It could be named Hamilton's Hard to Find Cafe, but somehow from the moment the doors opened a year ago, people seemed to be onto this singular place.

Is it a cafe? Is it a collectables store? It doesn't matter, because Grey Gardens, in Shed 6, Lovegrove Lane, tucked off Hamilton East's main drag, Grey St, does both things very well.

There are untold retail opportunities among the displays of vintage china, glass, games, mirrors, framed tapestries, ghetto-blasters and suchlike. There is excellent Rocket coffee to be had, from the hands of barista Bardo Ashton, and Bruno Cavell, who owns Grey Gardens with his partner Amelia Hedge. And if you're peckish, there is a small but perfectly formed selection of baking by Amelia to sustain you.

Amelia's golden scones are legendary in Hamilton East, and on this Tuesday morning customers are eating her delicious roast beetroot, feta and fennel combo.

Says Amelia, "I can make scones with my eyes closed now." She does a batch of 18 each day and a double batch on Sundays.

She started with the scone recipe from the Edmonds Cookery Book, she's adjusted it, "working out what works". The key, she says is grating the cold butter into the flour, and not overworking the mixture.

There are also old-school chocolate lamingtons in the cabinet, passionfruit yo-yos, chocolate Anzac biscuits, and a luscious ricotta cake flavoured with peach, mango and mint. In the winter, Bruno makes robust vegetable soups (see recipe).

In the new year, Bruno and Amelia plan to launch a menu of "nice things on delicious breads". They're thinking about sweet Middle Eastern condiments such as pistachio butter and rose honey. There may also be a Reuben-style corned beef sandwich, perhaps croque-monsieur, and other toppings such as salmon with ricotta and capers. Things are steadily evolving in Grey Gardens' food department.

Bruno and Amelia say that when they opened the doors, they didn't exactly know what direction the business would take. They weren't sure if the collectables/vintage retail side would be successful, or whether Grey Gardens would turn out to be more of a cafe

At first, they just did coffee, and sold donuts made by the very good Mama's Donuts outfit in Frankton. They still sell these, but the demand for food grew, and Amelia and Bruno began doing their own cooking. "Whatever we do, people like it, they like our homely food."

There's also that intangible at Grey Gardens of a warm welcome, along with vinyl records playing on an actual turntable, and while you wait for coffee and comestibles, you can peruse the collectables and avail yourself of some vintage glassware, some teacups like your nana used to own, or a painstakingly executed tapestry.

There are also lovely handcrafted items for children, the work of Amelia's step-mother. Amelia's late grandfather's solid workbench serves as the cafe counter, and his old rope pulley has been resurrected as an item of interest.

Amelia is an inveterate collector, so is Bruno, they've got a mountain of stuff at home. "We're just as bad as each other," Amelia says.

Amelia's worked in hospitality in Hamilton since she was a 14-year-old schoolgirl, doing shifts at the former Hydro Majestic cafe. Bruno, who grew up in London, studied animation at university. He later decided he didn't want to sit behind a desk, and he kind of fell into cafe work. He moved to New Zealand in 2006, and owned Agnes Curran cafe, in Ponsonby, Auckland.

He and Amelia met, they later moved to Hamilton, Amelia's hometown, and they're now parents to Edie, 3, and Archer, nine months. Bruno worked at Chim Choo Ree restaurant when they first came to Hamilton, and Amelia spent a year at the recycling shop at the city's Refuse Transfer Station. "The dump shop", as she succinctly describes it, probably the perfect place for a magpie to work.

They're pleased with what they've achieved, and they like the friendliness of the little lane where they're situated. If you venture down there, you'll spot Grey Gardens easily. It's the place with floral umbrellas by the front door, just like the ones your nana used to own.

Smoky charred eggplant and roast tomato soup:

(Makes 6-8 servings, freezes well).

2-3 eggplants (depending on size)

2 medium onions

2 celery stalks

2 garlic bulbs

10 ripe tomatoes

4cm of ginger

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon paprika

1 dessertspoon balsamic vinegar

1 dessertspoon brown sugar

1 litre vegetable stock

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to medium heat, about 160C.

Cut tomatoes in half and sprinkle with balsamic, sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Cut the top quarter or so off each garlic bulb and drizzle with olive oil. Place garlic and tomatoes on an oven tray and roast for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, take eggplant, remove green stalks and cut each lengthways into four slices. Char the slices in small batches on a smoking hot griddle for at least two minutes each side. You don't need oil for this part.

Once all slices are charred, place on another oven tray and drizzle with olive oil and one tablespoon of smoked paprika. Season well. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.

While everything is finishing off in the oven roughly chop the onion, celery and ginger. Gently saute in a large soup pot on a medium heat in a good drizzle of olive oil. Cook until translucent. When tomatoes, eggplant and garlic are golden brown, remove from oven. Squeeze out the sweet, soft garlic from the skin and add to pot with the tomatoes and eggplant. Make sure you scrape any bits and leftover oil from the roasting trays into to the pot too.

Add the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes. Make sure the stock covers the ingredients, if not top up with water until everything is covered.

Blend everything in a liquidiser, and serve with sour cream or yoghurt, fresh coriander and crusty toast. Done.