Bayberry Hollow, Durham

With plans to launch an e-commerce gifting website in 2011, everything changed for Joanne Connolly and Marie Race in 2012 when they fell in love with a beautiful old pub dating back to the 1600s. Situated in the picturesque village of Tanfield in Durham, the creative duo moved quickly to take ownership of The Pack Horse, carefully refurbish it and turn it into a home, gift shop and café.

In the first few years, the business was a 50/50 split between the shop and the café, but in 2015 the café took off after Marie’s son Marcus joined the business.

With a background in luxury retail and food as well as a clear understanding of what quality customer service is all about, Marcus has been instrumental in building the team and driving the café’s incredible growth, which now sees food and beverage sales account for 70% of the turnover.

“So much has changed since I arrived, for the food business to have generated year on year growth for ten consecutive years is a huge achievement,” says Marcus. “We only had around ten tables in 2015 and provided a fairly basic menu, so there have been massive improvements and investment. We have extended the premises above and at the back, which means we can cater for 115 covers at any one time, but the developments to the menu and our customer service is what has really put us on the food map in the North East.”

“We listen to customers and build our menus around them. We attract a slightly older clientele and more women, who love traditional flavours, so we give them exactly what they want. Secondly, we offer consistent dishes when it comes to look, flavour and taste. This has been very important in building our loyal customer base and ensuring return visits. Finally, our customer service is attentive, friendly and the best around.”

“We’re proud to make the majority of our dishes from scratch in-house and source locally whenever possible. We change the menu twice a year but we’re always running seasonal specials and mixing things up. People travel from far and wide to enjoy our famous pies, soups, scones, cakes, quiches and sandwiches, but our three top sellers are probably our corned beef pie, which comes with roast potatoes, carrot mash, broccoli and gravy, our chicken mayo and crispy bacon sandwich, and finally our garlic parmesan chips. We use a wide selection of Country Range products and they always impress through their quality and value.”

While in some parts of the UK businesses are struggling to find staff, Bayberry Hollow have had no problem attracting a multi-skilled workforce. They
have a growing team of 27 team members, five of whom work in the kitchen. “I believe we’re a fun place to work but I also like to think that each member feels respected, listened to and included,” says Marcus. “They’re a vital component in our business and success so it’s very important that we continue to invest time and money in them.”

Find out more

Find out more about Bayberry Hollow by visiting www.bayberryhollow.co.uk.