MOVING to Herefordshire from the city for a life change 11 years ago, Sam Mizrahi and her family now find themselves a part of living history.

At Ye Olde Steppes, Pembridge’s iconic shop and tearoom, the bubbly wife and mother has welcomed customers as a manager for four years. But this autumn Sam has to keep reminding herself that the handsome black and white building and its award-winning business now actually belong to her.

A native of Manchester, Sam feels strongly that she is a custodian of the Steppes, a Grade II listed building dating back to the 16th century. “I’m just looking after it, while I’m here I’ve got it in my hands, and I’m so proud of it.”

Sam wants the Steppes to be a “proper village shop” and there are plans for the business to open on Sundays. She and her husband, Adrian and their 22-year-old daughter, Zoe have moved in to what they see as their dream home. Only 11-year-old Labrador, Roly is having to adjust. “He can’t get up the stairs - rather ironic as we live at the Steppes!”

Having worked for the previous owners, Gary Seaton and Mark Ratcliffe - who transformed the once empty building into a flourishing enterprise at the heart of the community - Sam can’t believe her luck in becoming the new owner.

She was working with pre-school children in Pembridge when she popped into the newly opened shop in 2011. “I called in to see if there might be a job for my daughter,” she says. “Gary asked me if I might like a job myself!

“I never dreamt that one day I would be able to buy the shop,” says Sam. The transfer of ownership from Gary and Mark, known affectionately in the village as ‘the boys’, has come with their blessing.

“It was put on the market, and the price got lower and lower until it became a reachable asset for me,” says Sam. “They told me they knew how much I loved this shop, they wanted me to have it. If it wasn’t for Gary and Mark, I wouldn’t be here.”

Known for her warmth and happy smile, Sam has been a familiar face at the Steppes almost from the start, and the loyal staff behind its success has remained with her. Sam and the team were part of the winning formula which brought honours for the Steppes in the Best Village Shop in the Midlands competition and runner-up Best Village Shop in the UK. Above all, she praises the support of the village for the business’s continuing success.

She is very much aware of the shop’s long history, and has become caretaker of a box, which belongs to each owner in a long line of proprietors. containing old photographs and documents from its past.

The secret of her happy view of life? “I love every day, and I don’t worry. There’s no point in worrying.”