MANY people would agree that an afternoon spent in a tearoom with a friend can be as therapeutic as a walk on beach, or even a spa day, and that is certainly true when you walk through the doors of Langholm Tearoom and Farm Shop, based at Langholm Farm, Symington, in Ayrshire, where the Baird family have run the business since 2008.

Headed by Allan and Moreen, both 49, they are supported by their three children, Georgina, 22, Hannah, 21 and Craig, 19, with both daughters being employed in the tearoom's kitchen, while Craig is an apprentice joiner with James Wilson and Son of Auchmillan Ltd.

Each member of the Baird family is involved with the running of the business, while the children also have their own ventures, which is clear to see when The Scottish Farmer arrives at Langholm to find Georgina, known fondly as Georgie, working on a three-tier wedding cake that she has been asked to make by a regular customer.

Although most of us would find that quite a daunting task, Georgie is very relaxed about the process, and has already made a plentiful amount of beautiful, delicate flowers, to be placed on top of the third tier.

Before 2008, the family lived at another farm in the same area, which was a dairy set-up, but due to some health issues and a big birthday, Moreen and Allan chose to take the plunge and move to Langholm.

"We both turned 40, and we thought it was time for a change, and so we purchased this place," Moreen, affectionately known as Mo, explained.

"Allan has diabetes, and we decided it would be a huge benefit for his health to come here, and it definitely has been.

"We really loved dairy farming, but it made sense for us to come here, as we didn't need to move far away, or change the kids' school, which was obviously quite a positive factor."

Langholm also meant that Allan could continue being a farmer, giving him 166 acres, which he uses to run a 50 beef suckler herd. This is made up of Aberdeen-Angus crossed to Simmentals, which produce calves that are then sold around the end of September, through Craig Wilson Ltd, at Ayr, providing the farm's main income.

On top of this, he has Texel and Border Leicester crosses, alongside two Valais Blacknose sheep, known as Jack and Victor, and a Clydesdale with a foal, which won Craigie Show, hosted at Langholm for the first time this year. She was also placed reserve at Dundonald Show, which Allan is the current president of.

Free-range ducks and hens can also be found at the farm, and the eggs from these are then used in the tea room, and all of these animals are quite an attraction for many of the customers and children who come to Langholm.

Although the farm is Allan's side of the business, he also has a big involvement in the tearoom, particularly in the take-away side of things. He said: "We offer a take-away service, and that can be anything from soup, main meals and cakes to Christmas dinners, which we can prepare for up to 12 people.

"My role is to take and organise any take-away orders, and prepare them for pick-up by the customer."

The tearoom itself can hold up to 80 people at one time, while a further 44 people can be seated outside, with 20 of those seats spread across two summer houses, which are often occupied by cyclists and larger parties.

In order to expand the tearoom slightly, an extension was added onto the kitchen in November last year, and it has made life a lot easier for the staff, but on whether they intend to expand further, Allan explained: "I don't think we need to expand the size of the tearoom because it works as it is at the moment, and trying to make it bigger might ruin what we have, and that's not what we want to do."

Staff are very important to the Langholm business, and Allan and Mo now employ 18 people in total, who all work on either a full or part-time basis.

One of those staff, Nicola, who works in the kitchen, is what many would describe as second in command, after Allan and Mo, and not much happens in the tearoom without it being run by her first.

"Anytime I think about her, or speak about her, I always consider her as the backbone of the business," explains Mo.

"She has been here since not long after we opened, and she really determines everything.

"Overall, we have a great team here, and we are really lucky that our staff turnover is low, and they are all very loyal.

"Generally, we employ staff from the age of 15 until they have completed university, and are ready to move onto their full-time careers.

"We are all like a big family, and it's a really nice atmosphere.”

Allan and Mo both agree that Mother's Day and Christmas Eve are the two busiest days of the year, although sometimes the tearoom can be packed on what they would consider to be less significant days.

Allan commented: "We always anticipate those two days being really busy, and we always prepare for that, but just last week we had a day that was as busy a Christmas Eve, and that was on a Wednesday, and the school holidays were over by then," with Mo adding: "You can't ever really predict what kind of day you are going to have, so we always prepare to be challenged on a daily basis."

All of the food at Langholm comes from local suppliers, and gifts for all occasions can be found in the shop, as well as a gallery of paintings, and these also come from local retailers and artists.

Discussing today's culture, Allan and Mo both commented on the fact that more and more people seem to eat out now than ever before, with Mo commenting: "People are always saying 'oh there's no money, there's no money’, but I would say the number of people who come here, and who go to other eateries, has increased every year."

With an increased number of tearooms, coffee shops and restaurants opening all the time, many people would assume that Allan and Mo would be concerned about their own business, particularly with a new coffee shop, known as The Coo Shed, being opened up by the Kerr family, just outside of Ayr, and not too far from Langholm's doorstep.

"It doesn't worry me at all," Mo explains, "because I am really good friends with the Kerr family, and fully encouraged them to do it.

"The Kerrs are very driven, and I believe that everything they do in life will be a complete success, so why shouldn't they make a go of having their own coffee shop?

"Regardless, other venues opening up doesn't worry us, because it's good to have a bit of competition. It really makes you think about your own business, and look at ways you can adapt and improve it, and, besides, I like to have other tearooms to go to when I want to have some downtime, too!"

In the nine years that the Baird family have been in Langholm, the tearoom has only ever been shut once, and that was due to a rather amusing story, told by Allan.

"Myself and Craig found two World War Two bomb shells, which were 18 inches in size, around four or five years ago, on the wooded ground at Langholm, on January 3.

"We had to call the police who then called Faslane bomb disposal unit, which resulted in them coming out and closing the road for the day.

"It turned out one of the bombs was still live, and so it had to be detonated, and some people in Symington said they felt the tremble of it, so that created some excitement for us, but that's the only time we have ever had to close the tearoom, and it just meant we had an extra day off, after the new year," he explained.

On the Langholm menu, there are a variety of options available, with chicken and rice soup, chicken curry, steak pie, Malteser and caramel pavlova and pineapple tarts being the most-ordered items, with an array of other meals, snacks and treats available.

Asked about her passion for the business, and how she maintains her enthusiasm, Mo concluded: "It's not a job to me, it's my life. I'm a people person, and I love to see customers smile, and always try to make sure they do so before they leave, which can sometimes be a challenge, but I usually manage it in the end!"

And it's certainly hard to imagine anyone not being able to smile in the presence of Mo, who could make even the coldest of hearts fill with happiness.

Langholm Tearoom and Farm Shop is open seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm, and more information can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.comLangholmFarmShopTeaRoom/