Tiny Tim’s is famous for its mouthwatering scones, enormous sponge cakes and exquisite selection of tea and coffee. Its front window on St Margaret’s St heaves with freshly baked goodies each day. We’ve missed sitting with a slice of cake and watching the world pass by.
Here we talk with owner Wojtek Skibin about what he’s most looking forward to upon reopening…
Tell us a little bit about Tiny Tim’s Tearoom, Canterbury
At Tiny Tim’s Tearoom, all our guests are treated to a relaxing and luxurious atmosphere that is hard to find anywhere else in the area. With more than 50 varieties of coffee and tea we have made sure that we have something to delight every customer.
The Tearoom employs around 20 staff who create, bake, cook, make, serve, and clean everything in the tearoom. We proudly use as many local ingredients and utilize local producers and suppliers as much as possible.
On particularly sunny days in spring and summer, we open our beautiful courtyard as an extra dining area where customers can enjoy the warm weather. We also open the windows so that guests indoors can also feel the warmth of the sun touch their souls. Our famous breakfast menu is available every day, all day. From omelettes made with local and free-range eggs to delicious poached eggs served on thick toasted granary bread made by a local baker, all our breakfast items will help kick start your day! Our menu includes our chef’s special quiche, hearty homemade soups, fishcakes, beef stew, salads and more! We also have a good selection of wines, beers, and cider to accompany your meal. For special occasions, you can even choose to have Kent’s award-winning sparkling wine.
We are also signed up to accept the Canterbury Gift Card – we are looking forward to being able to welcome these cards when we re-open.
Why did you choose Canterbury for your business?
I’m not being original when I say that Canterbury is a place where tradition meets modernity. It’s where residents, students and tourists alike create an amazing atmosphere and melting pot. Canterbury is buzzing, thrilling and a great place not just to do business but to live. On the high street you have amazing independent shops, eateries, and ‘big’ names, there is something for everyone. Put simply, this is the ‘jewel’ of Kent.
What are you looking forward to most after lockdown?
If you work for over 20 years in hospitality, where you meet hundreds of people a week, you chat, discuss, just talk a lot. And suddenly overnight it has been taken away from you, you don’t feel good about it. We lack contact with other people. We cannot wait to see our staff and customers. I would love to see the streets of Canterbury filled up with people again (only if it’s safe), because right now the streets look like they are from a ‘zombie’ movie.
How will you keep your customers safe on their return?
Of course, we will follow the official guidelines. When we were able to open during summertime, we lost more than 30% of seats to enable social distancing. Disinfectant fluids are practically everywhere, staff must wear masks, we have introduced a special cleaning regime in the kitchen. And if we must introduce new rules, of course we will do everything we can to welcome back our customers safely.
On a personal note, in the last days of summer, we got a beloved Labrador puppy called Diesel and soon he became a member of the family. What a great dog! Daily walks with him in the local woods and fields have helped us a lot and have boosted our morale in these difficult times.
What can customers do to support you right now?
As mentioned, we can’t wait for Tiny Tim’s to get buzzing with customers again. At the moment customers can support us by buying vouchers on our website, www.tinytimstearoom.co.uk. We sell multiples of £5, £10, and ‘Afternoon Tea for Two’ vouchers. Perfect for Mother’s Day gifts !
