A home cook who delivers afternoon tea to homes across Norfolk is celebrating sweet success after her first year in business.

Eastern Daily Press: Laura Horne and her puppy Dotty Credit: Laura HorneLaura Horne and her puppy Dotty Credit: Laura Horne (Image: Archant)

Laura Horne, 27, launched Laura's Afternoon Tea from her Wymondham home in September 2018, after her grandma moved house and gave her a vintage tea set she no longer needed.

Mrs Horne, who had always been a keen amateur baker, served afternoon tea to her work friends and after it proved popular she decided to take things up a tier.

Spotting a gap in the market, Mrs Horne noticed there was nowhere in Norfolk where you could get it delivered for a small number of people and what started as a hobby has now become a thriving business and she makes 50 to 60 deliveries each week to homes, businesses and events.

Mrs Horne said: "There were lots of amazing caterers and loads of amazing places to go for afternoon tea, especially in Norwich, but my friends with children found it difficult to find places to go.

"Things kicked off really quickly and I can't believe how fast the past year has gone and in May I left my job in recruitment and am now doing this full-time.

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"The main bulk of my orders comes from small home deliveries with families catching up at home, but I also do weddings, christenings, birthdays, baby showers and a lot of hen dos.

Eastern Daily Press: Laura's Afternoon Tea Credit: Laura HorneLaura's Afternoon Tea Credit: Laura Horne (Image: Archant)

"Afternoon tea is always a safe option for an event as people of all ages enjoy it."

The classic afternoon tea costs £12.50 per person, for a minimum of four people, and includes sandwiches, sausage rolls, scones with jam and clotted cream, cherry bakewell loaf, lemon meringue cheesecake and a selection of teas, with vegetarian, vegan dairy-free and gluten-free options.

There is also a kids afternoon tea available, which includes cookies and popcorn, for £7 and you don't even need to worry about the washing up as all the crockery and cutlery is provided and collected afterwards.

Working from home has also meant she has been able to get a puppy and is now the proud owner of Dotty the sprocker, which is a cross between a cocker and springer spaniel.

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Mrs Horne says that a lot of her success has been down to social media and as well as delivering in Norfolk, with free delivery with 15 miles of Wymondham, she has also delivered as far away as Bury St Edmunds and Eye.

Mrs Horne added: "Facebook has been my main source of business and I advertise in local community groups and word-of-mouth has also helped.

Eastern Daily Press: Laura's Afternoon Tea Credit: Laura HorneLaura's Afternoon Tea Credit: Laura Horne (Image: Archant)

"This time next year I hope to still be running this as a full time business and it has also given me a puppy so I'm pretty happy."

You can find out all the booking details on the Laura's Afternoon Tea Facebook page.

Eastern Daily Press: Children's afternoon tea Credit: Laura HorneChildren's afternoon tea Credit: Laura Horne (Image: Archant)