A CHEF, who has worked in five-star hotels, has taken over a Romsey tea room.

Aaron Skeels and his partner Jenni Hickman took on TeaCups in Latimer Street saying the opportunity came up when the previous owners of eight years decided to sell.

Aaron, 35, said: “We jumped at the chance when we saw the opportunity, it's something we have always wanted to do. It had been something we had planned to do in retirement, but we're a few years off that!

“So far, it has been very successful, we've had lots of positive comments.”

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TeaCups serves a wide range of food and drinks, from breakfast, sandwiches and afternoon tea. 

Hampshire Chronicle: Jenni Hickman and Aaron Skeels

Aaron trained as a chef and has worked in five-star hotels in Brockenhurst, Southampton and Basingstoke. His partner Jenni, 31, previously worked as a personal trainer. The couple live in Totton.

Aaron added that they are looking to keep the menu mostly the same, but are planning to put their own spin on it.

The current opening times are 9.30am-4pm, Tuesday to Saturday, but Aaron said they will be moving to 9am-3pm as the mornings have been busy. 

He also said they will be looking into opening on more days of the week. The couple has retained two casual workers and hired two new staff.

Aaron added: “We are looking forward to welcoming new and returning customers.”

At the end of their first week, they posted on their Facebook page: “It has been a busy first week as the new owners of Teacups!  Thank you to all our staff that have worked hard to help this week run smoothly, and thank you to our amazing customers who have paid us a visit!”

For more details, visit teacupsromsey.com/afternoon-tea.