Contents The Great British Cupcakery 3 Saltwell Park 11 Curious Leaves 27 Quilliams 31 Interview With A Quilliam Brother 35 Nancy’s Bordello 39 Tynemouth 43 Razzberry Bazaar 51
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The Great British Cupcakery
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The Great British Cupcakery is a delightfully vintage cafe/cake shop based around the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. To be precise, it is based on Queen Street, which is not the most obvious of places to people who do not know Newcastle well as it is based on a street around the outskirts of the centre of town. The Cupcakery was formed and inspired by a mother and her daughters, which is one of the most comforting aspects about this shop. They created this shop in the pursuit of expressing their passion for gourmet baking. They have drawn their inspiration from their grandmother’s pronounced British baking.
The whole aurora of the Cupcakery is extremely calming and comforting. No music is played in the Cupcakery, however, warm chatter fills the room. The venue of the Cupcakery inside is light and spacious. It has a unique homely feel from the decor which is heavily supported by the fair pastel colours.
The Cupcakery staff are few but friendly and offer great service. They also cater for events such as hen parties and weddings. The Cupcakery is admired by many for the beautifully designed, unique wedding cakes and wedding accessories they have to offer. This is a perfect place to visit if you’re looking for something slightly different to do. The Cupcakery also holds an outdoor seating area, perfect for a natter with your friends on a sunny day.
The Great British Cupcakery is full of delicious, freshly made treats. Everything from traditional Victoria sponge cake to quaint selections of carrot cake and brownies. They are nearly as great to look at as they are to eat. Beautifully presented and exceptionally delicious. To go alongside these tasty delights, the Cupcakery offers a traditional range of beverages. Food a drink are served on a desirable range of Fine China. The Cupcakery is well known for providing wellpresented afternoon tea.
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Saltwell Park
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This secretive park is perfect for everyone. Whether it’s for a family day out, a couple’s picnic or just an afternoon stroll with the dogs, it has facilities to cater for you. One of the best features about this park is its breath-taking scenery. The park is spread over a large amount of land so has plenty of exploring and discoveries to offer. There are clear route’s sign posted to visitors which can take you to various amounts of destinations. There are also many different entrances along the wall surrounding the park.
By far the most eye-catching feature in the park is the wide boating lake, which is full of wildlife and surrounded by excessive woodland gardens and a large picnic area. There are many structures in the park which are worth taking the time to look at which include numerous amounts of historical and ornamental attractions. Some of the more thrill seeking aspects of the park include; a maze, a tea room, Saltwell Towers, a fun farm, large bird cages, bowling greens and an educational centre.
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Saltwell Park is an astonishingly beautiful park based around the thriving heart oh Gateshead. Although this park has been recognised by many societies awarding them the title of Best British Park and the Green Flag award, it is surprising how many people unfamiliar with the area do not know it exists when visiting Newcastle. This beautiful park should be advertised to the public further so everyone can come and enjoy the great atmosphere Saltwell Park has to offer. Saltwell Park is open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year, including all public holidays. However, Saltwell towers and the tea room based in the park are open from selected times only. These times can be found on the Gateshead council website. The opening periods change annually. One of the best features the goes tremendously in favour of this fun, family day out is that it is free.
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Mrs Pumphrey’s Curious Leaves Tea Shoppe and Tea Bar
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Located in one of the aisles of the Grainger Market is the newly opened Mrs Pumphrey’s Curious Leaves Tea Shoppe and Tea Bar, a part off of the Pumphrey’s Coffee family. Curious Leaves is small and quaint, with a mainly wooden interior, surrounded by wooden benches for customers to sit on while relaxing with their tea. Behind the counters are wooden shelves filled with jars of unusual speciality loose leaf tea and a variety of teas and accessories.
If their teas aren’t what the customer fancy’s, curious leaves is able to create a custom tea blend specifically for that customer straight away in their tea bar. They also offer a variety of snacks including sandwiches, cakes and scones. Everything needed to have a relaxed tea break. They have a vast variety of teas which are served in many different ways. The most visually intriguing would be the flowering tea. It’s served with a clear teapot filled
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with hot water and a small wrapped ball. By dropping a wrapped ball into a clear teapot the tea begins to brew, then in a matter of minutes the ball has transformed into a flower, leaving the tea with a delicate flavour at the same time. The staff are friendly and will gladly have a chat. They know a lot about the tea too so the customer can find exactly what they’re looking for in the large amount of teas they have on offer.
Overall Curious Leaves is a wonderful place for any tea lover or just for someone who wants to try something a little bit different to their usual cup of tea. Definitely worth visiting in Newcastle.
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Quilliams
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With over 60 types of tea available, exploration of flavours is an almost eternal cycle. Flavoured teas range from, Mango Royale, Battenburg and Bannana twist. Herbal tea, black teas and Oolong teas are also brewed.
