Hampton Wick High Street's newest coffee shop first opened its doors to the public last month (May).

Fifty - More Than Coffee, which is located in 40 High Street, is run by Canadian-born and local resident Colleen Wong.

Wong, who lives in Hampton Wick, built a tech company and ran it for around ten years before closing it due to a variety of reasons, such as BREXIT and COVID. She then became a Tech Consultant in East London.

Speaking about why she decided to leave the tech world and open her own coffee shop in Hampton Wick, Wong told Nub News: "I'm local to Hampton Wick, and I just wanted to be closer to my kids and spend more time here and less time commuting.

"So, I walked by the site one day and had a chat with the person who owned the previous shop. For me, because I've run a business before, a coffee shop wasn't something I dreamed about, but the commercials made sense.

"And then after that made sense, I was like, 'well, what can I do? What do I love? And what's missing?' And I realised I love coffee and I love ice cream, and I thought this street was actually missing that as well. So, I decided to open up Fifty."

Fifty specialises in two types of coffees, one being a standard roast and the other a blend, which Wong said: "has a more fruity note and is from an amazing coffee house in Kingston called Argonaut".

She added: We're friends with George who runs Argonaut and we love his coffee, so we brought it here.

"Our other coffee is a single origin, Brazilian roast, which is from Climpson & Sons in Broadway Market. It's another one that I really love. They've been roasters for many, many years, and I've always loved their coffee.

"But it's a bit of a commute to get there, so I brought them in."

Fifty's coffees generally come with traditional full milk, but there is also the option to opt for various lactose free flavours.

Fifty also sells sweet treats and pastries, which it sources from multiple bakeries in London, some being more local.

Last week, a local pastry chef brought in an item called a Cruller from Cardabelle, which Wong said is "going to be very special."

Within its sweet treats and pastries section, Fifty sells various little cakes as well as savoury items, including sausage rolls and vegan sausage rolls.

Additionally, Fifty has a lunch offer and has worked with Teddington Cheese to create its own signature cheese toasty called 'The Fifty Melt'.

It also sells a variety of bagels and focaccia sandwiches as well as ice cream.

I tried the vanilla and matcha swirl (a blend of the two flavours), which was absolutely delicious and super creamy - a perfect treat in the current heatwave.

Wong says she is looking to bring in new ice cream flavours too so that locals can try new things without having to trek into central London.

Wong moved to the area from Canada after completing her university studies in France and says she loves Hampton Wick.

Fifty's owner added: "Business has been unbelievable since we first opened. We've sold around 1,000 flat whites.

We have so much support from the local community and local businesses, including Sigma Sports across the street, my friends from Foresters, and bakeries and restaurants in Teddington andKingston.

"It's been absolutely wonderful. And, of course, everyone who's local will come in and be like, 'I'm from that road, I'm from that road, I'm from this road', so it's really nice.

Wong hopes to host various events at Fifty in the future too.

She held her first event, a jazz night, on Wednesday, 24 June, in which one of her customers played the saxophone.

The inspiration behind the name of the coffee shop is a personal story to Wong.

If you can guess why it is called Fifty correctly, you will get 20 per cent off your coffee.

Just email your answers to [email protected].