We visit the dog-friendly Staffordshire tearoom which has the perfect recipe for success
Offering a welcoming spot to relax or catch up with family and friends, cafes play a vital role in their community.
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And The Olde House Tearooms in Kinver is no exception. At the heart of the business is its mouth-watering cakes crafted by owner and head baker, Grace Heath. She not only bakes everything from scones to brownies for tearoom customers, but also bespoke celebration cakes.
“We are in our ninth year – in June I will have had the tearoom for nine years. It’s always been female-led by myself and the majority of my staff through the years have been female. Not many boys want to work in tearooms it seems!,” she explains.
“We have always baked everything we sell on site. Initially, that was difficult because I have the smallest kitchen in the world and we used to have to get food out for the tearoom and bake. We now have a bakery upstairs where I bake everything we need for the tearoom and cakes for orders for birthdays, christenings and other celebrations,” adds Grace.
Before opening the tearoom in 2016, the 35-year-old had been selling her homemade cakes and brownies at farmers markets, country shows and fayres across the Midlands.
“My baking journey started when I fell pregnant with my first child at 18. I had a job that didn’t offer maternity leave so I had to find something to do to earn money.
“I started selling cupcakes at markets as they were very popular at the time. I enjoyed it and I skilled up quite quickly,” explains Grace.
Baking remained a hobby as she continued her university studies with the aim of qualifying as an English teacher. “I did a six-month placement in a high school which is where I realised that what I thought was my dream was actually my nightmare,” says Grace.
Then one day, after taking a graduate job, she was driving through Kinver when a sign caught her eye. “I saw this handwritten to let sign in this tiny window and I just called the number. I took the leap and opened the tearoom,” explains Grace.
The business has continued to go from strength to strength and Grace has been able to hand the day-to-day running of the tearoom over to her team so she can concentrate on baking. This year, she also hopes to start selling some of her bakes nationwide.
The tearoom, which is located in one of the oldest buildings in the village, has a spacious conservatory and garden. It is open every day apart from Wednesday for breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea as well as barista-style coffee, milkshakes and smoothies.
As well as catering for human guests, they also look after their four-legged friends with a dedicated ‘doggy menu’. “We’re a dog friendly tearoom but I would also describe us as dog-centric. We love having animals in. We also have three resident cats that skulk about the gardens looking for people to fuss them.
A typical week for Grace starts on a Sunday when she will go through her cake orders for the week and plan the bakes for the tearoom. “After that I’m either baking, icing or something else cake-related,” she tells Weekend.
Playing a part in her customers’ celebrations gives Grace a great sense of satisfaction. “I enjoy being able to design and create something in my head and see it come to life,” she says.
"I love it when the customer doesn’t know what they want and they are really flexible and I get to be really creative. I think that’s where my passion comes from.”
Working in the tearoom are a team of around 10 staff and Grace takes pride in taking care of her employees. “We’re like a little family. It’s really important to me that everyone’s mental health is looked after and I have regular mental health check-ins with my staff. It’s something I take seriously. It’s important that everyone feels valued,” she explains.
For Grace, knowing the tearoom is playing a crucial role in village life is very rewarding. “In the colder months, when tourism is slower, we get to spend a lot of time with our regular customers, which is really lovely.”¶"We know exactly what their orders are and we get to hear what’s going on in their lives. We are part of their world and it’s lovely that people come to us as part of their routine.”
