A CAFÉ that has reputedly served the people of Skipton for 140 years has new owners.

Threshfield couple David and Brettle Roberts have taken over 8 High Street - thought to be the site of the oldest café in the town.

It has had several reincarnations - most recently as Castle Café and Café Jaca.

However, David and Brettle have called their new venture, Hettie's, after one of David’s ancestor.

Great Aunt Hettie disgraced the family by eloping with a cattle drover from the Scottish Borders. But, it seems, the marriage didn’t last and she returned to Skipton alone and in disgrace.

She obtained work as a cook and found the real love of her life. She had great culinary talent and, in time, made a very good living from her skills. She baked for Skipton cafés, shops and shooting parties.

Hettie’s family eventually forgave her and she had a happy life.

David has inherited Hettie’s work ethic and skill with food. And now, by using Hettie’s recipes along with their own, David and Brettle are hoping to become the owners of the best coffee and cake venue in the area.

They have also created a piano bar for the evening.

David said: "We want to give people exactly what they like. We want everyone to feel welcome at Hettie’s.

"It is at 8 High Street, reputedly the site of the oldest café in Skipton. We found that we were building Hettie’s on 140 years of service to Skipton as a café. In an original Castle Café menu, the promise was to ‘provide good quality and good service to all’. We want to continue to deliver the same things in pleasant and comfortable surroundings suitable for our 21st century customers.”

Hettie's is an adventure into the unknown for David and Brettle.

While David has run several businesses in the past, none has been in the catering industry, and his most recent job was as a care assistant at Threshfield Court care home.

"It was very satisfying but, as I had no care management experience, I couldn't progress to senior level. I decided I wanted a place where I could have an impact on my own environment and where everyone was welcome," he said.

Brettle is also a novice in the hospitality world and is juggling her commitments with being a full time teacher. She was at Threshfield School for several years, where she won a nomination at Primary School Science Teacher of the Year, and now works at Embsay, Primary, dealing with special educational needs.

Meanwhile, to help make Hettie come alive, extracts from her journal are being published on the café's website, hettiescafebistro.co.uk. She has a lot to say about her life in Skipton and it would be fascinating to know what she would make of the café named in her honour.