Member Profile: Rose & Kettle Tea Room at the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum
Tucked inside the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum, the Rose & Kettle Tea Room is a hidden gem that anyone would be glad to stumble upon.
Rose & Kettle Tea Room first opened in 1990 as a traditional English tea room, created to help support the museum. The space sits in what used to be the farmhouse veranda, now transformed into a bright dining area that looks out over the property.
Like many small businesses, the tea room had to adapt during the pandemic. Today, Rose & Kettle leans more toward a café style experience than a formal tea service, but it hasn’t lost what makes it special. Their offerings continue to be served on antique china, and the atmosphere still has that vintage charm.
Paige Antonick, the Food Programming Coordinator for Rose & Kettle, explains that a big part of the tea room’s appeal is the element of surprise. Unlike your average café, there’s no fixed menu here. Instead, Antonick and her team start each week in the garden, looking at what’s in season and what can be used. From there, they build the menu up.
“The charm is you never know exactly what we’ll be serving – it varies all the time.” Antonick says.
However, Antonick notes that there are a few staples you can count on. Their famous Cream Tea; fresh scones served with jam and authentic clotted cream, as well as soups, sandwiches, and baked goods are always on the menu. Some days, they’ll have Nova Scotian favourites like hodge podge or blueberry grunt. Other times, it depends entirely on what’s in season, taking advantage of unique and foraged ingredients like haskaps or gooseberries. What they can’t source on-site, they get from local producers around the province.
During the peak season, Rose & Kettle Tea Room offers a thoughtfully curated selection of hosted experiences, including themed teas and long-table dinners set in the garden. A limited number of private events are also accommodated, carefully scheduled alongside regular service to provide guests with an intimate setting for special occasions.
“We’re a small but mighty group, and everyone works closely together to ensure both the tea room and the museum continue to thrive,” Antonick says, emphasizing the strength of the team behind the museum and the team room. This collaborative spirit is complemented by the support of the local community, with returning guests and neighbours contributing to the tea room’s warm, welcoming atmosphere.
What makes it all the more special is that the revenue generated by the tea room is reinvested directly back into the museum, helping to ensure local history remains preserved and accessible. It’s a unique model, where supporting a small business also contributes to the preservation of community heritage.
Open annually from mid-May through mid-October, the Rose & Kettle Tea Room invites guests to experience its welcoming atmosphere and thoughtfully prepared offerings throughout the season.
Images provided by Paige Antonick, Rose & Kettle Tea Room.
For more on our Taste of Nova Scotia events, news, and recipes delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe to our Taste of Nova Scotia emails