Fermentation Workshop
Key details
When:
Date:
Time:
31st Oct
11:00 - 12:30
Where:
The Meadow Room, behind Blackthorpe Barn
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Ticket
per person £38
Each person attending requires a ticket
Bookings close on 29 October
Learn the skill of making food last using autumn produce
After the great successes of the previous fermentation workshops, come and join us for another one led by chef Rowen Halstead of Waste Not Rowen, showing new fermentation techniques with autumn produce.
Rowen has over 14 years of experience working in some of the most respected kitchens across the UK and around the world, and brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for building a more sustainable food system.
Central to Rowen’s approach is fermentation, an age-old craft that transforms surplus and overlooked ingredients into vibrant, flavour-packed foods. Through fermentation, ingredients that might otherwise be wasted are turned into something of greater value, unlocking bold flavours while naturally extending shelf life.
Fermentation and pickling might feel like lost arts, but a hundred years ago they were simply how you made food last. Salt, time and a little know-how were all it took to turn produce into kimchi, sauerkraut and more, keeping food on the table long after the season had passed. It’s easier than you think and a brilliant way to cut down on waste.
New Ferments for Autumn Days
In this hour-and-a-half workshop you’ll learn some fundamentals of fermentation while creating two delicious ferments of your own. These are great additions to your skillset if you’ve been to one of his workshops before, and perfect to try if it’s your first time.
What Will I do?
- Watch a demonstration of creating sauerkraut and kombucha, thinking ahead to using autumnal ingredients
- Be guided step-by-step to create two ferments of your own
- Make a spiced pumpkin sauerkraut
- Make an orchard fruit kombucha chutney
- Leave with the confidence to go and create your own ferments at home, sparking new creativity
Who is this workshop suitable for?
- From home cooks to food enthusiasts and anyone interested in budget-friendly, hands-on cooking and gut health
- For anyone who has been to a previous fermentation workshop, this is a great extension to those learnings
- No previous experience necessary
- People aged 16 and over
About Rowen Halstead
With years of experience in the industry and working in some of the most respected kitchens, Rowen Halstead has witnessed first-hand the immeasurable amount of avoidable food waste generated through a lack of knowledge, care and creativity. These experiences have shaped his commitment to building a more sustainable food system and deepened his belief in the power of practical, accessible solutions within professional and home kitchens alike.
Important information
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How it Works
01
Come to Blackthorpe Barn and park in one of the free car parks
02
Make your way to the Meadow Room, behind Roots Café
03
Rowen will demonstrate making the sauerkraut and the chutney
Rowen will share both the science and creativity behind fermentation, empowering you with the confidence and skills to reduce food waste in you own kitchen.
04
You will then have the opportunity to make your own
You will be handling the food ingredients yourself to make your own spiced pumpkin sauerkraut and orchard fruit kombucha chutney.
05
Take your own creations away with you to enjoy at home.
06
Perhaps visit Roots Café for a bite to eat and a drink or browse around the shop.
When the workshop is finished you might like to stay for a bite or a browse.
Roots Café is open each day 9am – 5pm.
Rougham Christmas Shop is open each day 9:30am – 5pm.
These opening times are valid from 19th October.
What to bring
- Wear comfortable clothing
- It would be helpful to bring 2x 1L jars that you can store your ferments in; if this isn’t possible, the jars will be provided
- Bringing an apron is advised
What is provided
- All implements and materials including ingredients, recipe cards and jars (if needed)
- Tea and coffee
Refund & cancellation policy
If you need to cancel a workshop
If you are unable to attend your booked workshop and notify us at least 7 full days in advance of the workshop date, we can offer a refund or a transfer to the same workshop on an alternative date, providing there are places available or a course is planned for the future.
If cancellation is within 7 full days of your workshop unfortunately we are unable to offer a refund. We do appreciate that sometimes unforeseen circumstances may mean that you can’t attend so we are happy for you to send along a friend to take your place. We will need their name and contact details prior to the workshop.
Our right to cancel a workshop
All our workshops have a minimum attendance level and may be cancelled if too few bookings are received. We reserve the right to cancel or postpone workshops at any time. Should we need to cancel a workshop, we will give you as much notice as possible of the cancellation. You will receive a full refund or, if you prefer, a transfer to an alternative available course, space permitting. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any liability for travel or other costs.
Where to find us
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
There is plenty of free parking available.
Accessible parking is available near the entrance to the Café/Shop area.
