A landmark restaurant on a major road near Harrogate will reopen under new ownership this autumn.
The former Millstones restaurant on the A59 near Kettlesing has been bought by Mark and Teresa Trickett, who have already begun work on the site.
As well as renovating the accommodation to create a family home, they are transforming the restaurant into a large cafe, with new kitchen, toilets and more.
It will be known as the Outside Inn, but the site will continue to be known as Millstones in recognition of its history.
Mark said:
“It’s a behemoth of a coffee shop. Most days we’ve been working until two in the morning for the last six weeks.
“What we’re doing to it reflects our personality: it’s not on trend, it’s just us – an eclectic mix that we like.
“I’m hoping when we open the doors people will say they like it and they will come back for another cup of tea.”
The couple have run a motorhome business for the last few years. However, they were looking for a new site after struggling to get the right permissions to operate the business from their home, just half a mile from Millstones.
Mark approached the former owner of Millstones, which was on the market, and the sale completed in July. The couple got straight to work with their plans for the site.
Aiming to be as sustainable as possible, they are re-using as many of the fittings as possible, such as repurposing skirting boards to create a counter in the ladies’ toilets.
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Millstones was well-known over many years for catering for large groups, from local organisations to coach trips passing by on the A59.
More recently, it had begun offering fish and chips, and had added a farm shop. However, Mark and Teresa plan to simplify what the venue offers and ensure it is good value, with Teresa drawing on her previous experience in the catering industry.
The couple said they hope to open the doors in the next few weeks. They have a clear vision of what they want the business to offer, as Mark explained:
“We’ll have a bit of retail but not a farm shop with veg and a butcher. If you’re trying to integrate into a community, you don’t want to tread on toes, and there are three or four farm shops around here already.
“The one thing Millstones did excel at was the Sunday carvery. We’re trying to reignite that for this side of Harrogate.
“We’re very nervous, because of the way things are going with the economy, but we’re excited because we feel we’ve got something where people would genuinely want to come.
“It’s my wife’s baby. She wanted somewhere that people could come and have value. If people can come here and have tea and cake for £5, £6, £7, and it’s good, they can walk out of here thinking, ‘that wasn’t half bad’.”
