Ex-jockey pulls in the punters with coffee business in converted horse trailer

Kate Grahamslaw launched The Perfect Shot in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and has enjoyed an increase in trade since moving to a new location in Wooler

“People love the quirkiness of it,” she admits. “I’m not the first person to do this sort of thing from a horse trailer but I’m the first in Wooler and people seem to like it.”

She and husband Paul bought the trailer on Ebay last Christmas and converted it.

“The plan was to go to shows and events but then the pandemic hit and obviously all the shows got cancelled,” Kate explained.

"We weren’t really sure what to do but when pubs, cafes and restaurants were closed and takeaways were about the only part of the hospitality sector that could open we decided to give it a go and managed to get a spot in Wooler."

Its location right next to the A697 at Railtons antiques yard is sure to attract passing trade as the country reopens but Kate has been delighted to serve so many local residents during lockdown.

No doubt they are enjoying the barista coffee, bacon rolls and homemade cakes, quiches, traybakes.

“I feel like I have really got to know a lot of the locals and it’s certainly been a lot busier since I moved to this more visible location,” she admitted.

Kate, who grew up in Craster, has been around horses all her life and hoped to make a career of it.

She worked for a few different trainers, including George White who she rode her first point to point winner for before moving to racing yards in Sedgefield and Malton.

"That’s where I smashed my collar bones into pieces,” she recalled. “Then six months later I had a horse land on top of me.

"I had it plated and screwed so I was quite lucky in a way but I had to have six months off riding and it made me think about what I was going to do.

“That’s when the idea came to go self employed and get myself a trailer and convert it. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time and it’s been great.”

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