Business blooming at Norwich cafe following launch of new venture

Business is blooming at a Norwich cafe following the launch of a new venture to sell unusual and exotic house plants.

Olive's Cafe, at Elm Hill, decided to branch out after customers requested for cuttings of plants already on display.

Now, the front half of the cafe has been converted to accommodate its sister business 'Plants at Olives'.

The idea stemmed from chef and kitchen owner Tam Marks' passion for horticulture.

She said: 'I felt it kind of suited how we wanted the cafe to look and it brings in different kinds of people that wouldn't normally be here.'

'It [growing plants] is a hobby of mine and we realised we had the space and conditions to do it.'

The plants range in price from around £2.50 at the cheapest to £80.

She said she was hoping to convert the second floor of the premises into a larger space to sell plants.

'At the moment it is a growing room,' Miss Marks said. 'But we want to make it a show room.'

Mick Marsden, who has owned the cafe for 15 years, said: 'Tam has been putting the plants on display for the past four to five years and customers kept asking if they were for sale.

'The business itself is going really well, in fact it has never been better. This just makes the place look more interesting.'

The cafe premises dates back to the 17th century. It later became a pub known as The Turkey Cock until 1962.