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Willow Weaving Workshops: Boat Tray 2025
Key details
When:
Date:
Time:
3rd May
09:30 - 12:30
3rd May
13:30 - 16:30
Where:
The Meadow Room, behind Blackthorpe Barn
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Ticket
per person £48
Each person attending requires a ticket
Bookings close on 29th April
Half-Day Woven Willow Boat-shaped Tray Workshops
Come and join Stuart Fidler and Emma Booth – the Coddiwomplers – for a fun, relaxed willow weaving workshop.
What will I do?
- Under the tuition of two experienced willow-weavers, you will learn to make a woven willow boat tray using traditional basketry techniques and a range of willow varieties.
- This project gives great scope for using the different bark colours to create stripes.
- Also known as a banana tray, it can be used for fruit, or as a decorative item.
Who is this workshop suitable for?
- People aged 16 and over
- Beginners; no experience necessary
- Some manual dexterity and strength is required for weaving the willow
Important information
Gallery
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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
Enjoy making your boat tray and take it home, feeling proud at what you have achieved
04
Browse around the Garden Room shop or have a coffee at Roots Café
What to bring
- Wear comfortable clothing
- Secateurs, if you have some
What is provided
- All materials
- Tea, coffee and biscuits
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.
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.
Blackthorpe Barn’s black and white signs direct visitors from local roads.
The Meadow Room can be found behind the old thatched Barn and behind Roots Café.
What3Words for the Meadow Room: hands.dunk.drums
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Father’s Day is fast approaching…
Struggling with what to get him? Why not pick up a gift voucher for Rougham Estate?
Can be used in the shop or Roots cafe.
Each gift voucher is valid for 12 months and can be used over multiple visits.
It’s about giving them another reason to enjoy somewhere they already love being.
#RoughamEstate #GiftVouchers #SuffolkGifts #RootsCafe BlackthorpeBarn
As part of Rougham in Bloom, Suzy has been working on a beautiful idea that brings the garden right into the heart of the home: an edible wreath made from herbs, flowers and edible plants.
Designed to be hung on a door or used as a natural table centrepiece, it’s a living arrangement that can be picked from and enjoyed over time, blending decoration with everyday use in the kitchen.
This particular wreath combines trailing sugar snap pea plants with the vibrant, peppery blooms of nasturtiums, alongside pansies and violas which bring colour and a gentle, slightly grassy sweetness.
Alongside this, there are plenty of other herbs and edible flowers you can use to create your own versions at home. Herb flowers such as chive, basil and rosemary add subtle flavour, while lavender brings a fragrant note for baking and infusions.
It’s a simple but inspiring way of thinking differently about what we grow, where beauty and flavour sit side by side, and nothing in the garden needs to go to waste.
Part of Rougham Estate in Bloom, celebrating the many ways nature finds its way into everyday life.
For the full tutorial visit our website - link in profile
As always, do check and be sure of what’s edible before using plants in food or drink.
#RoughamInBloom #RoughamEstate #EdibleGarden #GrowYourOwn #SeasonalEating GardenToTable
We’re delighted to share that owner of Rougham Estate, George Agnew has been named a finalist in the 2026 East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards.
The nomination recognises George’s contribution to business, rural enterprise and the local community, as well as the impact he continues to have across Suffolk through his work on the Estate.
You may remember that George was also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award last year at the Bury Free Press awards. To see his continued commitment and contribution recognised once again is a wonderful achievement.
We look forward to sharing the outcome from the awards night on the 9th July.
#roughamestate #eadtbusinessawards2026 #suffolkbusinessperson
Ramble & Roots reminder!
Get some fresh air and meet new people on our Ramble & Roots walk on Monday 15 June at 10am, starting at Blackthorpe Barn.
It’s free to attend a relaxed and includes a guided route around the Estate and will last approximately 45 minutes.
At the end you can continue to chat over a cuppa that you can purchase in Roots Cafe. You can even treat yourself to a cake or brunch. More information is on our website.
To take part please register your interest by emailing [email protected]
#rambleandroots #communitywalks #roughamestate
We have a real treat this week. Not one, but two specials and a drinks special!
We have:
Brunch - roasted new potatoes, garlic peppers and onions coated in bacon jam and topped with halloumi.
Salad - dressed spinach leaves cucumber and tomatoes topped with red beetroot, golden beetroot, burrata and hot honey.
And for our drinks we have blueberry iced matcha with vanilla cold foam.
Only available this week 🍹So don’t miss out!
#foodspecial #Roughamestate #icedcoffee
It gives us great joy to share that Rougham Primary School has won large gold in the Suffolk Schools Show Garden Competition at last week’s Suffolk Show!
This fantastic achievement showcases the hard work and dedication of the students and their gardening club. We’ve loved supporting their journey over the years with compost, tools and wheelbarrows, and it’s so rewarding to see their efforts bloom!
A big shout-out to the talented young gardeners who made this possible. Your creativity and passion for gardening truly shine!
Congratulations, Rougham Primary! Here’s to many more gardening adventures ahead.
#RoughamEstate #RoughamPrimary #SuffolkShow #CommunitySupport
Photo credit to Suffolk Show.
Farming is a major part of life at the Estate.
While many envisage food crops, we also cultivate wildflower meadows, great for bees and biodiversity and excellent at returning nutrients to the soil.
As part of Rougham Estate in Bloom, we want to acknowledge this often-overlooked side of the farm.
#roughamestate #roughamestateinbloom #farmlife
@watsons_plants are back today and tomorrow.
You’ll find a beautiful range of garden plants to buy and also some advice from Chris himself on how to make your garden wonderful this summer!
#popupplantstall #roughamestate #gardenlover
Tag us @RoughamEstate
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