Gilbert welcomes you

“Hello, I’m Gilbert and I’ll be your host today. Click me to visit inside the Windsor Rose.”

About Us

The Windsor Rose has now closed it’s doors as of December 31, 2022.

Past History of The Windsor Rose Tea Room and Restaurant!

The Windsor Rose History

The Windsor Rose Old English Tea Room and Restaurant was born in 1991. It was a small quaint hideaway among a delightful garden filled with the aroma of hot fresh pastries, scones and many flavors of tea. The original location was owned by Richard and Christine Annis. Richard hails from California and Christine from Britain. Many of the historic adornments decorating the walls of the Windsor came from England and were acquired by the couple. They owned the Windsor for eleven years. It was first tucked away behind an inviting arbor covered with greenery. A step inside the cobblestone path revealed a brick patio with a comforting bench overlooking a delightful garden of flowering plants. The Windsor soon outgrew the original location with only seven tables and Richard and Christine moved the restaurant to the larger building originally called, “The Garden Shop” next door.

The old building, courtyard, and arbor are still in full view of the west windows. The original Windsor location is nestled among many hanging plants of what is now a unique gift shop specializing in unusual home décor and candles owned by Terry Cummins appropriately named, Piece of Mine, for many years.

The second owners of the Windsor were another mixture of British and Asian descent. The third owners were a British couple, Chris and Dawn Adams. The fourth owners were a British couple, Paul and Susan Goodale from Essex. Paul remains the current owner with a slight twist.

Paul brought family recipes to the Windsor and the English menu expanded to include classic British fayre complimented with the freshest and best ingredients with imported products to retain the authenticity of each dish. Everything at the Windsor is homemade and a labour of love by the devoted kitchen staff under Paul’s leadership.

Susan Goodale was the “face” of the Windsor Rose and spent a great deal of time meeting and greeting people and chatting with the customers. For those that knew her they remained true friends. Unfortunately, Susan returned to England in 2008 in poor health missing England and her sons and eventually Susan and Paul divorced.

Paul kept the restaurant going seven days a week during rough times. One must keep spirits high and Paul kept a stiff upper lip with the help of a devoted staff!  After Susan Goodale returned to England, Sue Cruz was hired as the Windsor’s Manageress and was the person most associated with the front of the restaurant until she retired in June 2012.

The current chapter of the Windsor history gets a bit more exciting. Paul met Marsha and it was truly love at first sight. Being American, and a true Daughter of the American Revolution they make an interesting couple. They married in 2009. Marsha works in the restaurant as many days as possible and loves to get to know the customers.

Our local customers have come to rely on great service in a friendly, lovely atmosphere where the servers cater to the needs of our guests. Locals have favorite tables as well as servers and look forward to spending weekly visits at the Windsor. Each server has their own charismatic / eccentric personality that helps to give our staff pride in their performance while serving the delectable entrees and handmade desserts to our customers.

Our kitchen team works in synchronicity under Paul’s supervision. Our daily specials and unusual pairing of sauces over fresh salmon filets results in both the inviting look of an edible work of art and a mouth-watering masterpiece. We feature a homemade soup du jour and many creative culinary seasonal specials that do not appear on our lunch menu. There is literally something for everyone’s palate.

The Windsor Rose has become quite a well-known restaurant over the years with a very loyal following. We have regular visits from British citizens on holiday as well as those that have settled stateside. Our American patrons come from all over the United States for a bit of royal hospitali-tea! The Windsor is steeped in Royal history which makes it a destination for those who are interested in dining among the Kings and Queens.

The Windsor is becoming known not only for their food but for British  imported teas from favorite English brands like Taylors, Yorkshire, Twining’s, Ahmad and Tetley. Most recently, the Windsor has expanded into carrying Stash tea and hand blended loose leaf teas.

We also carry a large selection of handmade custom tea cozies commissioned from many talented sources, and a selection by local crafters. The Windsor carries a large selection of imported fine bone English china teapots, cups & saucers, and Royal commemorative gift items for purchase.

Whether it is a trip to the Windsor Rose for a gift, a gift certificate, souvenirs, teas, or a great meal we look forward to making your experience a memorable one! The current chapter of the Windsor history is still being written–while we endeavor to stay with tradition, we are always looking for ways to improve all that we offer. There is always something brewing at The Windsor Rose so visit our website often for the latest event information.

About The Goodale’s

Paul has always been an entrepreneur. He has owned several businesses in the past as well as being a graphic designer in London. Paul owned a bakery in England and a record shop in the late seventies aptly called, “Riot Records”. Paul has owned the Windsor since 2005. On September 20, 2020 Paul celebrated his 15th year owning The Windsor, and giving him the distinction of the longest owner! Every day Paul is in the kitchen. Paul starts early making the scones and the traditional English Cornish Pasty’s using his favorite recipes, the Victoria Sponge Cake or creating the “specials” for the Scottish Salmon served daily.

