Emmerdale Farm Shop has a new cafe so you can stock up on local produce and enjoy a tasty coffee and cake treat at the same time
Visits to the Suffolk Heritage Coast just got even better with the arrival of a new 30-seat cafe at Emmerdale Farm Shop in Darsham called The Bakehouse. It’s the brainwave of talented pastry chef and beekeeper Mark Mills and is sure to be popular with walkers, cyclists and people simply enjoying a day out, who can sit in, eat outside, or take away boxes of handmade cakes, pastries and savouries.
Mark, who also runs Black Dog Apiaries and Bakehouse in Beccles, describes the Bakehouse as a "patisserie/bakery with seats". "We don’t have a formal café menu. We just bake every day and fill the counter," he says. "We will change it up all the time, pretty much every day. It’s whatever I feel like making." Mark uses meat from the farm shop, local eggs and as much other local produce as he can. Typical savoury fare ranges from sausage rolls and Scotch eggs made with meat from the farm shop, to frittatas, stuffed focaccia sandwiches, quiches and cheese scones.
Sweet offerings include apricot and Amaretto tart, raspberry and rose teacakes, Biscoff caramel gateau, date and walnut loaf cake, and hazelnut praline chocolate brownies. Mark’s honey will find its way into a few items too now and then, and the honey itself, and honey-based products, are available to buy and take home. Food is complemented by a selection of soft drinks, tea, hot chocolate and Freshpak signature premium coffee. Afternoon tea and cream teas are available daily.
“We’ve been so busy,” says Mark. “It’s very good. People seem to be thrilled with what we’re doing. Even the people who’ve come in expecting a full English breakfast have been overwhelmed by the choice. We’re winning them over, one cup of tea and slice of cake at a time.”
The Bakehouse is open daily 9.30am to 4pm. Mark also hopes to take over the café at Three Willows Garden Centre in Flixton this summer.
SUBSCRIBE: Get Suffolk magazine every month and discover more about our great county
