Tea room in a tourist trap to change hands after 37 years
STOP-GAP BETWEEN ENGINEERING JOBS BECAME A DECADES-LONG LABOUR OF LOVE
THE owners of a popular tea room in Leicestershire are calling it a day after 37 years of serving cake and cuppas.
Michael Kemp opened Staunton Stables Tea Room, near Ashby, on August 27, 1984, after he was made redundant from an factory in Burton.
Michael, now 73, thought the tea room would be a temporary affair before he went back to engineering, but it turned out to be a decades-long labour of love.
Before he took it over, Michael described the business as “nonfunctioning”.
But he realised it was going to be a success when he first entered the rooms to clean up and was followed in by several members of the public asking if they could have a cup of tea.
Michael welcomed his wife, Alison, into the business in the early 1990s and the pair continued to go from strength to strength.
The premises also won a five-star hygiene rating.
But they have now put the business, at the Ferrers Centre, Staunton Harold, on the market for £139,995.
Michael made the decision to sell during lockdown while the tea rooms had to close.
He said: “Lockdown allowed me to sit and think. I’ve always enjoyed the tea rooms but I have also enjoyed having more time.
“I have some health issues and we also have a son, 17, and a daughter, 12.
“Between the two lockdowns when we were closed – and when we opened but with restricted numbers – we managed to keep our heads above water because the tea rooms are in a prime tourist area, with parkland, the garden centre and the craft area.
“People are always around here walking dogs.
“Despite trauma over the years, such as a flooding and foot-andmouth disease, we’ve always managed to flourish.” Michael believes his success is down to the tea room’s personal touch.
He said: “I think it’s down to our approach. We try to give a personal service. It’s family-run with homemade dishes. “We have five full-time staff, with some who’ve been with us 20 years, and a pool of about six to 12 part-time staff who are usually doing their A-levels or come home after university.
“We’ll be sad to leave, but the time’s arrived.”
The property is being marketed by estate agents Hilton Smythe.
Its marketing report says: “Staunton Stables Tea Room is located in the heart of a converted stable yard which is a very busy tourist destination. “The business benefits from a high volume of footfall, along with loyal, regular customers, with Staunton Harold garden centre and the National Trust Staunton Harold Church in the close vicinity.
“The tea room is extremely popular and well known in Ashby and Melbourne, and the wider area of Derby and Leicester. The business has an excellent reputation.”
Lockdown allowed me to sit and think. I’ve always enjoyed the tea rooms, but I enjoyed having more time Michael Kemp