Promoting within the localitea... rewarding our in-house talent

Ben Moxom - now Manager of Beatons
Blandford and Beatons Tisbury

In keeping with Beatons ethos of developing the skills of its in-house team, we've just made some promotions into management to retain and reward the core team as we expand [link to job vacancies here!]

Blandford's Ben Moxom, is now Manager of both Beatons Blandford and Beatons Tisbury so that's why you may not have seen so much of Ben at Blandford over the past few weeks.

Harry McGookin
Now Assistant Manager
Beatons Tisbury

Harry McGookin from Tisbury, has been with the group since the start. He's also an investor in Beatons Blandford, and has been promoted to Asssistant Manager at Beatons Tisbury. He's also a whiz at testing our new recipes and seeing what passes muster and what doesn't!

Liz Darcy Jones, is carving out some time to complete her next volume in the 'Distinguished Leaves' series so steps down as Director of Engagement so we're bringing more of the admin side of the 'marcoms' in-house. However, she's still involved - as our Creative Consultant - and loves being an objective sounding board when it comes to new marketing initiatives. Of course, Liz is also still 'the tweep behind the tweets' on Blandford and Tisbury's twitter accounts: #beatonsblandford and #beatonstisbury.

Both Ben and Harry have also expanded their responsibilities to support the franchising side of the business, ensuring franchisees have access to expert advice from people with practical 'on the ground' experience.

Patrick is delighted to promote from within - and use the pool of talent in Dorset and Wiltshire. He commented to the press: 

'The Beatons' ethos of recognising, appreciating and cultivating individual skills brings benefits to all concerned - maintaining motivation, growing esprit de corps within the group and making financial sense too. We are always keen to hear from people who aspire to carving out a career in what we believe is a great and highly skilled profession - delivering 'gracious hospitality' and a restorative experience over books, tea and cake!' 

We're always keen to hear from anyone thinking of making a career within the service profession and offer outstanding training and self-development opportunities within the Beatons group... [I know - I've had the joy of being on the receiving end!] Here's a link which will take you to our current vacancies. 

Posted by Zoe

Shhh... there's a Beatons brewing in Berkshire!

Affordable Afternoon High Tea
coming to Berkshire soon!

It's far too soon to give any details away, but a little bird told me that you can begin chirping with our next Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop to be!

Paul Mitchell is the voice behind the tweets.  He'd love to hear from Berkshire tweeps about good Berkshire causes, local groups and great engagers both on the web and those who prefer - as we do really - talking live.

Don't know what a Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop is all about? Well, in a few sentences, we delight in delivering a restorative experience with gracious hospitality which we hope you'll agree represents generous value. This is the reason every Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop exists.  Our franchisees love our ethos and are passionate about sharing it with you!

Attentiveness with a
fine coffee - addictive!

How do we do this?

With sparkle, elegance and attentiveness we hope, in Cecil Beaton inspired tearooms offering a 'tealicious' range of loose-leaf teas, luxury Italian-style hot chocolate, the finest coffees and of course home made cake and light meals.... and table service.

Not forgetting a nourishing and sparkling selection of books to nourish the mind!


We believe integrity comes from transparency so here are two posts about our ethos and how we engage...

... and if you'd like to know when and where we'll be opening in the Autumn keep an eye out on twitter - we're @BeatonsBerks  - and at some point you'll be able to read about us in the 'ho hum not allowed to say yet' local press too!

Posted by Liz

Win Free Afternoon Tea for Two at Beatons Offer for Tweeps

Friends Matter! Afternoon Tea at Beatons Blandford

Hello Everyone, and in particular those who engage with us on Twitter where you'll find us chatting as #beatonstisbury #beatonsblandford and #beatonschester.

Follow any Beatons and retweet any #generousvalue tweet to be in with a chance of winning Free Afternoon Tea for Two. Offer applies to each Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop, and your chance runs out at mid-night on Sunday 9th August. Good luck and see you soon!

This is what it's all about... sharing friendship, scrummy cake in elegant surroundings while enjoying gracious hospitality that's also #generousvalue!

