Smithills Hall tearoom is set to expand following its huge popularity since opening 16 months.
Bake & Roast, which runs the tearoom in the historic hall, is to provide an outdoor service, including an extensive takeaway menu.
Owners, Anna and Tim Worthington, who live in Smithills, will soon be adding an extended outside area at the hall.
The inside of the tearoom will also be redesigned and more items will be added to the menu – with treats for dogs also on offer.
Anna said: “The Bake & Roast shop has now been open coming up to five years and for the last 16 months we have also been running the tearoom at Smithills Hall.
“We opened our shop in November 2019, and it’s been a great showcase for the handmade treats and occasion cakes we make, as well as being a wonderful experience meeting our many loyal customers from the local community and beyond.
“Over the next couple of weeks, we are redesigning the counter and layout inside the tearoom, launching our expanded dessert menu, including build your own waffles, ice cream sundae’s, brownie sundaes and luxury milkshakes.
“Changes also include a larger takeaway menu, summer sharing boards, salads and drinks.
“We have also just launched our ‘pawsome’ doggie menu and doggie meal deals too.
“To make this possible we are also expanding the seating outside and creating an outside order point for both convenience and to allow people with dogs to easily order.”
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Anna said as well as the development at Smithills, the shop on Chorley Old Road will also be repurposed for different use.
She said: “In addition to all this, we are also repurposing the shop into a community focused space, where local clubs, florists and artists can hold catered or uncatered sessions and demonstrations, whilst also being a great space for weekend pop ups giving local bakers, crafters and other ‘at home’ makers who haven’t taken the plunge into running a full retail space an opportunity to promote and sell their products in a modern, established shop.
Since announcing their expansion, Anna said the response has been great.
She said: “The response we have had so far has been really good and really positive, when we announced the changes on Facebook it took off, it is one of our most liked posts on there now.
“People are just really excited and pleased for us because it is such a difficult time at the moment economically and everyone is feeling it so we are just trying to make sure that our customers are looked after but we have evolved because we need to.
“We are really excited about it, we have been planning this over the last few months to figure out our best course of action to progress the business moving forward and we believe this is the right way to do it.”
If anyone is interested in being part of the new community space email the team at bakeandroast@gmail.com for more information.
If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.
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