OPERATORS of a popular dale cafe and gift shop, with stunning views over the Teesdale countryside, have taken the bold decision to give the business a contemporary makeover to reflect their historic setting.
Eggleston Hall Cafe and Tearooms, which is located in the grounds of the 19th century country home of the same name, has for the past seven years served up a mouthwatering mix of delectable delights to customers from near and far.
However, to give the business its own unique identity, Clare Moss-Clennell and Clare Dixon, from operators CSS Catering, have decided to rebrand the cafe and tearooms as The Coach House at Eggleston Hall.
Ms Moss-Clennell said: “We’ve talked about doing this for some time.
“Every year we do change small things, updating furniture and altering things on the menu, but this is quite big for us.”
She added the rebrand was prompted after confusion arose from guests who were staying at Eggleston Hall, who assumed the cafe and gift shop were all part of the same business.
“We are all connected,” Ms Moss Clennell added.
“But we are separate and this just gives us our own identity and is quite fitting as the cafe is located in what was originally the hall’s coach house.”
In addition to the rebranding they have transformed the interior of the cafe and gift shop with a stunning mix of subtle grey tones to the ceilings with feature walls in vibrant summer greens to match their new contemporary logo.
She added: “At first we thought ‘wow it’s a bit bright and quite bold for us’ but it works and until you mention to customers the ceiling is grey they don’t notice.
“And we’ve added a lot more original artwork from Rachel (Bellas-Carter) who has her studio at the gardens.
“The new colours seem to really enhance her work and since we changed the colours we’ve sold a lot more of her work.”
The cafe and tearooms, which are open all year round, will return to the summer schedule on Sunday, March 1.
This means customers can enjoy lunch, brunch or a relaxing cup of tea with a slice of something on the side, seven days a week.
