ULVERSTON foodies and cyclists will soon be able to take advantage of a new combined pit-stop and pizzeria.

Bici Café is looking to offer those on two-wheels somewhere to enjoy a quick coffee and snack before they head back to the hills, and fresh Italian meals to those who are looking to stop a little longer.

Partners Katrina Allison and Guglielmo Baldassarre are the team behind the new venture, which looks set to open to the public in August.

“My partner is Italian and he’s the pizza chef and I must say that his pizzas are really very good,” Katrina said. “Whenever he cooks them for us I can’t stop eating them!”

The restaurant will focus on offering simple dishes, done well, utilising the best local produce available. Although the pair are still in talks with suppliers, they can confirm they will be using the Cockermouth-based Carvetti Coffee and will be looking to serve some more unusual alcoholic options.

“We’ll look to serve some Italian micro-brews,” she said. “Our supplier has got various Italian beers that you probably wouldn’t see in that many places in this country.”

Katrina has lived in Ulverston for the past 18 months, trading life in the city as a lawyer for the Lake District fells.

She is a keen cyclist and although the café is not going to be offering bike maintenance, Katrina is keen to ensure that it acts as a welcome rest point for tired riders.

“We’re not looking to compete with any of the bike shops in town,” she said. “We’re going to have a section on the website with local rides.

“I’ve done quite a bit of bike touring and one thing I loved was being able to stop in a nice café and have a coffee and some nice baked treats that you feel like you’ve earned!”

Katrina said that the café building itself, located on The Gill, is an old one and has required a lot of renovation work in order to be sympathetic to the original features but also to get it up to standard.

Although there is still work to be done, the couple hope to have the wood-fire oven burning towards the second half of August and Katrina is looking forward to sharing her love of Italian flavours with her customers.

“I love the simplicity,” she said. “It allows nice quality ingredients to shine though without being overly complicated.”