A popular town centre cafe is to close after 23 years in business.

The Munch House in Maidstone’s King Street has been providing breakfast and lunches to the town’s shoppers for more than two decades.

And for the last eight of those the business has been owned and managed by Australian-born Alexia Noel.

She told KentOnline: “It’s very much the end of an era. People have been coming in all week to say how sad they are to see us go and how they will miss us.”

Mrs Noel started working in the business 15 years ago, when it was run by the owner of the building. She took on the cafe eight years ago, with a sub-let on the lease.

She added: “Unfortunately, now the freehold-owner is looking to sell the lease, and with all the responsibiilty for the the upkeep of the building that comes with that, it wasn’t feasible for me to take it on.”

Instead, the lease has been sold to a Greek restaurateur. Alexia said: “I’ve met him. He seems very nice. I understand his intention is to sell Greek street food.”

Meanwhile, today (June 1) is the last day of trading for the Munch House, meaning Alexia and her two staff, Rosie Ashcroft and Tatjana Sevciuk, will lose their jobs.

Alexia said: “It’s very sad, We made a great team and both the staff and customers have been so supportive of me, even through the darkest of times.”

As well as dealing with Covid, Alexia suffered the unexpected sudden death of her husband four years ago - the father of their two children - whom she had first met at the cafe.

She said: “It’s very, very sad to be leaving. Many of the customers are regulars who have been coming for years. I shall miss them all.

One of those customers was Cllr Dave Naghi, the borough council’s cabinet member for community cohesion and safety.

He said: “I’ve been coming here for years - I used to come with my mum.

“I always have poached eggs because the way they do them the yolk is always bursting out - exactly as it should be!

“Life won’t be the same without the Munch House.”

Alexia plans to return to Australia for a short break and to see her family there, but has ambitions to return to Maidstone later and perhaps open another cafe.