New Hawick tearoom brewing up blast from past

That blast from the past is being offered by Wendy’s Tearoom, now up and running in the old Cathy’s Cafe unit in Bourtree Place later home to the short-lived Borderville vegan eaterie.

Run by Wendy Sproston, its decor is deliberately retro, harking back to a 1940s-style tearoom, with net curtains, bone china cups, teapots on the table and traditional Scottish food served.

It’s been a labour of love for Wendy, a caterer at Hawick’s FirstLight Trust cafe for the past 18 months.

She said: “I just thought it was time for me to move on and try something different, so I saw this place was empty and I thought ‘vintage tea shop’ because there isn’t one in Hawick.

“Everything is now based on coffee, so a nice vintage tearoom with proper china cups, proper teapots and really old-fashioned food such as bread puddings will be something different for the town.

“I want to base everything on Scottish baking, just something different but filling, traditional food.

“Everything is baked here and I’m doing quiche and sandwiches and toasties, and some sort of dessert will be on offer every day.

“I opened last Thursday and it’s already had a lot of support.

“I have got the proper net curtains up at the window and black-and-white pictures of Scotland.

“Everything is old-style. It’s like going back in time because all the china is on the table, along with all the cups and saucers, sugar bowls with lids on and flowers and napkins on the table, and there’s a vintage cake-stand on the counter.

“It’s all very quaint, and I’ve done everything myself. I’m the only one who works here.”

Wendy, 62, was brought up in Hawick but lived south of the border in Cheshire for 20 years, working in the pub trade.

She added: “I came back to Hawick 13 years ago. I have always wanted to run a tearoom and now it’s happened.”