Quilliams also serves baked goods throughout the day and a breakfast special. Pastries, Caramel brownies and Carrot cake are established favourites. Breakfast meals range from Pancakes with bannana or honey and poached duck eggs.
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Spacious, quirky and vintage ,Quilliams interior is very unique. Rustic wooden bannisters on an old staircase , lead customers downstairs. Stacks of cream coloured boxes of tea, showcase the different blends on offer. Wooden tables and chairs are surrounded by large inviting windows, making it light an airy. Black teapots, white saucers and teacups are used for a classic look. Movies are shown every Tuesday and Thursday .Customers can request their favourites to be played. An ever-changing art gallery is also situated downstairs , enabling customers, staff and established artists to exhibit their work. Writing groups and other artistic activities take place periodically. The personal touches are what makes Quilliam’s teahouse standout. Original and personalised art work decoarates the interior. Teacups and saucers with the trademark name establish the brand.
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An Interview with Patrick Quilliam one third of the Quilliam Brothers.
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Tell me about yourself: Name, age, job and what you do? ‘My name is Patrick Quilliam, 28, one third of the Quilliam Brothers. We run the business and work on the shop floor together’. What’s the best thing about working at Quilliam Brothers?‘The best thing is all the tea. And being my own boss. But mainly the tea.’ How would you describe your day of work? ‘Generally I try to get in around 8:30-9am to do admin stuff before we open at 10. Then I’ll be on the floor, usually behind the counter, helping staff make tea and coffee, taking orders, take orders to tables, welcome customers, sit them down, take payments etc. If its quiet and we have enough staff on I tend to go back to the office to do more admin, stock check etc.’ What types of customers do you get here? ‘We get a cracking variety of customers. Students (as you would expect), city council folk, shoppers, theatre goers, young folk after school and families.” What’s your favourite tea? or what would you recommend? ‘My favourite tea ever is a First Flush Darjeeling from the Makaibari estate. Unfortunately we don’t have that at the teahouse at the moment, so I tend to go for the First Flush Nepal from the Fikkal estate when I fancy something similar. I love drinking our premium green tea, and our Assam as well.” Why should people visit here when they’re in Newcastle? “Not to say that EVERYONE should visit us, but if they choose to do so they will be welcomed and hopefully made to feel comfortable. And we hope they will find something to enjoy here, whether that is one of our many teas, a coffee, a cake or lunch.”
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Nancy’s Bordello
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Vintage, Urban with unique touches ,Nancy Bordello’s interior does not dissapoint. The contrast of distinct paisley and and flowing bright patterns is eye catching. An urban ambience is illustrated by brick walls. Candles are placed in the gaps for a unique touch. Lamps with fringing and fairy lights are teamed with mosaic surfaces. A range of popular Cocktails includes, Pina Colada, Gorgeous Geisha, Rasperry Sparkle and Zombie Nation. Tasty fruit smoothies, frozen cocktails and pitchers are also served. A variety of succulent food is available ,such as pizzas, burgers, ribs and wraps.
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The atmosphere of Nancy’s is influenced strongly by live music sessions from a range of artists. Performances are showcased every Friday and Sunday. For those of a competative nature,Quiz nights are also on offer on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Tynemouth
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Razzberry Bazaar
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Not too far from Tynemouth’s metro station and just a minutes walk away from the beach is Razzberry Bazaar. It’s based in an impressive Georgian townhouse, the building is covered in pink flags, garden filled with beautiful flowers with pink and purple outdoor furniture to aid any tired shoppers or just to allow people to enjoy the garden and atmosphere. The shop is made up of many rooms and each room is filled of rich, colourful and unusual items from around the world. The items are scattered everywhere and are colour coordinated, it has an unorganised, messy charm to it, as if a hidden treasure is just hidden waiting to be found. Hours could be spent in there admiring all the different pieces Razzberry Bazaar have on offer.
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The prices vary too so there’s something everyone can afford, ranging from under one pound up to a couple of hundred pounds. There are many items suitable for both children and adults to enjoy so it’s fun for all of the family to explore together.
present and easily noticeable in the shop interacting with and greeting customers, making Razzberry Bazaar very welcoming.
In the room at the back of the hop on the left is filled with rails of colourful clothing. All the clothing in the shop is designed and made by the shop’s own label, Razzberry Design, created by the shop owner Linda Rana. The clothing is colourful, bold and eastern inspired. All their clothing is had made in their very own design studio in North East England.
Razzberry Bazaar is worth visiting as it’s visually amazing with a lovely in store atmosphere, with something new around every corner. It’s quite easy to get to from Newcastle and a visit should definitely be on everyone’s to do lists, there aren’t many places like it.
The staff are friendly, helpful and are happy to shed some light on the items in the shop, their stories and each item came from. They’re always
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