Oh yes, and book Afternoon Tea during Afternoon Tea Week (10th - 16th August) and you and your friends will each receive a FREE signed copy of 'Distinguished Leaves: Poems for Tea Lovers' to take home with you!  [more]

Celebrate our #generousvalue Afternoon Tea Week and feel Distinguished!

We love Afternoon Tea Week (10th - 16th August) - a chance to feel elegant and gracious while feasting on three tiers of scrummy cakes and scones! This year, everyone taking Afternoon High Tea at any Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop during Afternoon Tea Week will receive a FREE First Edition signed copy of  Liz Darcy Jones's best-seller, 'Distinguished Leaves' (worth £7.99).

This sweet little hardback tells you all about tea in the most delightful way and includes a charming foreword by Nigel Havers. We thought it would add a splash of #generousvalue to your Afternoon Tea. It would make a lovely way to say thank you to a family member or friend, prompt you to have a long overdue 'girls together' tea-party and have a keepsake to take home too!

Reserve your table to be sure of a place:

Blandford   01258 269515

Chester       01244 950761

Tisbury       01747 871 819

P.S. Win Afternoon Tea for Two! If you're on Twitter, follow us at @beatonschester @beatonsblandford or @beatonstearooms for Tisbury and retweet our #generousvalue tweet to be in with a chance of winning Free Afternoon Tea for Two. Offer applies to each Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop, and your chance runs out at mid-night on Sunday 9th August. Good luck and see you soon!

#beatonsbod: Shellie - Tisbury Tearoom Tiger!

Shellie is an important part of our Beatons Team, however she is not seen in the Tearooms that often. 

Shellie looks after all of our lovely customers bright and early at Tisbury Train station, providing a little warmth to cheer up their early morning journeys!

Shellie loves 'being around fab people and enjoys making customers happy and exceeding their expectations.'

What's your favourite edible or drinkable from our menu?
The scones and cream with jam, followed closely by strawberry milkshake....nom-nom!

Which of the ways we like to go about things at Beatons means most to you and why? At Beatons we like to make sure that we provide a speedy yet elegant service always with a smile. The service is great value for money and the food is just out of this world, it always looks stunning. I love how everyone is very passionate about the way we do things.

If you were an animal, what would you be? 

TIGER roarrrrrrrr!!

What do you like most about the most important person (or pet) in your life? 

The fact that they understand me and never ever judge anyone, everybody gets a chance. Perfect.

Lastly, what are you most looking forward to in terms of Beatons' events or future plans?

It is very exciting to know that Beatons is expanding and doing amazingly. It feels brilliant to just to be a part of the journey.

#Chester: Dong Ding, Chester and the Magna Carta

David Adams

First, this is a big thank you to David Adams, pictured, and all our neighbours who frequent The Addleshaw Tower next door at Beatons Chester.

On 30th May they achieved something special - and gave us a lovely mention.  They officially range the whole peal of Dong Ding Delight Major - a method in praise of tea. From St Laurence Church Frodsham it rang out - as far as we know it's the first ever method on the subject of tea itself.  It looks like it took nearly 3 hrs to ring too! Here's a link to the details, which confirm the method should be now be officially registered.

Why all this talk of bells. Well, as you know, we're holding a great event at Beatons Chester on Sunday 14th June 

Think free carrot cake, Dong Ding tea, bells and talking about freedoms - of the individual and speech.

For the historians or loyal 'Cestrians' here's some more fascinating information gleaned by David Adams, Press Officer for the Chester Cathedral Bellringers - they're the brains and bells behind the event! Over to you David...

'In 1215 Chester had a powerful Earl: Ranulf de Blondville.  Some months after the sealing of the more famous document at Runnymede in 1215, the Earl of Chester issued his own charter.  He did not do it under pressure from his barons, but perhaps it showed how powerful he was; virtually a King of Chester.  The Chester Magna Carta was shorter than the more famous one but had similar clauses.  The final one is of particular significance: it urged the barons to grant the same concessions the Earl granted them to their tenants.  It was hardly likely to have had much effect on the lives of serfs and all unfree people; and it was soon superseded by the Magna Carta and its later versions. Nevertheless, it is interesting to know that Chester had its own Great Charter.'

