For 36 years Sara Burton's career revolved around school dinners for Notts pupils - firstly as a chef, working her way up to an area manager. But now she's the proud owner of her own tea room - a dream come true for the Arnold mum.
After a family get-together, she decided to quit her job and take the brave step of being her own boss, opening 1 Market Place Tea Rooms in Arnold. There was no question over Arnold being the location.
Sarah said: "It had to be Arnold. "I am an Arnold girl and definitely wanted an Arnold business. I started as a school chef at Arnold Hill, which is the school I went to. My family are all Arnold. My husband Ray's family are real old Arnold people. A lot of people knew Ray's dad and to me it was a massive thing to be in Arnold.
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"I feel so welcome. Even though I'm an Arnold girl and I've took on a challenge and I've took on a risk it's so positive and I can't thank the community enough. It's quite humbling really."
The 32-seater tea room is part of the new £4m AMP building, a two-year development, which has become home to several start-up businesses as well as the town's Post Office.
The tea room serves simple but wholesome breakfasts of toast, avocado or cheese on toast, American-style breakfasts with fruit, and fruit salad. There's no full English or sausage and bacon cobs - they're available from another cafe Refresh nearby so there's no treading on another business's toes.
For lunch there's build your own salad bowls, sandwiches, bagels and homemade soup. The piece de resistance, on display at the counter, is the homemade cakes and scones. All baked by Sara, they can be enjoyed with a cuppa or as part of afternoon tea with sandwiches, quiche and sausage rolls.
"There won't be any cakes left at the end of the day. Everything is homemade. I don't buy anything in at all, I use local suppliers and 200 degrees coffee. I get here at 6.30 in the morning. It's a long day but it is very rewarding. I'm open to ideas as well I'm not just this is what you get. People say to me can you remember this cake? I'll research it and try and make it."
Some cakes gluten-free and dairy-free. "That's one comment I've had, people with allergens are over the moon everything is being home-baked," added Sara.
The inevitable question for someone who has worked in school dinners.... are favourites butterscotch tart and corn flake tart on the menu? They are but it's mostly at the weekends as they are such a big hit which youngsters.
Sara let us into a bit of a secret but she wasn't giving everything away. "There's a secret to butterscotch tart and it's not butterscotch essence - it's something completely different. It was only Notts County Council that used to get it from this butcher's." Now she gets it from the same butcher's to replicate the exact taste.
The tea room is a real family affair. Her future daughter-in-law Beckie Messom, who lives with Sara's son Joseph works there, while Sara's husband Ray helps out. Her son Kieran and daughter Jess also help at at weekends.
Her retired parents Roz and Colin Dickinson also lend a hand as pot washers and help to clearing the tables. Sara said: "They love it. My mum used to have a hairdressers in Arnold for 33 years so she knows a lot of families in Arnold and they know mum. And it's nice for them to get out of the house and talk to people."
Eight weeks in, Sara said she couldn't have hoped for more. Opening at a time when two other Arnold cafes were closing down didn't put her off.
She said: "I know a couple of coffee places closed down. I don't know why. This is our eighth week. It's been better than what we thought it would be. Who knows? It's really uncertain at the minute. We're all taking a risk opening a business at this time, so we didn't know whether people would have the money to spend coming to a tea room but they obviously like what they see.
"We are busy every single day. People are waiting for tables. We've had some really lovely positive comments. We've got lots of regulars already. It's really good.
"There's been lots of bookings for afternoon teas, a couple of baby showers booked in and we have done 80th birthdays. The church came and bought 260 gift vouchers off us just before Christmas because the vicar had been in and he felt so relaxed that he thought it would be the perfect gift to give his congregation."
It's not just church-goers, workers, couples, families and individuals who are welcome. Well-behaved dogs can come in - and regulars can have their photo taken to go up on the "doggy wall" of pictures.
Sara said: "All I want is for my customers to come in, feel comfortable, feel relaxed and meet people. If there is one person sat at a table then a couple come in we encourage them to share a table and it's how people meet. We've already had people come in, start a conversation with someone they don't know and then they've come and met the next week."
The building was an empty shell when Sara got the keys. She and Beckie painted the back wall of breeze blocks fresh green, while the rustic wooden counter adds to the natural environment - complete with a pineapple plant and pot plants on each tables grown in her dad's greenhouse.
When the better weather appears the patio doors will open so customers can enjoy an alfresco drink and bite to eat on the pavement. Sara said: "I went for one [property] three years ago on Front Street but I pulled out - something didn't feel right. But this is definitely right. I've got a lovely spot here. I get on really well with the other unit holders, they're all great. It's like a little community really."
The No.1 reference in the name is a tribute to Ray's late father Bill Burton, who used to work at Home Brewery. Sara said: "The reason we called it No. 1 is because when we used to go and see Ray's dad we always used to say we're not going to grandad's we going to No. 1, so it's like he's with us. He'd have loved it. He'd have been so proud.
Customers like what they see. Despite the persistent rain Jayne Pedroche, of Arnold, popped in for a takeaway coffee. She said: "This is my first time here. I wanted to support a local business rather than a chain. I think it looks amazing, really welcoming, bright but cosy at the same time. The cakes look very inviting and everyone was really friendly when I walked in.
"I've already asked if they've got wi-fi as I might come in on Friday morning, have a bit of breakfast and coffee and work from here."
The tea room is open Monday to Saturday and does takeaway.
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