The Story of the Jester House

The 20^th of November 2011 marks the twentieth birthday of the Jester House café. For those of you new to the area, The Jester House café was started in a converted 1920’s cottage by Judy and Steve Richards in November 1991 and was the first rural café in the Tasman district. It ran successfully in the original cottage they had converted until 2006. Although the old café had a certain je ne sais quoi it had become increasingly obvious that even smoke and mirrors couldn’t maintain the illusion of solidity for the old building. In July 2006 the hammers came down as the old café provided one last party.

 The new café was designed by Judy and Steve to take full advantage of the site and to include things missing in the old café, particularly space and light. It was also an opportunity to upgrade systems and change the layout by moving the service areas to the back and creating the beautiful stone terrace and verandah along the sunny side. This area is one of the standout features of the design, being warm and sheltered from the wind it’s a great spot for morning coffee or afternoon wine.

The rebuilding was also an opportunity to incorporate environmentally sustainable business and building practices. The building itself is in keeping with the general ‘modern medieval’ theme using post and beam construction with light earth infill. Other green features include recycling doors and windows from the old café, all naturally durable timber, natural lighting and paints, wool insulation , solar hot water and composting toilets. It also incorporates local art and culture with the entrance carving by Tim Wraight and sculptures by Darryl Frost .There’s still the giant Toaster by TAG and the chess set

 

But why do people go to the Jester House beyond enjoying the surrounding and feeding the tame eels? For the food, of course. The café is open from 9.00 am until 5.00pm 7 days a week , serving  breakfasts , lunches and teas. Everything is made on site including all the breads, cakes, sauces, and dressings to ensure the flavours are unique to Jester House. There is also a very strong commitment to buying local including an all Nelson wine and beer list, the highlights of which are the Blackenbrook sauvignon blanc (Best in NZ 2007) and Manuka beer from the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay. Organics produce is also used including beer, juices, coffee, milk, and some vegetables.

 

The Jester House is famous with families throughout the region (and country) for the tame eels. It is fascinating to have the opportunity to see these native eels in their natural habitat and hand feed them. It becomes a formative experience in many children’s memory, something to do with it being just a little bit scary!

 

Steve and Judy are justifiably proud of what they have achieved at Jester House in the last 20 years and are looking forward to providing hospitality to the community for years to come. It really is Tasman’s best café since 1991.