Member Feature

Croft Tea Room

Carole runs the Croft Tea Room and local food shop, a social enterprise, in the conservation area of St Mary Cray, near Orpington in Kent.

After two years of planning negotiations for the new eco building, the tea room opened last year, and has become a firm favourite with locals, including young mums, the gypsy traveller community, walkers, cyclists and retirees.

It sells food from 20 local producers and farms and hosts free tastings of local produce and other community events with local organisations.

Carole is firmly focused on community engagement, sustainability, civic pride, restoring a village feel to the area, and creating volunteering and job opportunities. But most importantly she wants to offer a welcoming environment with tasty, local, seasonal food (up to 90 per cent of the menu) for all the community to enjoy. As well as running the café and its events, Carole was instrumental in restarting the local country market, and is a passionate, determined, local food guardian angel.

Future plans include a delivery scheme and taking the tea room to housebound people.

www.crofttearoom.co.uk