EDITOR John Elworthy told guests at the opening of an extended Fenland caf�/restaurant on Good Friday that its success had delighted but not surprised him.

“I knew they’d got it right fairly soon on when I saw the caf� in a review of top places to eat near to Britain’s motorways,” he told guests after cutting the ribbon to the newly extended caf�.

“Given the fact that if you class the A1 as a motorway then it’s a good recommendation to hop off at Peterborough and come over to Manea,” he said.

“If the author was recommending you detour off the M11 to head for Skylark then the recommendation, in my opinion, soars.”

Mr Elworthy said the Gowler family who had begun the Skylark garden centre and caf� had shown considerable faith- and optimism- of having picked the right spot at the right time.

“I know – because they told me- that one or two reps wondered if people would travel out to find them,” he said. “Well travel out they have, and in increasingly large numbers, and long may it continue.

“Although I’m a breakfast more than a begonia man and would usually choose lunch over lawn mowers, I can see the attraction of combining a quality caf� and restaurant with a garden centre.”

Mr Elworthy said the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard had been ardent campaigners for encouraging entrepreneurs providing they added real value to the community.

Fifty early bird customers were given complimentary bacon sandwiches after the opening of the Skylark extension and were snapped up within minutes.

It began a bumper weekend of activities for both the garden centre and the caf�.