Small business highlight: Tealicious Tea Room

By Samara Patel

I scan my surroundings on a cold morning before finally discovering Tealicious, a cozy tea shop squished between Zapatista and Waffley. The teal-blue exterior structures around a large window, holding a charming array of stuffed animals, fairy lights, and a picture-frame-like view to the inside of the cafe. A woman with an apron walks out from behind the counter with a tea tray brimming with cakes and china pots, chatting to customers as she places the order on their table. The place is a host of lively chatter and a homey atmosphere, a fridge full of spongy cakes on the wooden counter-top with an array of at least ten types of loose-leaf tea behind it. I pass by a student studying in the corner holding a glass mug frothy with milk, steam curling around their laptop as I make my way to the front to interview the owner.

How long have you been running Tealicious for?

2 years in March.

How’d you get into this business?

I just needed a change, and this was on the first page of Rightmove. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, this is just something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid. I would always play afternoon teas with my stuffed animals. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, but I like food. I like nourishing from inside, and putting a smile on someone’s face by being able to do that is amazing. It’s so much nicer to actually be able to do something for someone.

“I like nourishing from inside, and putting a smile on someone’s face by being able to do that is amazing”

Is that the best part of the job?

Yeah. You can be here for them. You’ll get customers coming in by themselves. They feel safe. They feel warm. I can talk to them. And sometimes I’m the only one that they talk to all day. It’s nice to be there for people and it’s nice that when I do something, it’s received.

I don’t see much of it as “work”. It’s time consuming, sure. I’m the baker and front of house. But it’s nice to be part of something, whether that’s a wedding or baby shower. It’s about sharing the experience and being part of a community. 

You seem to make an effort towards food accessibility, and always have something gluten free/vegan here, how come?

I try to do something for everyone. No one in my family has one diet and so getting something for everyone is a challenge depending on where you chose to dine so in my place I wanted to offer that.  

What inspires your recipes?

Sometimes, my daughter inspires me, a movie I have watched or just the season we are in but I never have a plan. Over Christmas, I made a chocolate cake with candy cane; that came from Elf. I can get influenced by what I’ve seen on social media sometimes. It’s always life that does it though. Everything is my own recipe, and I’ve taken time to develop. Sometimes I’ll ask people, what do you fancy? And sometimes they tell me.

What do you like/dislike about having your own small business?

I can be creative, which I find incredibly therapeutic. It’s freeing. Even though it takes up a lot of my time, it’s so freeing. If I don’t like something, I can tweak it. You do get used to that, the freedom because it’s all your own. The worst part would be the time away from your family. I work 6 days. I get one day off with my daughter and husband. It would be nice to get a couple of days off, but when I’m away on holiday I close completely. 

“It’s freeing. Even though it takes up a lot of my time, it’s so freeing”

What’s your favorite food here?

It changes. The customers will be all on for one particular thing one month, it can be a trend. One week, I’ll go through blocks of cheese and you’re like, what, do people talk to each other before they come in?

What’s the current trend?

The most popular, lemon drizzle, ginger, and Victoria sponge. We go through quite a bit of red velvet in a day. And because I make it, I can change it if I like. Like with the carrot cake, people don’t like the nuts in it, so I take them out.

What time do you wake up every day to make all these cakes? 

Probably about half past 5. I’ll give myself a lie in, it used to be 5 o’clock. I make at least four cakes every morning, then scones and soup.

What’s your favorite tea here?

Durham Miner’s.

Customer’s favorite?

Durham Miner’s.

Is there anything you want to tell all your adoring fans?

No. What am I supposed to say to that?

Just something that you wanna tell everyone that might come in, potential customers maybe?

I hope you feel comfortable, and I hope you enjoy the food!

Image: Tealicious Tea Room