Take a tour of Bramleigh Green with Sasha Lee
Gazing at the Spring cherry blossom and listening to the tweet of birdsong, I have to pinch myself to check I’m not dreaming. No, I really live in Bramleigh Green, running my own matcha café and matchmaking business. I’m Sasha Lee, and my café Matcha Moments sits at one end of the cobbled high street, facing The Green.
Nestled among sheep-studded emerald hills you wouldn’t think the town of Bramleigh Green was only a two- hour train ride from Paddington station. In my days as a law student, I could spend the same time stuck on the London Underground, breathing in the commuter herd’s morning breath. Here, the air’s as fresh as nectar and life’s slower paced and sweeter too. Unlike the anonymous city, the locals are actually interested in getting to know you – perhaps a little too well….
I arrived in Bramleigh Green feeling burnt out, a failure in love and work. Trying to please my East Asian parents, I’d attempted a career in law. Let’s just say it gave up on me before I gave up on it. At the same time, I suffered a devastating heartbreak. After a few months travelling and reconnecting with family in South East Asia, my best friend from uni, Klara, suggested I visit her in Bramleigh, where she runs her family’s independent bookshop, The Bookery.
Just by chance, an olde worlde tea shop that really had seen better days, was up for lease, doilies and all. And I took the plunge to open the café of my dreams, inspired by the matcha eateries I’d visited on my travels.
I kept the shop’s original wood panelling, but stripped back the plaster to expose the brickwork. It’s a fabulous backdrop for local artists to exhibit their photography and paintings. I had so much fun pootling round antique auctions, sourcing vintage tea sets, the cherry wood tables and chairs, and the squashiest of sofas.
Freelance pastry chef Nathan Mikamo, from the Sugar and Spice bakery across the road, helped me develop a menu of Japanese-inspired patisserie to make you drool. Such as matcha and pistachio croissants. Matcha and white chocolate chip cookies. And, my personal fave, a deliciously claggy baked matcha cheesecake, with a salted caramelised top.
Matcha Moments is the cosiest place to meet up with friends. Or you could snuggle on the sofa among the patchwork cushions and while away an hour reading your latest novel. The Bookclubbers, our local Bramleigh bookclub with a penchant for romantasy, often meet here over a cuppa. And it’s a popular ‘work-from-home’ space too. Sip on a frothy matcha latte, or fragrant pot of Oo long or smoky Pu-Erh. And enjoy a sweet treat while catching up on the latest gossip.
Local tip: choose a window table overlooking The Green, and you’ll never be short of entertainment.
And if you’re looking for love, you’ll be delighted to know I have an alternative to swiping on impersonal dating apps. My sideline is in magical matchmaking. I inherited psychic abilities from my Malaysian grandmother and I read the matcha bubbles as I whisk. A psychic vision will guide you to meeting your true love. Just ask some of Bramleigh’s happy couples who I’ve helped get together.
Whether you need a relaxing weekend break, or you’re thinking of re-locating, Bramleigh Green is your ideal choice. It’s been called one of the happiest towns in England. Whatever the time of year, you’re always welcome. Visit on one of our festival weekends and you can sample delicious street food, and try some arts and crafts. There’s plenty of holiday cottages you can rent. Or book a room in the boutique Bed and Breakfast above our medieval coaching inn, The Three Bells.
And if you’re single, why not book yourself the Matcha Maker Special? Who knows? You could meet the love of your life…
THE MATCHA MAKER CAFé by Lily Chen
At Matcha Moments, owner Sasha Lee is a star matchmaker, helping customers find love over a smooth cup of matcha. You’d think as the master she’d be living her fairy tale ending, but Sasha is allergic to commitment.
With a growing reputation, her successes are challenged when the ‘unmatchable’ Ben walks in – a man who believes he’s too boring for love. As Sasha tries to match him, she slowly finds herself drawn to his quiet charm.
As their daily banter becomes the highlight of her day, Sasha must confront the possibility that her own love story might be brewing. Will she embrace the unexpected romance, or let her past fears keep her from true love?
Romance Small Town [ Pan, On Sale: July 14, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781035099573 / ]
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About Lily Chen
Tania Tay writing under the pseudonym Lily Chen. Tania’s dream has always been to run a café. She loves baking and feeding sweet treats to her family and friends. As well as being an author, she is a professional cake decorator.Tania has a lifelong obsession with stories and storytelling. As a child she read all night, with a torch under the covers. She wrote stories and plays on her mum’s old typewriter in the school holidays. After studying for a degree in History of Art, her career was in advertising, as a copywriter. One day at a job interview, she was asked if she was a “brave writer” which made her join a short story class at the City Lit, with Leone Ross where she wrote a few weird dark tales. Her writing explores female friendship, and the relationship between mothers and daughters. Occasionally there’s a supernatural twist. Tania’s debut novel The Other Woman was published in 2024. She also ghostwrites children’s books and developed a screenplay with BBC Writersroom. Tania is second generation, British Malaysian Chinese, and lives with her family in East London.
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