Spalding Ayscoughfee Hall Café owner proud to have won gold in Good Food Awards

The owner of a popular café is proud to have won an award for the fourth consecutive year.

Ellie Clay (28) opened Ayscoughfee Hall Café in Spalding four and a half years ago and has been awarded gold in the Good Food Awards again.

The business woman puts it down to a dedicated team, supportive family, loyal customers and not budging when it comes to high standards and quality of the food.

Ms Clay, who owns Harringtons Catering Ltd, said: “The award is something I have always wanted to achieve and we have won for every year I have been at the café.

“I think we’ve got the right venue as Ayscoughfee Hall is beautiful – like any areas in Spalding that have kept their natural charm – it works in our favour.”

When she first opened, many opinions stated that the café would not succeed and this motivated Ms Clay to prove those naysayers wrong – last year winning small business of the year at the South Holland Business Awards.

She said: “Everybody who said to me it’s not going to work – I needed that to push myself to prove them wrong – blood sweat and tears have gone into the business.

“Loads of people said Spalding is not ready when we first started and that they don’t feel we will succeed – to start off it did feel a bit like that.

“But the day we hit ten covers we were so excited – it didn’t take long in all fairness – it just went up from there.”

The first summer in June 2019 was ‘so busy’ and the location at Ayscoughfee Hall and Gardens ‘massively helps.’

Ms Clay, who is originally from Whaplode, said: “We started as we meant to go on using fresh ingredients, sourcing local suppliers and feeding back into the town.”

The Good Food Awards ‘celebrate and acknowledge culinary excellence across the UK’ aiming to ‘promote and bolster local, independent businesses that create delectable food.’

Ms Clay, the daughter of a farmer, has harboured the ambition to gain the award having seen it awarded at restaurants she has visited in Norfolk.

She said: “I remember saying I want that award – they scour through reviews to make sure it’s good and probably sent in secret shoppers.”

The business has a team of three chefs plus extra weekend staff – and with the support from her mum and her dad Sarah and Michael Clay – the café has succeeded.

Ms Clay added: “We have never compromised on using fresh locally sourced good quality ingredients – it would be so easy to cut corners and even when it has got tough we never have.

“For example it would be easy to buy frozen chips – but even down to our fruit and vegetable delivery – if anything looks dodgy we send it straight back.

“We definitely have a high standard, amazing staff and loyal customers – they still turn up, no matter what is going on in the world.”