As part of Local History month, residents at Tallington Lodge Care Home near Stamford have been sharing some fascinating stories about their lifetime achievements and places where they grew up.
Learning about resident’s lives helps staff to get to know them better, thereby enabling more personalised care and support.
Tallington Lodge Care Home resident, ninety-nine-year-old Rachel Carrington, ran a successful tea room in Over Haddon near Bakewell, Derbyshire.
When she moved from Bakewell to the small hamlet on the edges of Lathkill Dale, in the late 1960’s Rachel realised there was an opportunity to cater for the many hungry and thirsty walkers who made their way up the hill from the Dale below.
In the summer of 1977, the ‘Lathkill Cottage Tea Rooms’ was born, and the Carrington family dining room was commandeered.
Six months after opening, Rachel and partner Audrey entered the ‘Make Teatime Special’ Lyons Tetley competition with cash prizes and a stay, with afternoon tea, at the Selfridge Hotel in London.
“I remember the judge came at 5 pm, right at the end of service,” Said Rachel “They had a full cream tea; they must have liked it because we won the regional competition”.
Within a few weeks, they learnt they had won the third prize in the national competition and the accolade “Highly recommended, idyllic rural situation; food all freshly made; good atmosphere”.
Inspired by Rachel’s story, staff at Tallington Lodge recreated the Lathkill Cottage Tea Rooms in the café at the care home.
Led by Rachel, residents spent the morning baking scones and discussing their favourite cake recipes.
In the afternoon, they enjoyed a full afternoon tea served on a vintage tea set complete with lemon drizzle cake and chocolate brownies that Rachel was famous for.
For more information about life at Tallington Lodge Care Home, contact Customer Relations Manager Oliver Parker on 07540 412 871 or email oliver.parker@countrycourtcare.com
This blog is a contribution towards my 100 positive care home stories for my Captain Tom 100 challenge.
Please click here if you would like to contribute your care home story too.