New tea room to open at popular former Heidi's site in Cowplain as home baker turns dream into reality

Local Zoe Marriott and her family will be welcoming customers to Auntie Zoe’s Tea Room in London Road this Friday. The former care home owner has always dreamt of owning a tea room and decided to fulfill her dream – opening at the site of the former Heidi’s Patisserie.

Ms Marriott said she got the keys in January and a full refurbishment is nearly complete. She told The News: ‘All of my life I’ve loved baking and people have always said to me that I should have a tea room.

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‘I’ve always had other family and work commitments, so it’s just the right time to do something that I want to do. It’s more of a passion than a job.’ The 49-year-old used to own Bryony Care Home in Hayling Island.

Ms Marriott said her business will have ‘big boots to fill’ given the popularity of Heidi’s. ‘We’ve never done this before and I just want to do the best job we can,’ she added.

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‘Heidi’s had such a great reputation in the community and had been there for such a long time. I don’t want to let residents down as they will be expecting the same level of quality, but we will get there.

‘We will meet that standard. The community is glad it’s a tearoom due to the social aspect of it.’ Ms Marriott has lived locally for 25 years and said the location is ‘perfect’.

She added said she will do home baking on the premises, with plans to serve afternoon teas in the future – the premises also has an alcohol licence.

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The tea room will serve several delectable sweet treats including Victoria sponge and lemon drizzle cake. Ms Marriott said gluten, nut and dairy free options will be on offer, as she suffers with allergies and knows how hard it is to find options when dining out.

She said the business has a ‘modern’ botanical theme combined with traditional designs and the layout is ‘even better’ than she dreamed of. Above all, she is hoping for a comfortable atmosphere.

‘Fingers crossed it will be a big hit,’ Ms Marriott added. ‘Lots of people have said they’ll come in, so we’re being positive.’