Horsebox Café Accolade - Leigh-on-Sea

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Leigh On Sea News: Horsebox Café Accolade – A FORMER personal trainer from Rochford transformed a horsebox into a thriving train station café, earning her a nomination as one of the best in the UK.

Horsebox Café Accolade - A FORMER personal trainer from Rochford transformed a horsebox into a thriving train station café, earning her a nomination as one of the best in the UK.

A FORMER personal trainer from Rochford transformed a horsebox into a thriving train station café, earning her a nomination as one of the best in the UK.

Kara McTaggart, 34, has been selling cookies, sausage rolls and coffees from her trailer at Shoeburyness Train Station since 2022.

Shoeburyness station was nominated for the “World Cup of Stations” award by the Rail Delivery Group for the “Station with the Best Local Businesses”.

While Kara’s Kitchen did not make it to the final, it was still regarded by the group as one of the best station businesses in the UK.

Ms McTaggart reportedly said: “I always wanted my own cafe, so this was a starting point for me, so I thought I would see how it goes.

“I tried loads of different things to see what worked and what didn’t; I initially did loads of big cakes, but they didn’t seem to sell, so I did my cookies, which are pretty famous now, along with my sausage rolls. People come, and they’re always sold out.”

On the award nomination, McTaggart added: “It was such a nice surprise; little old me in my trailer that gets absolutely freezing in the winter when it’s minus six degrees and I’ve got about 20 layers on. It’s now paying off, and that’s nice to know at least.

“I do a range of everything, really, but possibly a smiley face in the morning.

“I’m not a boring coffee lady; it’s not like I’ve just stuck to one thing, and I can move the horsebox around, so when I’m not at Shoebury station, I’m going to schools, so I’m part of the community, even the kids know who I am.”

McTaggart is hoping to strike an agreement with c2c to get a permanent plot at the station so she can expand from her current Monday to Friday morning opening hours to seven days a week and hire staff to allow more time for her to expand her menu to include lunch items.

Picture: At the cafe café. Pic Kara’s Kitchen.

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