A burst of orange joy at Beaminster’s Tangerine Cafe
One can hardly believe that it’s almost a year since our town adopted a brighter, orangey hue that brightens up North Street. The Tangerine Café opened its doors in 2019 for the first time, and since doing that, has already developed a wonderful reputation for delicious homemade meals, perfect hideaway coffees and cakes, beautiful art and a garden refuge that, in the summertime, makes for the perfect way to while away your afternoon and filling up on Dorset goodness.
But more recently, the Tangerine team were recognised for something even more special – and we speak to Sue about winning a fantastic recognition for great customer service!
“The award is run by the Bridport Food Group, the same people who run the Bridport Food Festival every year,” Sue tells me. The award she speaks of is a widely recognised food service industry award in the area which looks to recognise great Front of House service provided by local restaurants, cafes, pubs, market stalls and more. “They popped round with a number of cards, which we could give to our customers to fill in. The customers then have a chance to vote for us if they feel we deserve to be nominated – and the rest is history,” Sue says! And the recipient of the award was Kellie Court – the smiling, cheerful face you always see when you pop into the Café for a coffee or a snack.
“As a new business in town, recognition like this is so important. It shows people that we pride ourselves on providing a welcoming service. Kellie has been with us since April when we opened and things have been going really well,” Sue tells us. I ask Sue about the story that led her and her husband Chris to opening the café.
Learning to Just Say Yes
“When we bought the property from Lynette, we took the decision to close down the business and take our time developing a business that was typically us, with our unique stamp on it,” she says. And it’s important to have done that. Chris and Sue were looking for something new. At the time, they were living on the outskirts of Bristol where they’d raised their family for a number of years. They’d thought about moving a few times over the years, but hadn’t really found the right place. In 2017, Chris and Sue’s lives changed dramatically after losing their 27-year old son, Mark, to cancer. After being invited to a cancer support group in Bridport to do a reading of Mark’s memoir PS I have cancer, they were driving through Beaminster and decided to have a look around. They spotted the business for sale, and decided to enquire. “We went home, and couldn’t stop thinking about it. About a month later, Chris suggested that we go back and have another look – and just fell in love!” Sue has always enjoyed cooking and entertaining, and they’d always wanted to do something like this – and having run their own businesses in the past, they simply thought, “Why not?”. And thus was born the Tangerine Café.
As with most new businesses, opening your doors for the first time is usually done with trepidation and a concern for the unknown, but Sue tells me that since they opened in April 2019, they have received such wonderful support from locals and visitors alike. “We took a leaf out of our son’s book. During his illness, Mark’s philosophy was to try new things and to just say yes. And that’s what inspired us to give this a go,” she adds. Sue tells us that they also have a number of fantastic groups that meet at the café regularly for their meetings and get togethers. From the local WI group to a popular knitting group and a group of walkers who pop in after their walks – the Café is becoming the gathering spot of choice, by many – if not only to sample Sue’s home-baked treats.
“I also believe in using local businesses too in return,” she tells me. From Anthony’s fruit & veg shop to Nick’s butcher, Chris and Sue have embraced the local Beaminster community – and is seeing the same support in return.
Home-cooked meals
From delicious homemade soups and sandwiches to delicious summer salads, you can also enjoy a Sunday brunch or a pic ‘n mix afternoon tea if you’re looking for someone to escape to on a quiet Sunday afternoon. And all of their food is home-cooked. “We cook all our meals from scratch. We don’t order any pre-made frozen meals – so when you eat with us, you know you’re eating fresh, home-cooked meals filled with local ingredients and made with lots of love,” Sue smiles. Chris and Sue also love to surprise people with seasonal, daily specials. There’s always something new up on the board, and we experiment with menus and meals. Of course, there are standard meals made to order, but we like to use what is in season, and treating our customers with new tastes whenever they visit.
Artistic Inspiration
But lining the walls of the cafe is a collection of some fantastic art from the area. From a range of photography by Chris himself to paintings by local artist Brian Cox and more, the piece that truly catches my eye is the statue of a woman sitting on the shelf, created entirely from penny coins. I ask Sue about it. “The sculpture is by an artist called Edd Stone, a Wiltshire-based artist who describes himself as a ‘half spreadsheet-enthusiastic accountant, half adventure-hunting artsy nerd'”, she tells me. The sculpture, which he has named ‘Tangerine Sculpture’ is part of a collection of penny-statues that he creates, which includes a rather friendly-looking Pennysaurus T-Rex type creation, formed completely out of copper pennies.
Poetry Evenings and 2020
We talk about 2020, and it would appear that Chris and Sue have lots of exciting things planned for the new year. They’re building an orangery which will be home to special events and themed get-togethers in the garden. “We’re always happy to invite groups of people to use the cafe as a base for their gatherings,” Sue tells me. And if you follow the Tangerine Cafe, you’ll no doubt be aware of the Poetry evenings that Sue hosts on regular occasions. “It’s an evening for people who enjoy poetry to get together and share what they love, and even learn to write their own. Usually, I kick the evening off with the reading of a couple of poems which people may not be familiar with. We then discuss the poems, and do a few exercises together that help to find our own personal interpretations of the readings, and then practise creating our own. The idea is to help people develop their own poetry voice and is perfect for people who are already poets, and those who have never tried it,” she says. Sue’s poetry stems from her own love of creating. A publishers herself, Sue’s other passion in life is Poetry Space, a Dorset-based social enterprise, with all profits being used to widen participation in poetry and to empower people through creativity. The poetry evenings take place every Wednesday – but it’s best to get in touch if you’re interested in being part of these evenings.
Popping into the cafe is not just about having a coffee. The Book Shop corner offers some fantastic unique reads to pick up, including her son Mark’s own memoir. So, the next time you’re looking for a friendly-setting, in an award-winning cafe with home-cooked meals that invite you to spend the afternoon in Beaminster, make sure the Tangerine Cafe is firmly on your list.
For more information about the Cafe, and to view their sample menus, visit https://tangerinecafe.co.uk/