Marsha has also been an entrepreneur working in the music industry for thirty years and owning a record store, “Stacks O’ Tracks” with her partner Curtis, prior to working for A&M Records in Hollywood. Oddly enough, both Paul and Marsha owned music stores at the same time just on different sides of the Atlantic!

Marsha’s varied career in retail, marketing, merchandising, corporate sales training and management has been the perfect background to compliment the endeavors of the grueling restaurant industry.

Marsha’s ancestor, Arthur Middleton, signed the Declaration of Independence. So Marsha could claim perhaps that somewhere in her lineage she is related to Kate Middleton! However, as she did not receive a personal Royal invitation to the Wedding of the Century it must be assumed that she is far removed. She is also very distantly related to Abraham Lincoln.  Marsha has some Irish heritage in her bloodline and related to many Sweeney’s from Ireland. The patriotism comes a bit at odds on the Fourth of July when Marsha and Paul are on the opposite sides of the battle but still delight in sharing tea!

Since two creative heads are better than one, The Windsor has made many changes and the Goodale’s combined talents have broadened the restaurant direction in many areas. We hope to continue surprising and delighting our clientele for many years to come. Look for our new upcoming event schedules! We value your business and look forward to seeing you soon!

About Our Staff

The Windsor Rose Staff and Management Team

Owners: Paul & Marsha Goodale UNTIL December 31, 2022.

Our hardworking kitchen with: Our Crew: Seth and all of our staff who keep our standards high. We could not be who we are without this team.

Our friendly servers:  Our Floor Manager–Rita; Debora, my assistant and  Tracy (born in Windsor, England) our resident artist who all work tirelessly to make every visit to the Windsor a wonderful experience and our newest addition, Lani.

Thanks to Chef Kiet for teaching all of us what a real presentation of delicious food looks like, and all the effort that went into his creations–best of luck in the future. We cannot thank our Irish Joe enough even though his time with us was short, he brought professionalism to a new level and creative expertise beyond what we could have imagined!

We have all missed our “Super-sparkly” Emily who became a real leader while she was with us. Although she became like our daughter we know that all of her education will finally take shape as she moves into the field of “Physical Therapy”. The same is true of Hope, who came to us very shy and after a few years at the Windsor she also took a leadership role and is now pursing her dream of becoming a nurse.

I would like to personally “Thank” all our customers who have stopped by to inquire about me, send me cards, pray for me and give me special gifts, since my breast cancer diagnosis in October 2017. It made my fight easier knowing that so many people have shown true concern, caring and love…..Marsha

In Fond Memory:

Our beloved Chef Rocco Gagliotti

Our server, Linda Morehouse, and our valued customer Miss Nancy.

A special mention for our good customer, Ray Cure who served his country in WWII and loved coming to the Windsor with his wife Betty.

Rest in Peace to our good customer Carlo Baumgartner who lost his battle with a long illness 08-20-14. He is survived by our faithful customers Charlie and Miguel; heaven has another angel with wings. Now Charlie has joined Carlo and I am sure they are looking down on us with Charlie’s satirical wit! Both Charlie and Carlo are survived by classical guitarist Miguel Gonzales.

A peaceful passage to our dear friend and customer Ermyne Pearson who once owned The Drawer, a fixture in downtown Mount Dora who held many lunches for various causes at The Windsor. A special “thanks” is in order for providing shelter for our cat, “Meanie” who did reside underneath The Drawer building and made it her home for over fourteen years. As a very small footnote: Paul and I adopted “Meanie” and “Sweetie” the two feral cats and have brought them home to live with us in 2020.

We lost a dear friend and customer, Geoff Parnell, survived by his wife Glenda. We lost a good customer Michael in 2019, survived by her son Blake.

The Windsor has lost two former owners. Richard Annis died in 2019 survived by his wife Christine who still owns “Highland Street Cafe”, in Mount Dora.

We also received sad news recently from Martin Kemp, one of Susan Ann Kemp Goodale’s sons, (Paul’s ex-wife) who died in the U.K. Our condolences go out to all of her family. Susan and Paul were married 15 years. Although Susan and Paul came over on an E-2 Visa, it was Susan who fell in love with “The Windsor Rose”. Susan worked at the Windsor the first few years in 2005-2007, before returning to the U.K. after a heart problem. Susan passed in January 2020. The Windsor Rose will share the loss of Susan Kemp Goodale with her extended family in the U.K., Rest in Peace Susan Goodale 1948-2020.

We lost a good customer and friend, Jon Lapin in September 2020. He was always a bright light for me as we were both suffering with cancer at the same time.

******SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS******

Thanks to all of our faithful customers that come week after week to bring a little sunshine into our lives: Mark and Shawn Powers; Ron DeBucque with Pat or his sister faithfully every Monday at table seven; Janet & Don who stop by whenever they are in Mount Dora, Randy & Ed, and friends, who started as visitors from Indiana and now reside in Mount Dora. There are countless more to thank that have been our customers throughout the years that we now count as friends…THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!