Samantha Gill's village shop revival is a hit

Take the stage Samantha Gill, a local girl in her 20s who has transformed life in the honeypot Howardian Hills village of Terrington since taking on the shop and tearooms previously run by Kate and Ian Hughes for more than 20 years.

Samantha took over after another owner had given it a go for a short time before closing it down. The village had already lost its only pub The Bay Horse in 2001, where Samantha had worked in her teenage years, and it had seemed Terrington was destined to go the same way as many others - no facilities apart from a village hall, church and school.

Two years on from having reopened and having switched on to what customers want Samantha and her team have not just made Terrington Stores & Tearooms the hub of village life, they have also been recognised for their efforts with a Ryedale Business Award.

“We received the Community Contribution Award last week after having been put forward by a number of our customers,” says Samantha, who has clearly poured her heart and soul into making things work. She’s there every day, seven days a week, she makes pies, cakes, serves in the shop, makes teas, coffees, Sunday lunches, has a loyal team and her mum Kay helps out too.

“I’m passionate about it and if it wasn’t here the village would be really quiet, but I never thought it would take off the way it has. We literally have people in all day and we’re open long hours for a village shop from 6.30am until 6pm, six days a week, and 8am until 5pm on a Sunday. We will bend over backwards to help people, things like offering to deliver shopping to the older people in the village. I think with the shop having been closed down for a short while before I took it on, it made some realise why it might be good to support it again.”

The other main reason is undoubtedly Samantha’s attitude. She’s bubbly, friendly and determined to make things work.

“I’m easy to get on with and we’re quite laid back. Everyone likes to laugh and talk. My mum and grandma, June, ran a tearoom for a number of years where we live at Flat Top just out of the village and I worked in Hunters deli in Helmsley before coming here, so I had a bit of experience to call on.

“In the shop we stock the basic everyday stuff everyone wants like fresh vegetables, milk, eggs, cereals, bread, newspapers, pies and sausage rolls and then we’ve added nice gifty things and cards.

“We came to live here when I was five and it maybe helped that I was from the village when I took over. I knew some people already but now I know most and it has definitely made me more community minded. I always try to support whatever is going on by raising funds or donating raffle prizes for village hall events.”

Samantha’s cooking and baking is becoming renowned.

“When I took over you couldn’t get to the tearooms without going out of the shop and around the side so we knocked through from the shop and also put in a woodburning stove.

“It’s now a really nice place to be and we get mums on the school run come in for coffee and cake; walkers and cyclists come regularly as the village is so pretty; and I do Sunday lunches through winter to spring. There’s now a breakfast menu and I’ve added sparkling afternoon teas too that include a glass of Prosecco. I have special nights such as for Valentine’s Day when there will be a special selection of main meals and a serving platter.

“I try to bake for the shop and tearooms as much as I can. I bake quiches and I can’t keep up with the demand. I also make all my own soups - vegetable soup is always popular as well as leek and potato, and cauliflower cheese. When it comes to my cakes I’d say the coffee and walnut sells best at the moment.”