A COUPLE have swapped their dancing shoes to aprons as a Kendal café changes hands.

Mark and Denise Wilde, from Kirkby Lonsdale, who used to run Wilde Dance School on Market Place, have re-opened Truly Scrumptious on Stramongate under new ownership.

“We had a dance school here in Kendal for fourteen years, and decided it was time for a change,” said Mark. “It’s been very good so far, people have been very supportive and welcoming.”

The couple felt drawn to the café, which has existed in its current location in one form or another for more than a decade.

“We would often pass this place on our way home, it interested us. The name, which is from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, had a special appeal,” he said. “We also loved the atmosphere. When you come in, Scrumptious has such a lovely, warm welcoming atmosphere. It’s really important when you come into a coffee shop.”

The café serves hot food from toasties and soups to jacket potatoes and omelettes, as well as Denise’s homemade cakes.

The coffee house also offers a variety of hot drinks, and one of their specialities is tea made with Kendal mint cake, created especially by an Edinburgh-based company.

“We really want to offer the people of Kendal a unique café experience, with great quality coffee and tea," added Mark.

The couple are looking to bring back the personal touch into serving their customers.

“We operate a serving on tables service rather than a counter service. We say the customer is the most important person in the café. In a lot of places customers are not as important as they should be,” Mark said. “That’s what we’re trying to bring back, that kind of personal feeling.”

Truly Scrumptious is open from 9.30am to 4pm from Monday to Saturday.