- This event has passed.
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
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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Today we say farewell to Danny our head chef.
For the last couple of years, Danny has been the culinary creative behind the delightful dishes on our menu, and has shaped how Roots is today.
We would like to thank him and wish him well in his next chapter.
And…
Don’t miss out on his final special with us this week of Hash Brown, Suffolk Black Pudding Purée, Avocado, Poached Egg, Sumac.
More news will follow on our new head chef and in the meantime our menu will remain the same.
#thankyou #bestwishes #foodgenius
Watson Plants pop-up returns to Rougham Estate this bank holiday weekend.
Whether you need expert gardening advice or want to pick up new plants for a vibrant summer garden, it’s the perfect chance to give your outdoor space some TLC while you have a bit more time off.
Don’t forget to nip into the Rougham Estate shop while you’re here to grab your gardening essentials - from tools to treats!
#gardening #gardeningideas #popupplants #roughamestate
The votes are in, the butchers have delivered, and your custom sausage creation is officially hitting the menu.
We’ve been working with @thurstonbutchers to bring this taste sensation to life, and starting today, the Brie & Chipotle Jam Sausage is ready for you. 🙌
Here is exactly what’s on the board this week:
The Signature Ciabatta…
Our bespoke sausages served in a crusty ciabatta, loaded with fresh rocket, sweet onion jam and a drizzle of chipotle mayo for that extra kick.
The Benedict Swap…
For those who can’t start the day without a Benedict, you can upgrade your Pork Belly Benny to the new Brie and chipotle jam sausages.
Our new sausage flavour profile was chosen by our followers, so pop down and get a taste of what we’ve created especially for you. We’ll be serving these until the batch runs out.
Available at Roots Cafe all week. Open daily from 9am-4pm!
#rootscafe #suffolksausage #roughamestate #rootssausage #thurstonbutchers
So that’s it…
After weeks of hard graft, the final touches on the new thatch have been completed on our much loved Blackthorpe Barn.
As @dodsonbrosthatchers packed up their tools and the scaffolding came down, the rethatch is finally finished and the car park is now back to normal and life here is returning to its gentle rhythm of normality.
We hope everyone who visited to see the rethatch found it as enlightening as we did. Watching traditional craft brought to life reminded us why moments like these, which only come around every 35 years for the Estate, make the history of the estate so precious to preserve.
Here’s a small recap of the final works on the beautiful Blackthorpe Barn.
#roughamestate #blackthorpebarn #burystedmunds
Our baristas Charlie and Katie are staying one step ahead of the grind with some hands-on training from @butterworths coffee.
From dialling in the perfect shot to steaming milk just right, they’ve been fine-tuning their skills with a local supplier that really knows its beans!
It’s all about raising the bar(ista) and making sure every cup we serve is brewed to perfection.
Come and put them to the test…☕️
#BaristaLife #CoffeeCraft #StayGrounded #BrewedToPerfection #SupportLocal
The weather’s looking a little more inviting… which can only mean one thing – it’s time to get out and explore.
There is no better place to do that than in the Suffolk countryside amongst the daffies and other spring flowers.
Our walks around Rougham Estate are the perfect excuse to enjoy a breath of fresh air, stretch your legs, and take in the beauty of the estate as the seasons begin to shift.
Whether it’s a gentle wander or something a little more purposeful, there’s a range of different walks to suit most abilities and all listed on our website.
Then, perhaps a well-earned stop at Roots Café afterwards - and a detour to the Rougham Estate Shop?
What a perfect day out!
#walks #whattodoinburystedmunds #rootscafe #outdoors
We realise we are a little late to the party with this post, but we could not let the week pass without celebrating Suzy - our brilliant visual merchandiser and who is also a qualified florist. She was back on our screens last Sunday for series three of the Jimmy and Shivvy farmhouse show.
Suzy was invited back to share more of her crafting expertise after her previous appearance on the series.
We are very proud to see a member of our team showcasing her skills to the rest of the country because she is really that good. So good that you will see her creativity shine through in the shop when you visit.
If you missed the broadcast, we highly recommend finding it on catch up where she features alongside Paul Hainsworth. In the meantime, you can see Suzy’s creative work in person by visiting the Rougham Estate shop to view her latest displays and floral arrangements.
#floristry #roughamestate #creativity
This dish is making us hungry as we type…
Only available as this week’s Café Special, it’s BBQ pulled pork with sweet potato hash, jalapeno salsa, poached egg, hollandaise dusted with sumac.
Don’t miss out, when it’s gone, it’s gone!
#rootscafe #roughamestate #wheretoeatburystedmunds #cafesburystedmunds
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