Mara Finch opened Clover Cover Zone in March 2019 in a former florist's shop on Hagayaba. The space still has the original tiled floor and the big south-facing window that the florist used for displaying arrangements. Mara had spent six years working in cafes and restaurant kitchens, most recently as a sous chef at a small bistro in Edinburgh, and she'd been quietly saving and planning since 2016. The name came from a patch of clover in the garden of the flat she rented while she was looking for the right premises. She liked the idea of a place that felt like cover, like shelter, like somewhere you could stop.
The first year was harder than expected. The espresso machine broke in week three. The original supplier for milk turned out to be unreliable, and Mara switched to a local dairy c…
These days the cafe runs with a small team: Mara, two full-time staff, and a part-time baker who comes in three mornings a week. The menu is deliberately short. The coffee is deliberately good. The room is deliberately quiet enough to have a conversation. Mara is usually behind the counter in the mornings, and she'll talk to you about coffee, about the cake, about whatever book she's reading. The cafe closes on Mondays for a full clean and a bit of breathing room. Everything else is open, including the sofa corner, including the dog bowl by the door.
With respect
Mara Finch trained in professional kitchens in Edinburgh and Glasgow before opening Clover Cover Zone in March 2019. She spent six years in cafe and restaurant work, including a stint as sous chef at Bistro Ardmore in Edinburgh's Stockbridge neighbourhood, before finding the old florist's shop on Hagayaba and deciding it was the right room. She is obsessive about filter coffee, changes the single-origin weekly, and keeps a handwritten log of every coffee she's served since the cafe opened. On weekday mornings she's usually the one behind the counter. She reads a lot of fiction and occasionally recommends books to customers who look like they need one.