Dolly’s Tea Room set for exciting chapter as a couple with lifelong dream of running a café take the reins

Husband and wife duo, Tracy and Alasdair Hammond, have turned their lifelong dream of opening a tea room into a reality following a few ‘tough years.’

Dolly’s Tea Room, in Stoke Road, officially opened its doors under the new management on Friday, October 31 with an exciting ceremony.

Tracy said: “We had the mayor come down and cut the ribbon and it was amazing. We had about 50 friends and family come and have tea and coffee with us.

“It’s been a journey. I’ve had a tough few years and then I was off with redundancy from my job and then we decided ‘why don’t we open up a cafe?’ and Dolly’s came up and we wanted to put our heart and soul into it - It’s just about bringing people together. My heart is for people.”

The couple announced they would be taking over the tea room in September with plans to make it a thriving hub where everyone is welcome. As well as hosting events, Dolly’s will also be offering community initiatives including a ‘cup of kindness’ where customers can pay for someone else’s order as a good deed.

With years of experience in the catering industry, Alisdair, who moved from Scotland in 1988 has always aspired to open a place of his own.

He said: “It’s been a lifetime ambition to open somewhere like Dolly’s and I couldn’t think of a better person to do that with than my lovely wife.”

From freshly prepared breakfasts and light lunches to traditional cream teas and cakes, Dolly’s will be dishing up something for everyone to get stuck into.

For more information about Dolly’s Tea Room, click here.