Owners of the Fine Food Group in St Mary's Street, Stamford sell business

The owners of a popular Stamford cafe have sold their business.

Hayden Freeman and Bethany Jackson took over the Fine Foods Group in St Mary’s Street at the end of 2021.

At the time the store was a good fit for the couple as it is located in ‘a really nice area of Stamford’ surrounded by independents and suited the lifestyle they wanted with a young baby, Noah.

Since taking the business over they renovated the building and introduced new evening events as well as continuing with the popular afternoon teas and lunches.

Their last day of trading will be Sunday, August 20.

Hayden, who previously ran The Royal Oak in Duddington, said ‘it wasn’t a case of wanting to leave’ but when someone asked about the opportunity to take over the business they decided it was time for a change.

The 29-year-old said: “We have been working non-stop since we have been together so it will be nice to get a couple of months off.

“It was flattering that someone was interested in what we were doing but it was a tough decision.”

He added: “We are undecided what we want to do next.

“Potentially we will find somewhere a bit bigger around Stamford.”

Despite Stamford having many cafes, demand was never a problem for the business owners.

However, Hayden noted that hospitality is still struggling after covid and it can be tough finding staff.

“The good thing about Stamford is it is still a busy place and all of the locals are loyal to independent businesses,” he said.

A reopening date for the Fine Foods Group under the new ownership has not yet been announced.