Please Note: The car park closes when the Roots Café closes and the entrance gates are locked after this time, unless your workshop goes beyond this time in which case the gates will be locked once the workshop finishes.
Blackthorpe Barn is situated just south of Junction 45 of the A14, three miles east of Bury St Edmunds, in the village of Rougham.
Look out for the entrance gates to a long tree-lined avenue at the White House junction, with the Barn on the right of the avenue.
The Meadow Room can be found behind the old thatched Barn and behind Roots Café.
What3Words for the Meadow Room: hands.dunk.drums
Related Events
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Just two weeks to go until our Arts & Crafts Fair returns to Blackthorpe Barn!
There’s something lovely about taking your time to wander around the Barn, discovering things you hadn’t expected to find and chatting to the people who have made them.
Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful Christmas gift, something beautiful for your home or simply a little inspiration, you’ll find plenty to explore.
Every maker has their own story, and with different exhibitors joining us each weekend, there’s always something new to discover so you may be tempted to visit more than once, our season ticket is just £10 online, giving you entry to all 10 days. Day tickets are £2.50 online, and children aged 15 and under go free.
We open on Saturday 14 November, 10am–4pm, with five weekends of makers and handmade treasures running through to 13 December.
Take a look at our website to explore the fair and book your tickets. We’d love to see you there.
#RoughamEstate #BlackthorpeBarn #ArtsAndCrafts
It’s the last days of Rougham Pumpkins 2026 and there are still plenty of pumpkins left to be picked, so come along for one last visit!
We are open 9am-5pm on Thursday, Friday and the last day, Saturday 31st October, with gates closing at 4pm each day.
Come and pick your pumpkins from the patch right where they’ve been growing, with space to run and play games, climb bale pyramids, ride pedal tractors, play in sand pits, make memories and take lots of fabulous photos.
Face painting is available every day from @faceitfaceart
There are plenty of picnic benches and these wonderful food trucks are with us each day:
Roots&Co - burgers and toasties, crumble, cakes, drinks including a bar
@geegeebakes - cheesecakes, milkshakes & coffees
@kiernanscoffee - coffees, drinks & snacks
@thecreperieshack - sweet & savoury crepes (Saturday 31st only)
Or bring your own picnic if you like.
We’ve had a great season despite the long dry summer, and it’s been excellent to welcome so many lovely visitors this year. Thank you for coming, for sharing your gorgeous photos and for all the kind comments. We love that you love coming here.
Don’t forget that Christmas is really getting into the swing over at Blackthorpe Barn half a mile away, with the Christmas Shop open every day already, Arts&Crafts open every weekend between 14th Nov-13th Dec in the glorious thatched barn, and our very own Christmas trees on sale from 20 Nov.
But now, for one last time:
🎃The pumpkins are just south of J45, A14 on Elderstub Lane. SatNav: IP30 9HZ
🎃Free entry, free parking, no booking needed
🎃Open 9am-5pm every day until 31st
🎃Find the golden pumpkin and win 1 barrow of pumpkins
🎃Well-behaved dogs welcome on a short lead in the picnic area and in a small area of the patch
All the details from our website.
See you at the patch for one last visit🧡🎃👋
#roughamestate #burystedmunds #suffolkevents #pickyourownpumpkin
Some Christmas presents are bought in a hurry. Others are discovered when you least expect them.
That’s part of the pleasure of visiting the Christmas shop at Blackthorpe Barn. You might arrive looking for a wreath or a few decorations and leave with a gift for someone special, a new addition to your own Christmas collection or an idea you hadn’t even considered.
With 25 years of Christmas shopping at Blackthorpe Barn behind us, we’ve had plenty of time to make this a seasonal tradition worth returning to.
So, if your Christmas list still has a few gaps, come and see what catches your eye. You never know what you might find.
Open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am–5pm, at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham Estate.
#RoughamEstate #BlackthorpeBarn #ChristmasShopping
New week, new dish…
Even better, new menu!
If you haven’t been in to try our new menu then you should! Try our pulled chicken – a beautiful combination of sweet and savoury together.
It’s different, but it’s delicious and one to look out for on the Roots Café menu. A delicious option for a relaxed brunch or a leisurely bite while visiting Rougham Estate.
Pair it with your favourite drink and enjoy a little time out at Blackthorpe Barn.
#RootsCafe #BrunchInSuffolk #RoughamEstate
Just 3 weeks to go until our Arts & Crafts Fair returns to Rougham Estate, at Blackthorpe Barn!
