CHILDREN from a Bransholme school have been given an exclusive look around a new café.
Twenty-five pupils from Dorchester Primary School were invited for a behind-the-scenes look around the facility at Marks & Spencer Simply Food in Kingswood.
Children from the school were given a guided tour of the store and were the first to review the café and the treats it offers.
Chloe Fixter, ten, said: "The food is delicious and it was really good to try new things. I really enjoyed the blackberries and passion fruit.
"The decoration in the café is great, I love the design and the comfy seats."
The children were also treated to a celebratory lunch including Marks & Spencer sandwiches, snacks, cakes and cold drinks.
Ten-year-old Ellie Edwards, from Year 6, said: "I am definitely going to get my mum and dad to come and visit the café, they would love it."
Berni Barkham, store manager, was on hand to show the children around the store and explain how the industry works.
"We were delighted to be able to invite pupils from Dorchester Primary School to our new store," she said.
"We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get feedback from some of the harshest critics we could find.
"Thankfully, the café was a hit with the children and we look forward to welcoming them back in to the store with their families."
Lesley Stocks, deputy headteacher at the school, accompanied the children on the visit.
"The kids thoroughly enjoyed it and came away having tasted foods they had never tried before," she said.
"They were able to taste a variety of foods on offer and give feedback to Marks and Spencer.
"We try to give the kids different experiences outside of school where we can and this was a good opportunity for that."
The opening of the new store has created 65 jobs, of which 35 of the vacancies have been filled by job seekers from across Hull.
Ms Barkham said the store will be able to adapt to the needs of the customer to provide the best service possible.
"We pride ourselves on offering quality products and that is something that will not change," she said.
"We want to become an important part of the local community and offer the very best service to residents."
The new 15,000sqft store at Kingswood Retail Park opened its doors last week and will provide competition to supermarket giant Asda.
The store, which will be open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 8pm, and Sunday from 10.30am to 4.30pm, features a 52-seat café as well as an in-store bakery.
