The ever-popular cafe at the National Stone Centre (NSC) near Wirksworth, Derbyshire is flourishing following a short closure at the end of last year for refurbishment and the introduction of a new management team.

The NSC Café is now under the watchful eye of manager Tommy McCabe, with support from Kitchen Assistant Clare Hollands, and baristas Will Allsopp, Sophie Lynam and Amelia Collins. The 60-seater cafe also includes a large outdoor patio area with far-reaching views across Wirksworth and beyond.

Tommy McCabe, Manager, NSC Cafe, says: “The cafe at the National Stone Centre is a real destination for the thousands of people visiting the centre, as well as the walkers and cyclists enjoying the High Peak Trail. 

“My vision for the café is for us to serve a wide range of honest, high-quality homemade food using locally sourced ingredients from local suppliers. It’s also about employing people from the local community to work in the café and to offer them training to improve their abilities and to help them grow in confidence.

“My goal is for the café to become a popular hub for local people where they can enjoy great food, whilst experiencing the ambience of the NSC and special views that the cafe’s terrace offers over the surrounding countryside. We’re even looking to trial specials and become involved in wider NSC events hosted on-site, to expand our usual offerings and engage with the local community.” 

An additional new appointment also strengthens the team at the National Stone Centre. Anna Farnsworth joins as a new Centre Supervisor. She lives just a short hop, skip and a jump from the NSC, having recently moved to the rural delights of Cromford from Nottingham. 

Anna runs the day-to-day operations of the NSC and regularly fronts the centre’s popular rock shop, sharing her passion and enthusiasm that has come from a lifetime’s interest in all things rock-related. Anna says: “My favourite stone is mookaite, also known as Australian Jasper. It comes from Mooka Creek in the Kennedy Ranges of Western Australia and is a variety of Chalcedony, which is a microcrystalline variety of Quartz.”