HALF-WAY down Shipley’s oldest street is a delightful tea-room where you leave the modern world at the door.
Freshly made food, from chocolate eclairs to stew and dumplings, is served on China tea sets, to a backdrop of 1920s jazz. On the walls are vintage posters and vinyl records and displayed in cabinets are ration books and old trinkets, each with their own story.
Interlude - T&A Trader of the Week - has been voted one of Yorkshire’s best tea-rooms. But it’s more than that - it’s a community hub with a big heart. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9-11am, there’s a free hot drink on offer. “It’s part of the Warm Space project, running until March,” says Sarah Wilson-Fleming, who runs Interlude. “People bring knitting, a book or newspaper, or just sit for a while. If they’re heading out to get a bus, we send them off to the bus stop with a hot drink. We are really supported by the local community and this is our way of giving back.”
Sarah opened Interlude 16 years ago and has a loyal clientele. “Covid has left some of our older customers anxious about going out, so we have a ‘Super Safe Table’, well spaced from other tables, and people can dine before we open if they wish to be on their own. If they call me in advance, I’ll arrange it,” she says.
During the pandemic Sarah decorated and deep cleaned the premises, and did deliveries. “Taking afternoon tea to someone, with a card from their loved ones, for a wedding anniversary or a birthday was very moving,” she says.
As with many small businesses, the rise in fuel bills has had an impact. “We need an extra £75 a week to pay bills,” says Sarah. “I thought ‘Im not putting prices up’ so we run a tombola, with tickets for £5. People are very supportive, some pass on their tickets, so a child can have the prize instead.
“It’s a difficult time but I’m feeling positive. We do company buffets, weekly and monthly, bespoke on request. And our customers pre-order main meals, which cuts food waste and helps keep costs down.”
The tea-room is in a charming 17th century building on Westgate. It was the first restaurant in the Aagrah chain - “I used to go there in my 20s,” says Sarah - and when she turned her dream of opening a vintage tea-room into a business plan, she discovered the premise\s were available. “The Aagrah were very supportive and continue to be excellent landlords,” she says.
Her aim was to create “a 1920s time capsule”. Adds Sarah: “I wanted to celebrate our sisters who gave us the Vote and opportunities we have now. I admire the women back then. It was a time of great change for women - they worked during the First World War and afterwards they outnumbered men and needed to continue working. They gained independence.”
Sarah discovered that in the early 1900s a woman also called Sarah ran a bakery in the building, and lived upstairs. “Sometimes, when I’m cleaning in the evening, I think of her watching over me saying: ‘You’re going a good job, Sarah,” she smiles. “There’s a tree trunk in the loft holding the building together. You can smell the tree up there. I love the quirky feel of the place. There isn’t a straight line in here. People say it feels homely when they walk in.”
Some items on display came from customers. “A man who compiles local walks gave us some of his guides, and we have a lovely old family wedding photo that a customer brought in. Pre-Covid, we had photos on the tables and one day a lady pointed at one and said, ‘That’s me with my favourite teacher’.”
The nostalgia of Interlude sparks memories for older customers: “People with dementia recognise food and music from their past. Often it will start a conversation. It’s a place where people can relax. We serve tea in china cups, with sugar bowls and sugar tongs, there’s a little bell on each table to ring for service, and we place small amounts of food on cake-stands so it’s not too overwhelming. We use fine China and teapots, ration books and history books to set the scene, to escape back in time. Customers bring in CDs to play. People sometimes come in stressed and go out floating.
“The dining area can be hired on Sundays for things like tea parties and baby showers, and people like to dress up.”
The food is freshly made. “We make everything ourselves. There’s no microwave, just good cooking,” says Sarah. “We make our own bread and cakes. Our three-course afternoon tea is very popular, as is our beef stew and dumplings and steak pasties and vegan flapjack, chilli and humous. We cater for gluten free guests with a delicious orange and lemon ground almond cake.”
Upstairs is a vintage boutique selling pre-loved coats, dresses, handbags and jewellery. “Lynne Connolly, a personal shopper, came in three weeks after we opened and asked to put clothes here. She’s been here ever since. Customers bring clothes in too - one lady, who got married during the war, brought her ‘going away outfit’ and a young lady bought it for an interview. She was thrilled.”
Sarah and her team - Rebecca Moulden and Josh Turner - cater for events, including a vintage fair at Saltaire’s Victoria Hall on January 28. “Things are going well,” says Sarah. “I’m staying firmly in the 1920s - but feeling very optimistic for the future.”
l Interlude Tea Room and Emporium, Westgate, Shipley. Open Tuesday and Thursday 9am-4pm and Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 11am-4pm. Booking is advisable. Call (01274) 809636 or visit interludecafes.com
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