New vintage tea room with homemade treats set to open at Holdenby House this weekend

The owner of a Northampton tea room renowned for their cakes has been invited to run an all new vintage tea room at Holdenby House and it is set open this weekend ahead of Easter.

The stableyard at Holdenby House has been transformed into The Old Stableyard Tearoom, a retro eatery with lots of vintage furniture and old-worldly items for customers to enjoy.

Owner of the Mill House Tearoom and Garden in Wootton, Emily Armstrong, is very excited to be running The Old Stableyard alongside her business and bringing her deliciously creative homemade treats to Holdenby.

Emily told Chronicle & Echo: “I am anxious - as anyone would be starting up another tea room - but I am really excited. It looks absolutely stunning.

“It is not just about the cakes, it is about the experience. Everything is homemade, it has that homely feel. It is just really lovely.”

The tea room will be serving a variety of homemade cakes and bakes including brownies, cake pops and tarts. Local business, Sauls of Spratton, will also be supplying the tea room with sausage rolls, pasties and pies.

For the opening weekend, The Old Stableyard Tearoom will be serving the following cakes: rainbow vanilla sponge, carrot, coffee and walnut and chocolate fudge - all of which Emily was in the middle of baking at home as she was being interviewed by the Chronicle & Echo.

Emily has run the Mill House Tearoom in Wootton for about four years. She predominantly caters for birthdays, weddings and other events and also provides takeaway afternoon teas and buffets.

Mill House opens its garden in the summer for a few days for charity, allowing people to have a wander around and enjoy some cake whilst raising money for a good cause.

Emily told this newspaper that she was initially apprehensive about running another tea room because she has five children but she said that, when she came to Holdenby House, it just felt so right.

She said: “They are so lovely over there. It is just like a big family. It is just a really lovely place - the garden is beautiful and the house itself is stunning. There is a really exciting future, I think, for Holdenby.”

The launch of the Old Stableyard Tearoom could not have arrived at a better time with Holdenby House’s annual Magic of Easter Event set to take place on Sunday, April 9 and Monday, April 10.

There will be an Alice In Wonderland themed Easter egg hunt with chances to find the coveted golden egg and win £100 along with other games and crafting activities for families.

It will be all hands on deck for Emily and her team as they prepare to serve up an assortment of mini eggs and bunny themed treats.

The Old Stableyard Tearoom will open its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday, April 1 at 11am. It will open on weekends from 11am to 4pm but will look to expand its opening times to weekdays in due course. Admission to the tearoom is free.

For more information about the new tearoom, visit their Facebook page.

To find out more about Holdenby House’s Magic of Easter event, visit https://www.holdenby.com/events/events-diary/the-magic-of-easter