Expect a warm welcome, great tasting locally sourced coffee, and a superb selection of delicious homemade cakes at Wonderberrys in Netley Abbey.

The stylish café's bottomless afternoon teas and festive evening grazing platters also go down a storm. 

Back in 2015, Charlotte Cooper decided to leave the corporate world and bake cakes. She had no training, no background in cake-making, and no orders, just the desire to make great cakes and be her own boss. 

Charlotte baked from home and managed the café at The Bursledon Brickworks Museum for the next few years.

READ MORE: The family-run chain of cafés celebrating five decades in business 

In 2020, weeks before the first Covid lockdown, Charlotte and her mum Ann, who had always worked behind the scenes but now joined the family firm full time, took on the brickworks coffee shop as their own and renamed it Wonderberrys.

They survived Covid and thrived, opening the current premises in Victoria Road in February. 

Ann explained: "We took over the café at The Bursledon Brickworks Museum on 1st March 2020 and closed on 20th March 2020 - not the best start! However, we continued to trade throughout the pandemic and rose to the challenges it presented.

"Charlotte introduced a weekly 'bake-along'. Our audience tuned-in and she would share a recipe for the family to bake and enjoy together. It was well received. We also introduced pre-order 'cake away'. Every time, the Government changed the rules and threw us a curve ball, we changed our approach.

"We remember fondly the support and encouragement we received. There was a new wave of valuing small independent businesses and we would not be where we are today without the ongoing support of these people, to whom we will be forever grateful.

"When we took on these premises in December 2021, they were in need of some serious tlc. We undertook much of the work ourselves, working every single day for seven weeks. By the time we were ready to open at the end of February we were exhausted, but receive so many favourable comments about the decor that it really was worth it.

"We like to think that we've created something with personality."

The Wonderberrys artisan doughnut of the week, filled with flavoured ganache and decorated with creme patissiere, is available at weekends and people travel from far and wide to get their hands on them. 

READ MORE: Southampton’s Christmas market is BACK – and this is what we thought

Cakes are all baked fresh and the selection changes on a daily basis.

The traditional afternoon tea, served on white table linen with vintage china, is very popular, especially with a bottomless version now available.

Festive afternoon teas will get underway soon alongside festive grazing platters.

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