Liz Cox and her partner at their new venue.
A landlady is setting up a new “bizarre” bar in Northampton that specializes in “tiddly teas”.
Liz Cox, who currently runs the Old Five Bells in Kingsthorpe, will leave her post this August before opening her new business.
The establishment called “The Excentric Englishman” will be based in the old Weights and Measures building on St. Giles Street between The Optimist and The Wig & Pen.
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Cocktails for the “Tiddly Teas” are served in porcelain teapots.
Cocktails for the “Tiddly Teas” are served in porcelain teapots.Liz and her partner picked up the keys to the venue last week and have big plans to decorate the venue in “unique ways” and to build a bar.
The businesswoman says: “We have been thinking about it for a number of years and have been thinking about starting our own business for a long time.
“We’ve spent a long time doing successful business for others. We have decided that now is our time; Time to put our family first.
Liz hopes to be able to open by mid-September.
Liz hopes to be able to open by mid-September.
“St Giles Street was really the only place we wanted to furnish.
“Other places just didn’t feel right and St. Giles is thriving, so I think it will be fine.
“We talked to a lot of people before we did this and everyone said it sounded great and it’s just what Northampton needs – in a slightly different place.
“The building was built in 1872, and that’s when Phileas Fogg set out. That is where the inspiration came from.
“We thought it was a gimmick and we’re pretty quirky anyway, so it’ll be my take on Phileas Fogg who crossed with Mad Hatter.”
Before taking the reins at the Old Five Bells, Liz lived in Lanzarote, where she started making cheesecakes and pavlovas, which have become popular and are now part of the new “Tiddly Teas”.
The boozy afternoon teas include a selection of cocktails – named after famous Northamptonshire personalities like Princess Diana and Alan Carr – served in a porcelain teapot and drunk from a porcelain teacup and saucer.
In addition to the ‘tiddly teas’ that Liz hopes the bar will be known for, she also serves a picnic on a checkered tablecloth and a ‘gentleman’s tea’ with scotch eggs, pork pies, ale and more.
Liz added, “We hope to focus on the crowd during the day and early evening rather than being a venue for the night.
“We want to appeal to the theater audience, so we close during the week, I think, at 8 p.m. and on weekends at 10 p.m. at the latest.
“At some point we also hope to be able to rent out the entire space for events and parties.
“We will also serve coffee, Knickerbocker Glories and more and try to use local vendors wherever possible.”
Overall, the venue offers space for up to 80 people, with the upper floor revolving around a “gentleman’s salon” for “gentleman’s tea”.
Below will be a botanical theme and will be home to the Tiddly Teas and a piano that often plays live music from the 1920s.
Liz hopes to open the venue in mid-September this year.
To find out more, visit The Eccentric Englishman’s Facebook page.