{AUTHOR NAME}, the also known as the Queen of Tea comes from a long line of tea shop owners. Her father, grandfather and great-grandfather all worked in Barker’s Vintage Tea Shop in Harrogate, founded in 1875.

It all started at age 15 for Lou, when she started helping out in the café during weekends and the school holidays. She made a coffee and walnut cake for a local baking contest, and won first prize – grabbing a feature in the local paper to mark the occasion.

At that moment, she knew carrying on the family tradition was where she belonged.
After leaving school, she attend catering college, to learn more about baking and the hospitality industry.

In 1997, she left college, ready to help her father, Gerry, run the family tea shop in Harrogate.

Thanks to her commitment to offering customers a fabulous experience, takings went up, enabling Lou and her father to purchase a second shop, in the neighbouring town of Ripon, within 18 months. Lou moved to the new shop, and Gerry stayed at the helm in Harrogate.

Now she owns 15 tea shops – and has no plans to stop there. Her award-winning shops are going from strength to strength, selling good quality local produce to hoards of eager customers.

In 2012, she received an invite from the prestigious UK Tea Room Society to become a judge for their annual tea shop awards, something her Ripon shop won in 2009 and 2010. This was the first time the same shop had won the award twice.

Lou ‘s hard work has paid off and she is knows as the “Queen of Tea Shops”.

When she looks back at her achievements, she still rewards herself with a thick slice of her signature coffee and walnut cake!