A CATERING company whose name harks back to the 19th Century has won a contract with a museum, but had to move somewhere more modern to take it on.
Nicola Weldon and Carol Harrison set up Victorian Pantry earlier this year, offering homemade food and drinks. But when they won the contract to run the cafe at South Tyneside Museum and Art Gallery in South Shields, they faced restrictions on what they could cook onsite.
Weldon said: “When Carol and I set up in business we set out to provide lovely home baked goods as opposed to bought-in products.
“We were over the moon to win the contract with the museum as it is such a fantastic facility but quickly realised that because of their artefacts and displays we would be restricted on what we could cook on site.”
They solved their problem by hiring cooking space in the nearby Tedco Business Works building.
“We were able to move in immediately and could kit out the space exactly as we liked to meet our requirements,” she added.
“Unlike some of the other work spaces we looked at we haven’t had to sign a long-term lease, instead operating on a month by month basis, which is so important for start-up businesses like ours.”
The Business Works centre was set up in 2000 and provides a mix of office, light assembly and manufacturing units.
Lisa Frost-Younger, centre manager at Business Works, said: “We often see Nicola and Carol working late in their kitchen and it’s great to know that they feel safe and secure in doing so.”
