Chef Ruth Bolton brings back her pop-up Christmas cafe to the Rougham estate.

A delightful yuletide pop-up café has opened in Rougham, promising warming treats and toasty teas as the winter weather creeps in.

Suffolk chef and writer Ruth Bolton and daughter Scarlett’s venture, The Little House of Cooking Café, has become part of the regular annual furniture at Blackthorpe Barns during its magical Christmas craft weekends and shop, and it’s open every single day up to and including December 22.

After perusing the British crafts in the barn, picking out your fresh Christmas tree from some of the best in the country, and looking for new tinsel and baubles in the magical shop, the café is the ideal place for a long pit stop.

Ruth says: “The pop-up café offers an unpretentious but warm and cosy atmosphere in the enormous former threshing barn. You will find a marvellous range of homemade cakes and delicious hand-baked produce including sausage rolls (made with meat from nearby Thurston butchers), as well as filter coffee, hot chocolate, a range of teas, posh pops and local apple juice.

“We’re open from 10am to 4pm. We’ll always have a homemade soup, Welsh rarebit, hot bacon rolls and smashed avocado available at lunchtime.”

Using the best quality ingredients, keeping it simple and keeping it fresh is high on the agenda for both Ruth and Scarlett. Coeliacs, vegetarians and vegans are also very well catered for.

Food is served street style from the temporary kitchen and Ruth has worked hard this year to ensure that all waste and the single use disposables are sent to be processed and turned into energy briquettes.

During the British Craft weekends the festive atmosphere and Christmas spirit spills out into the courtyard with mulled wine and hot mince pies served from Ruth’s colourful and quirky caravan until 5pm.