A café just outside Crossgates has spoken about some of their latest changes just a year after opening.
As previously reported in the Times, Ray Fagan opened up Woodlea Café and Bistro, at the Woodlea Stables just outside the village in February last year.
Woodlea Stables is an award-winning bakery and farm shop which offers free range eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and hot drinks.
Prior to opening the café and bistro, Ray was a director at Barclays Bank and a passionate cook, having even auditioned for MasterChef.
Speaking of recent months, Ray said: “It’s not been too bad actually. The global turndown has not really helped matters, we have noticed that it’s been quite widespread across hospitality.
“We’re kind of just riding that out, but still making money, being profitable, employing people.”
He’s even started serving pizzas, trialling a new cake baker, and has joined Just Eat and he is also looking at Uber Eats.
Ray added: “You can’t do everything, no matter how much you want to, you just can’t do everything. Everyone has ideas, the reality of it, is when are we going to do that?
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“My advice to any business starting up is get yourself on Just Eat…it can turn a fairly quiet Saturday into an okay Saturday, especially when the weather is bad.
“Every day is a challenge, it’s the things that you don’t think are going to challenge you that challenge you to be honest.
“One of my biggest problems has been finding decent packaging, especially to put n the shop for soups, ready-made granola pots, something people can get it home without it being all over their car.”
The venue has held open-mic nights in the past and Ray hopes to do more of these in the future.
In the meantime, he’s focusing on expanding the food the business offers, widening the pizza menu, and growing the café.
“There’s a huge diversity of food that a lot of people are unappreciative of.” He added.
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