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Traditional treats

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Liz and Marie

Two Alvechurch sisters are celebrating 10 years at the helm of popular Bromsgrove tea room The Regency.

Liz Turton and Marie Smith describe their service as “traditional with a personal touch”, and this ethos has served them well during their decade in charge of the venue where customers can enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea in homely surroundings.

Having grown up in Alvechurch, where they attended the primary and middle schools, the sisters’ childhood dream was to work side by side. However, they went on to follow separate career paths, Marie working in a bank and Liz teaching in Redditch before eventually moving abroad.

But then Marie spotted an opportunity to take on The Regency, and made her sister an offer she couldn’t refuse.         

“She asked me to come back home and run the tea room with her, and of course I agreed,” says Liz.

Marie has a degree in leisure and hospitality management and both sisters had worked in restaurants and catering establishments before, so they weren’t complete strangers to the industry.

And they are both inspired by their nan. “She was an amazing cook,” says Liz. “We use her recipe book, still, especially the scone recipe!”

Their hands-on approach has proved popular with customers, who appreciate the personal touch. The majority of food is locally sourced and home-made on the premises by the sisters, who serve up traditional favourites from 9am to 3.30pm daily except Sunday.

The premises has two cosy tea rooms, one on the ground floor and another upstairs seating up to 30 people (see picture below), and there’s a wide selection of tasty treats on offer from snacks to main meals.

Early birds can enjoy a full English breakfast or a more Continental-style pastry, while at lunchtime there’s a range of sandwiches and light bites as well as traditional hot options such as steak pie, quiche and lasagne – all homemade, of course. And the homemade chips are a particular favourite with regular customers.

Cakes are very much the house speciality, making The Regency a popular destination for traditional afternoon tea. Its location in the High Street is ideal for shoppers as well as those who work in the town, with local office staff ringing in their lunchtime sandwich orders or popping across for the afternoon cake run.

In addition to running The Regency, Liz and Marie also offer an outside catering service, providing buffet-style food for all occasions.

The Regency, 40 High Street, Bromsgrove B61 8HQ
Tel: 01527 833 767

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