A Wellington family business is making a comeback with the opening of a dessert parlour in the High Street. Chef and college lecturer Lesley Retallack is opening A House of Cake in the former premises of the Plantside vegan cafe next to the Conservative Club.
The opening sees a return to Wellington of the House of Cake name, which Lesley previously ran as a celebration cake business from her home in Tonedale, before moving to Cornwall to support her son’s education.
Now she is moving back to the town, where members of her family live, and they are supporting her plans to open the business in the former cafe and butcher’s shop.
The first phase will see the opening of a dessert parlour with seating and a takeaway section, which is planned to be open by Mother’s Day on March 19. It will offer desserts and sweets, such as chocolate brownies, and drinks including coffees, milkshakes and mocktails.
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The next phase will involve opening the large garden behind the premises, which can seat around 100 people, and will also be a venue for parties and events as the weather warms up.
After that, Lesley plans to open a teaching kitchen in the premises. It will offer a range of bake-off style classes for children and adults, covering skills such as chocolate modelling. Meanwhile the business will be offering a service of bespoke personalised celebration cakes, including wedding cakes, from the catering kitchen in the High Street.
The establishment of the High Street shop represents the fulfilment of a dream for Lesley, following in the footsteps of her great grandparents who ran a chocolatier in Clifton, Bristol, in the 1800s. The business known as James Lowe was a leading manufacturer of chocolate and ice cream, from premises in Berkeley House, now a Wetherspoon’s pub known as the Berkeley.
Lesley, who was a lecturer at Somerset College in Taunton before moving to Cornwall, continues to teach part-time. She went into education after a career in restaurants including in London, where she worked as a chef in Mayfair for Marco Pierre White.
She said: “Opening a dessert parlour has been a lifetime’s ambition for me, it has been inspired by my great grandparents and my ancestors are talking to me and saying, ‘It’s a good idea’. That has been my driving force, and the fact that I have been a chef since I left school. There is a growing demand for this type of venue.”
Members of Lesley’s family are working on the fit-out of the historic High Street premises, along with local contractors. The business will open with support from family but Ms Retallack aims to employ local people as it grows.