Episode 2 of our podcast series – recorded here at Ely Work Collective. Click here to listen to the episode.
When Sophie Ellis set up her first stall at Ely Farmer’s Market, she already knew where she was headed. The plan was always a place of her own. What she didn’t know was that a global pandemic, lots of home deliveries, and a chance location would be the route to getting to her lovely tearoom in a tucked-away alleyway in Ely.
Three and a half years after opening Sophie’s Afternoon Tea and Cakes at 8 Three Cups Walk, she’s got a loyal team, regulars who send her Christmas cards, and a counter that’s never short of something worth stopping in for.
A Family Affair
Sophie’s love of baking doesn’t come from a cookbook. It comes from her grandmother’s kitchen.
Her grandmother — a brilliant cook by all accounts — had to learn to bake all over again when her granddad was diagnosed with coeliac disease in his sixties. Young Sophie watched her adapt her recipes to be gluten-free, decided she wanted some too, and never really stopped baking from that point on.
Her mum runs her own HR consultancy. Her brother farms pigs in Ramsey (those are his sausages in the sausage rolls!). Self-employment was simply the family way. “I kind of had that in mind that I always wanted to be self-employed,” Sophie says.
After a foundation degree in Professional Culinary Arts at Bournemouth — “It sounds fancy, it wasn’t too fancy” — and a year in the kitchen at Rectory Farm in Milton, she decided the moment had arrived. “If I don’t do it now, when do you do it?”
Starting Small, Building Slowly
The business began the way many good ones do: modestly, and on the market.
Sophie traded at Cambridge market, Ely Farmer’s Market, and Newmarket. She did cake orders, delivered afternoon teas to homes and businesses, and built up a customer base the slow way — face by face, slice by slice.
Then the pandemic hit, and the markets disappeared overnight. Sophie’s response? She put one post online, just as Mother’s Day was approaching, offering afternoon tea boxes for delivery. “It just kind of went from there — word of mouth. I think people just Googled afternoon tea deliveries, and I came up.”
She spent the pandemic baking and delivering. She also picked up a part-time job at Tesco a couple of days a week to keep money coming in — something she was initially reluctant to do. “I was a bit like, oh, I don’t want to, I want to focus just on my business. But actually, I’m glad I did it.”
By the time the markets reopened, she had savings, a customer base, and a clearer sense of what she was building. Then a unit in Three Cups Walk came up for rent.
Finding the Right Space
The spot immediately felt right. Three Cups Walk is the little passageway between Fore Hill Car Park and the Market Square — quiet enough to feel like a discovery, busy enough to catch passing trade. Sophie describes it as a sun trap, so make sure you go and soak up that sun!
The estate agent wasn’t immediately sold on food in the shop as they didn’t want evening openings, which worked well as Sophie didn’t want evenings anyway. She met her landlords, Tony and Angela — who live above the tearoom — and they suggested she take just half the unit rather than the whole thing. It worked perfectly.
“It was a slow buildup, but I’m glad I did it the way I did,” she says. “Because I built up my trade from the markets and I built up a really good customer base.”
Customers from her market days still come in now. Some drive from Newmarket. A few still mention the pandemic delivery boxes she dropped at their door.
What Makes Sophie’s Tearoom Different?
Ely has some genuinely good independent cafés. Sophie knows that. What she’s tried to create is something with its own particular feeling.
“I hope that the vibe I was going for when I set up the tearoom was for it to be homely. A lot of people say it’s very welcoming and very relaxing — which is what I wanted.”
Everything is made by Sophie. The cakes, the scones, the sausage rolls. The afternoon teas are traditional and unashamedly homemade. Gluten-free and vegan options sit alongside the classics because that’s always been part of the recipe — going back to watching her grandmother adapt her recipes, she wanted to bring the same.
On the counter at any given time, you’ll find lemon drizzle, coffee and walnut, brownies, and the cherry flapjack that’s followed her from her market stall days. “People love it,” she says. “It’s just been a constant favourite from the market to the tearoom.”
The Community Around the Counter
One of the most striking things about Sophie’s Tearoom is how it functions as a little hub for the wider independent business community in Ely.
A corner of the tearoom stocks products from other local makers: Kate’s Crafts, glass artwork by June, and paintings by Laura (of Sketchbook Wednesday fame). Business cards and flyers are always on display. “I just like to support each other,” Sophie says.
It’s something we’ve noticed ourselves at Ely Work Collective since we opened — how genuinely collaborative the independent business community here feels. “I think it’s hard running a business these days,” Sophie says. “But we can stick together, and we can look out for each other.”
On the Team
Getting the right people is one of the hardest parts of running a hospitality business. Sophie is candid about that. Hospitality shifts are long, keeping a smile on is genuinely demanding, and finding someone who fits into an existing team isn’t just about skills.
Her tip: do trial shifts. “It’s good for you and the candidate to be able to see what it’s like working there — see how they cope and if it’s the right environment for them.”
Right now, she has a team she speaks about warmly. Two of her staff are studying at Anglia Ruskin and one of her Saturday team members is finishing at Hills Road and heading off to university soon — “which is really sad.” And then there’s Carol, who Sophie’s team call the mother of the tearoom: the person who covers when Sophie needs a day off and firmly tells her boss that she needs to look after herself.
The rule for working at Sophie’s, by the way, is non-negotiable: you have to be willing to taste test new bakes!
Advice for Anyone Starting Out
Sophie doesn’t think you should rush it. Her path from market trader to tearoom owner took years, and she’s glad it did.
“Definitely start small, build yourself up, don’t leap too far — because that’s when things can go wrong. Test your product. Use local markets. Some will be successful, some won’t. And don’t be afraid to start small, learn as you go, because you’ll make mistakes and you won’t always get it right. Just keep going, keep trying new things, and get your name out there.”
On the financial side, her practical advice is to be honest with yourself about what it costs. She saved up a substantial amount herself before her mum and dad loaned her the rest to fit out the tearoom. She paid them back within the first year. Having a part-time income while you build up — even if it feels like a step backwards — can make the whole thing more sustainable.
What’s Next
Sophie isn’t chasing scale. She loves the space she has, she loves what she does, and her ambition is refreshingly straightforward: to still be here in ten years.
“There are quite a few businesses that have been going for ten years or more. I think that’s really, really cool — to be able to do that.”
In the shorter term, look out for a summer menu. Afternoon tea bookings are growing. And if you haven’t booked one yet, now’s the time!
Where to Find Sophie’s Afternoon Tea and Cakes
- In person: 8 Three Cups Walk, Ely (the little passageway between Fore Hill Car Park and the Market Square)
- Open Monday to Friday – 8:30am-5pm and Saturday 9am-5pm
Made in Ely is our podcast series chatting to local business owners about what they’re building and how they’re doing it. Recorded at Ely Work Collective. Listen at madeinely.podbean.com
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