This year is extra special as we celebrate the 35th year of the fair, welcoming a wonderful selection of independent designer-makers from across the country for five weekends of beautiful handmade crafts.
Discover ceramics, jewellery, textiles, glassware, woodwork, baskets and so much more. Every maker is carefully selected, and you’ll have the chance to meet them in person and buy directly from the people who create their work.
Planning to visit more than once? Our season ticket offers fantastic value at just £10 online, giving you entry for all 10 days of the fair. Day tickets are £2.50 online, and children aged 15 and under go free.
Join us from Saturday 14 November, open 10am–4pm, across five weekends through to 13 December.
Find all the details, explore the makers and book your tickets on our website.
We can’t wait to welcome you!
#RoughamEstate #BlackthorpeBarn #ArtsAndCrafts
Not one, not two, but three!
On Thursday evening, Simon and Matt from our farming team collected three awards at the 2026 Suffolk Farm Business Competition at the Suffolk Agricultural Association Awards.
We were delighted to receive:
Third prize for Roots Café in Class 1: Best Farm Shop and Café.
Third prize for Rougham Estate Farms in Class 5: Farms of 50 hectares and over.
The Special Award for Best Farm Diversification, recognising the wider business at Rougham Estate.
These awards recognise the breadth of what we do here at Rougham against some very tough competition in the county - from our farming operations to the visitor experiences and businesses that sit alongside them.
We were also thrilled to see Rougham Primary School win the Schools Show Garden Competition who we proudly support by providing essential supplies, including compost, tools and wheelbarrows, helping pupils get hands-on with gardening and learn more about the natural world.
All in all, a very proud night and a fantastic team who deserve the recognition 🙌
#RoughamEstate #SuffolkFarming #RoughamPrimarySchool
SUNDAY UPDATE: Open at the usual time of 9am on Sunday 25th 👍😃
It’s still windy so be careful on the bale pyramids and there is some standing water on nearby roads. Otherwise, open as usual and looking forward to seeing you here!
_ _ _
The storms have started… so we have adjusted our opening times for this weekend and any last minute changes will be put up on our website, and on our stories.
We’ll be opening as usual at 9am on Saturday 24th October and we’ll stay open until mid-afternoon. The decision of exactly when to close will depend on when the weather starts to deteriorate.
Unfortunately we have had to cancel the Pumpkins by Torchlight and Silent Disco, which is a real shame, but we were unable to re-schedule the event and the weather looks too bad to even think about holding it on Saturday. Everyone who bought headset tickets has been refunded, but it may take a number of business days before your payment shows back on your original form of payment.
With the rain we’ve had recently, bring wellies and wrap up warmly, probably with a waterproof.
There are still plenty of pumpkins in the patch thinking “Pick me! Pick me!!”
And we still have a fantastic line-up of food and drink for you here:
Roots&Co - venison burgers, beef burgers, crumble, drinks including a bar - cider, lager, wine.
@badboiburritos - toasted burritos
@itsotisbreading - sourdough toasties (Saturday only)
@tikka_tonic - New Delhi style street food
@pigs_in - all your pork favourites
@thecreperieshack - sweet & savoury crepes
@geegeebakes - cheesecakes, milkshakes & coffees
@fullthrottlecoffeeco - coffees
@kiernanscoffee - tasty treats and warming drinks deep in the patch
Free entry, free parking, no booking needed.
A bit of weather won’t put a damper on things… come on down, enjoy some great food, find your pumpkins, and make the most of this changeable autumn weather!!
#roughampumpkins #roughamestate #burystedmunds #suffolkdaysout
It’s been a week since we welcomed subscribers from our newsletter mailing list and Suffolk Magazine to an exclusive preview of our Christmas Shop, giving them the chance to explore and shop before we officially opened to everyone on Monday.
The shop is now in full festive flow, open daily 9:30am-5pm, and it’s lovely to hear how much customers are enjoying this year’s displays and discovering new favourites.
Our preview event was about more than getting an early look at Christmas. Guests had the opportunity to meet the team and enjoy creative demonstrations and tutorials, picking up inspiration and ideas for making Christmas extra special at home.
Would you like to be among the first to shop next year?
Sign up to the Rougham Estate newsletter using the subscription form in the footer of any page on our website. You’ll be among the first to hear our latest news and have the chance to join us for future exclusive events.
#RoughamEstate #SuffolkMagazine #ChristmasAtRougham
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