Secret snoop: a sneaky slice from The Cream Tea Café

Tucked away in Church Lane right at the heart of Barnstaple, north Devon, Lucy Duncan and co-owner and partner Richy Dingwall are making waves with their new tea shop The Cream Tea Café.

What used to be a dolls house shop has now been totally transformed by the pair into a cozy café, with an open kitchen that offers an assortment of freshly made cakes and scones as well as an array of savoury delights.

Lucy explains that the conversion from shop to café was no easy feat, with the entire first month dedicated to the removal of the old carpet: ‘Every square inch of it was glued to the wooden boards beneath.  We had to use tools to rip and pull it up, chemicals and an iron to try to remove the glue and even a couple of sanders.’

With the floor under control the next port of call was to install a fully equipped kitchen and dining area.

When it came to café design Lucy explains: ‘I didn’t want to over think it, but instead let it evolve naturally. The intention was that the café should feel more like being in someone’s slightly chintzy home than in a typical café.’

Her favourite items in the café are her crockery teapot set and her lamp shades from a recycling centre which each costing just 50p. The shades hang daintily at different heights and Lucy carefully positions the pot of tea in pride of place whenever it is ordered.

For more images of the new café check out the ‘before and after’ folder full of all the  shots of its radical transformation. And if you have a project in the pipeline, have a look at our Easter weekend DIY folder on how to make DIY easy this bank holiday.

All images are accredited to The Cream Tea Café