English-style tea rooms to open on Plymouth’s historic harbourside

2nd July 2018

A new café is set to bring specialty teas and a range of delicious cakes and bakes served on hand-picked bone china crockery to the waterfront in Sutton Harbour.

Daisy’s Tea Room and Coffee Shop is due to open this July from a unit in the Pinnacle Quay building, on the corner of Harbour Avenue in Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City. The new cafe will offer a range of hot drinks including specialty teas and ethically sourced coffee, as well as soft drinks and even a selection of beers and wine.

In addition, the tea rooms will be serving up fresh, homemade and locally sourced food including cakes, cream teas, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and ploughman’s lunch, with some gluten free options available.

The café will be run by Plymouth locals Carl and Jackie White who, after spending years dreaming of working for themselves, finally decided to open their own eaterie when their youngest child, who has special needs, became more independent after turning 16.

In preparation for running their new business, Carl and Jackie underwent training to improve their IT, customer service and hospitality skills and have spoken to a number of industry professionals for guidance.

The couple were inspired to start this journey by Jackie’s brother, who took over a similar business in Yelverton. Now armed with a wealth of industry knowledge, the family is looking forward to opening the new cafe - which has been named after the family’s Yorkshire terrier, Daisy, who customers may get to see during her visits to the café.    

Jackie White, owner of Daisy’s Tea Room and Coffee Shop, said: “Over this last year we have met so many different people who have all been encouraging, giving us the confidence and support that we needed to push this dream forward. We really appreciated this help, especially the support we had from the manager of the Copthorne Hotel Plymouth, Trevor Vels, who gave up his time to speak to us during the hotel’s refit. We feel very blessed and would love to thank them all.

“Being a small husband and wife team, we need to find a balance between what people want and what we can offer. We are constantly in search of different recipes that can cater for particular food needs, and will endeavour to find something for everyone.

“What makes Daisy’s unique will be our dedication to customer service and our total commitment to making everyone feel at home. We consider each and every customer our personal guests and really want them to feel at ease and relaxed.”

Jason Schofield, Chief Executive of Sutton Harbour Holdings plc, said: “It’s always an exciting occasion when a new business moves into Sutton Harbour, and Daisy’s Tea Room and Coffee Shop will be a real asset to the area, helping to build on the waterfront’s well-established reputation as a food and drink destination in Plymouth.

“As an English-style tea rooms we’re sure Daisy’s will be a popular venue in the historic waterfront quarter. We are also pleased to hear that they are planning to stock and support the One Plymouth Cup, helping the waterfront maintain its Plastic Free Communities accreditation, and supporting our efforts to reduce the amount of litter in the harbour which we work so hard to tackle.”

Daisy’s Tea Room and Coffee is expected to launch in July and will be open seven days a week from 10am - 4pm. The décor will feature elegant tables with soft linen tablecloths and handpicked bone china, as well as a seating area with armchairs and a sofa for a more relaxed atmosphere.

In keeping with the Plastic Free Communities accreditation issued to Plymouth’s Waterfront District by Surfers Against Sewage, Daisy’s will be purchasing and promoting a selection of the One Plymouth reusable takeaway cups, as well as offering a 25p discount on takeaway tea and coffee for customers who bring in their own reusable cup.