David Adams

Chester Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers

#Chester: LiberTeas, Magna Carta and Individualitea!

On Sunday 14th June  a nationwide initiative by The National Trust and the Houses of Parliament will see hundreds of events being held under the umbrella of 'LiberTeas' celebrating the 800th Anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. They are all about 'communiteas' getting together to talk about democracy and freedom... offline. Join us and join in!

Making it all the more delicious is the invitation to take tea at the same time and reflect on the freedoms that started with this remarkable document. Beatons Chester is co-hosting LiberTeas Chester with Chester Cathedral bellringers  - free carrot cake and Dong Ding oolong tea and bell-ringing activities and screens with live streaming so you can watch the bellringers ringing...

... and at all three Beatons venues, you can enjoy a 'LiberTeas Afternoon High Tea' for two on the day  with £5 off all pre-booking! That rings a bell for affordabilitea too!


Why did we want to be involved?

Well, Salisbury holds the finest copy of the four original remaining exemplars of  the Magna Carta (Salisbury's quite close to Tisbury, home of our flagship tearooms). Chester had something quite unique, its own take on Magna Carta which included some fascinating differences - more here from Cheshire Local History Association. An exhibition about Magna Carta and Chester opens in Chester Cathedral Library on June 16th.

I can't find any links between Blandford Forum and Magna Carta but Dorset certainly has a connection - Bearwood near Poole has many roads named after people involved in the signing of Magna Carta and indeed the oldest road in the area is called Magna Road! And both Dorset and Wiltshire are celebrating in style with 800 children being involved in four concerts at Salisbury Cathedral this year.

Bringing Beatons into the equation, two of our group's key values are about honouring the individual, you can read them and our challenge to you at the end. In 1215 when Magna Carta was sealed the rights of the individual - barely acknowledged, and arguably only faintly at best - were first entertained as an idea.

Is it relevant to you and me, today?  Yes. There's a great article by Justin Fisher on the British Library site (brilliant - link here) which explains it all. But if it's all new to you and - like me - you don't really know what's even in the 'Great Charter', Julian Fisher helps,

'The continuing importance of Magna Carta as a source of liberty is well established. One of the key provisions in the 1215 Charter was that imprisonment should not occur without due legal process. This also established the idea of trial by jury. Clause 39 of the 1215 Charter states that: ‘No free man shall be arrested or imprisoned … or exiled or in any way ruined … except by lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.’ 

Then there's bells...  The day has been nominated a Grand Ringing Day - I'm guessing with reference to the famous 'Liberty Bell' - so there will be bells sounding out across the country too. If you're a Cestrian, or one of Beatons Chester's regulars, you'll know the Addleshaw Bell Tower, which houses Chester Cathedral's bells is next door to Beatons Chester.

So what's our offering on Sunday 14th June?

• At Beatons Chester (phone 01244 950761 to pre-book High Tea) Plus there's a whole afternoon of activities with free carrot cake and Dong Ding oolong tea served from 2.15 to 3.15 - pop into the Bell Tower next door to collect your token. Full details on the LiberTeas website here.
• At Beatons Blandford (phone 01258 26951) and Tisbury (phone 01747 871819)  pre-Book a LiberTeas High Tea for two to enjoy a £5 discount, or pop in on the day and honour the freedoms that the 'Great Charter' embody in Britain as you chat!  Our challenge to you? Is there something you value about the individual you're with, or yourself? Why not take a few minutes and find the courage to share it with your fellow guests while you enjoy your tea and cake?  

Finally, I promised sharing our values that relate to the individual - and appreciating them. They are:

... valuing the individual - whether supplier, franchisee, customer or any other stakeholder - is necessary for people to feel heard and nourished - it gives Beatons its integrity
 and

 ... developing the attributes and skills of franchisees and staff alike is the single most important factor in creating personal and business success for each person, and therefore the group as a whole

 If that tempts you to come and work for us, check out our vacancies!