Joaqhim Teles opens patisserie in Surlingham
The last three years have been utterly rewarding, but totally knackering for Artisan Pastry Chef Joaquim Teles and his teacher wife Ana.
They've been regulars on the Norfolk market and foodie event scene, setting up vast spreads of gateaux, brownies, pastries and Joachim's signature pasteis de nata (said to be some of the best around) on their sprawling stall.
This has meant long hours for the couple, and flipping hard graft, getting up in the wee hours to put baked goods in the oven, loading up produce, lugging it out to events.
But now the duo have their sights set on a different pace of life as they launch a vintage French-inspired patisserie/café on the Yare Valley Oils site at Surlingham near Norwich.
Teles Patisserie will combine, says Ana, a mixture of all the yummy treats the Artisan Pastry Chef is known for and has been created due to customer demand.
'When we set-up here,' Ana reveals, 'all of a sudden his [Joaqhim's] customers were asking where they can visit him in the week. This is something customers have been asking for for quite a while. We'll have a mix of Portuguese and French patisserie. The most popular right now are pasteis de nata and almond tarts, and we'll have eclairs, brownies, strawberry gateaux, plus something we launched last year – the sweet sausage roll!'
The patisserie opened last Saturday in a lovely working farm setting which Ana admits, was alien to them. 'It took us a long time to find somewhere. At first we looked at Norwich city centre but it was too expensive with the rates. But doing the markets we realised the farms are really popular in the UK. In Portugal going to eat at a farm would be a crazy idea. Even if there's excellent produce people will not travel to your restaurant or bakery. When we saw farms were popular here we started searching for ones that didn't have a café or food. Then last year at Aylsham Show we met Glen who does the marketing for Yare Valley Oils. He introduced us to the owners Tim and Will Mack and we've been talking ever since. In November we decided to go ahead with their help and premises and to work together.'
The couple are moving into a former oil production building which has, says Ana, a nice courtyard and outdoor area where visitors can sit in the sun with a locally sourced coffee and slice of cake.
There are plans too, in the pipeline, for the farm to open for tours.
'We are really really excited,' Ana beams over the new venture. 'We can't wait. It's been three amazing years of trading and we've met some very helpful and supportive and understanding people, but it's been tiring. All that work, hopefully, is getting paid off now.'
The patisserie will be open from 8am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
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