a “thick broth soup” as Hanan puts it.
“My two boys. 15 and 13, they fast and they look forward to the Ramadan food so much,” says Hanan. “They become so excited. They smell whatever is cooking in the kitchen and ask if they can help. It's a big family effort.”
The café also lays on starter platters so people can pick them up and break fast with minimal preparation in the evening. These will often consist of samosas, falafel, halloumi hummus and tabbouleh.
The best dishes may come at sunset, but Suhoor, the meal before sunrise, is key to sustaining practising Muslims through the day – especially when fatigue kicks in. Hanan’s approach is a familiar one. “I tend to have porridge,” she says, “it gives you energy, and maybe toast and some water,” adding, “Spiritualness gets me through the day, the closest to god.
“When you go through Ramadan, it's not just about coffee. It's about spending more time reading the Qur'an. More time closer to God. Helping people who are more vulnerable.”
Coffee Lodge will be supporting those taking part in a solidarity fast, roughly 70 non-practising Muslim people, which is being arranged by the nearby Archbishop Blanch school. It will also be continuing to deliver a batch of sausage toasties to the homeless which is done every Sunday and not just for Ramadan.
In a month defined by its periods without food and drink, it’s often when home fridges end up their fullest. Hanah, like many others, will make dishes for friends and family and drop them around at one another’s houses – a virtuous cycle that ensures people always have enough at the most important points in the day.
“It is about giving – that's what gets me through Ramadan,” says Hanan, “when you feed a fasting person, you gain that reward.”
As for the Coffee Lodge, business will be slightly quieter for the next few weeks as the Holy month leads up to Eid. But the shop will remain a melting pot of Lodge Lane with its array of regulars there to keep the tables and chairs filled.
“Our customer base is so diverse and our menu helps that – it brings all kinds of customers in," says Hanan. "This shop is a reflection of Liverpool.”
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