‘It’s the icing on the cake!’
Delight after new tearoom opens at The Brampton Museum
A NEW museum tearoom is now open, serving delicious homemade cakes suitable for a range of dietary requirements.
The Little Vintage Tea Room, at Newcastle’s Brampton Museum, offers vegan and gluten-free treats, as well as traditionallly baked goodies.
The tearoom will also soon be serving light lunches such as sandwiches and salads – and the team also plan to offer themed picnic boxes for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Owner Gaynor Jones also runs another branch of the Little Vintage Tea Room in Werrington Road, Bucknall, with her business partner Jenny Radzins, and the team bake all the cakes themselves.
The 55-year-old, who lives in Bucknall, said they already had loyal customers from their original shop, as well as new regulars who came to their previous pop-up events at the Brampton.
She said: “When we opened in Bucknall nine years ago, we had people coming for wedding cakes, then baby shower and christening cakes, and now birthday cakes for their children.
“Before covid hit, 2020 was going to be our busiest year ever.
“We closed on Mother’s Day, one of the biggest days of the year for us.
“During lockdowns, we did takeaway afternoon teas which really took off, with people from Australia ordering them as gifts for people two streets away.
“Although 2020 wasn’t brilliant and 2021 was worse financially, things started to get busier again in September.
“In December, we saw this opportunity at the museum on Facebook and we decided to go for it. Everybody said that the museum needed a café and we did a few popups on Saturdays to see how it went.
“Customers like to come in and have a chat and we love talking to people. Everyone is welcome.”
The café can seat 24 people inside and 20 outside, as well as offering takeaway boxes with a bamboo fork. The staff aim to use as few plastic as possible, including using infuser teapots rather than tea bags.
There will be a weekly menu and any leftover cake which they are unable to sell will be given to local organisations.
Gaynor, a vegan herself, prides herself on making cakes that are suitable for everyone. She said: “I have always made cakes for my family and I’ve always felt that, no matter what your allergies or dietary requirements, everyone should be able to enjoy a cake.
“We bake smaller amounts so that things stay fresher and any cake that we have left over we donate to local organisations such as an old people’s home or women’s refuge. It’s slightly scary but very exciting to be doing this. It’s very much a community museum.
“There is a real love for the place and I feel proud to be part of it.”
Delyth Copp, culture and arts manager at the Brampton Museum, said: “The recent redevelopment of the museum, thanks in part to National Lottery players, is designed to attract new audiences and create more enjoyable experiences.
“Having a new café overlooking the picturesque Brampton Park is the icing on the cake. Over the years, our visitors have always wanted us to have a café.
“It’s a lovely place where people can sit down, relax, meet new people and enjoy delicious refreshments. We are delighted to have The Little Vintage Tea
Room here.”