East Lothian cafe hailed for having 'best afternoon tea for miles' announces closure

Lewis & Clarke opened on Main Street in Gifford almost seven years ago – but the cafe will serve its last customers on Sunday, March 23 after the owners took the tough decision to shut due to rising costs.

The charming coffee shop, which sells freshly baked scones, sausage rolls, patisserie and local artisan products, has been recognised in respected travel guide Scotland The Best, which hailed its afternoon tea, calling it “the best for many a mile”.

Sharing news of the closure on social media, owners Kate Lewis and Ronnie Clarke said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce that Lewis & Clarke will be closing down in March.

“It has been nearly 7 years since we opened our doors in Gifford and during those years we have had amazing highlights. However, we have also faced some unexpected challenges such as Covid 19 lockdown, rising cost of utilities, ingredients, packaging and personal family loss.

“We are proud to say we faced these challenges head on and pivoted when required to survive and keep moving forward. However going forward not only do we have to consider our work but also our personal health, wellbeing and our loved ones. With all these factors in consideration we feel that closing is the best decision to make.”

Kate and Ronnie Clarke added: “Our last day of service will be Sunday 23rd March. We encourage anyone with unexpired vouchers to call to use them in the coming weeks as they will be unusable after our closure.

“We want to thank all our customers for visiting, supporting and encouraging us. Also for being the best cheerleaders. We do hope that someone out there is looking to open their own wee cafe and invite anyone interested to get in touch.

“It is sad to say goodbye to this chapter of our life but who knows what the future holds and what adventure lie ahead for us.”

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