ROOTS CAFÉ
Nestled within the Estate’s picturesque surroundings, this comfortable café brings Suffolk’s finest to your table with a menu of locally-sourced dishes and refreshments.
TODAY’S OPENING TIMES
- Roots Café 09:00 – 16:00
- Open daily, including bank holidays
Address
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
What3Words: ///newly.sofas.debating
ABOUT ROOTS CAFÉ
Welcome to our café, Roots, nestled in the heart of the Blackthorpe Barn complex on Rougham Estate.
With a storied history spanning decades, this location is a convenient out-of-town chill-out spot to meet up, a cosy gathering place for the community, now open throughout the year. For breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, we hope Roots will become your go-to destination. Everyone is welcome: walkers, cyclists, families and dogs.
Open every day, including Bank Holidays.
Closed on 24th, 25th and 26th December.
Email [email protected] and please include a number we can call you on.
Reservations are only confirmed when you receive a confirmation call/email from us.
More information lower down this page.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the café with a paws-on-the-floor policy.
Please do keep your dog under control and ensure that your dog does not disturb other people’s enjoyment of the premises or block passageways.
Blackthorpe Barn is a step-free location with dedicated accessible parking near the entrance and two accessible toilets, one of which is in the cafe, and one in the courtyard.
Find out more and buy Rougham Estate gift vouchers by clicking here. (Opens in new tab)
How it Works
First Come, First Served
We operate on a first come, first served basis.
Reservations are taken for groups of 6 or more on weekdays only.
Children
Come and visit as a family; there is a section on the menu specifically for children. Highchairs are available as well as a baby-changing unit.
Take-Away Available
Teas, coffees and cakes are available to take with you – perfect when taking the dog for a walk. Order at the front counter.
Well-behaved Dogs Welcome
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the café with a paws-on-the-floor policy; they will be welcomed with their own bowl of water.
- Please keep your dog under control and ensure that your dog does not disturb other people’s enjoyment of the premises or block passageways.
Dietary Requirements
Vegans and vegetarians are catered for and, whilst we do our utmost to accommodate dietary and allergy requirements, gluten, nuts and animal products are used in the kitchen.
We stock gluten-free bread and serve some gluten-free dishes. Dishes that have gluten-free options or vegan options are shown on the menu. Please ask if you have any queries when ordering.
- For details of allergens in each dish, please see the downloadable pdf menus below
Parking
There is plenty of free parking available, including accessible parking.
Openings and Bookings
The café is open every day including Bank Holidays.
- To book for a group of 6 or more on a weekday, email [email protected]
Bookings are only confirmed when you hear back from us. See below for more details. - Over the Christmas period, we are closed on 24th, 25th, 26th December.
Allergen Information
Please inform our waiting staff of any food allergies before ordering.
Our menu gives general guidance about ingredients which may affect those with food intolerance and allergies.
Please note, however, that our kitchen handles many types of food and drink each day and although we do our very best to avoid cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee this does not happen. Ultimately, the final choice about what to eat rests with you.
Reservations
Reservations at Roots are only taken for groups of 6 or more people on weekdays.
To reserve a table, email [email protected] and please include a number we can call you on.
- Unfortunately we can’t take same-day bookings.
- No bookings at the weekend.
- Please include a mobile number; reservations are only confirmed when you receive a call/email from us. Kindly allow 1-2 days for us to respond. Enquiries received over weekends or on bank holidays will be responded to on the next working day.
- For groups of 10 or more, we will ask you to pre-order to help the kitchen.
- Please arrive on time for your booking. For groups with pre-ordered food, it will be ready 15 minutes after your booking time.
- If you know that you no longer require your reservation or if your party is significantly different in size to what was booked, please let us know as soon possible.
- No bookings are taken for bank holiday weekends, Easter weekend, Mother’s or Father’s Days and during the Christmas Festival (specific 2026 dates to be confirmed; mid-October to mid-December).
USING LOCALLY-SOURCED PRODUCE
The ambiance of Roots Café beautifully blends the rich history of Rougham Estate with a touch of modern, quirky elegance. Our eclectic decor echoes local stories, with pieces reflecting a unique chapter of the Estate’s tale.
But the attraction is not just visual; we bring Suffolk’s finest to your table with a menu of locally-sourced dishes and refreshments, showcasing the best seasonal ingredients as far as possible. Here’s a map of our lovely suppliers, with many products also available in the Roots Pantry Shop.
Food locality map
Roots Pantry Shop
A curated selection of locally-sourced food and drink, available to buy at the café, makes it easy for you to take the essence of Suffolk home with you.
From homemade preserves and honeys that capture the flavours of the region to handcrafted beers, locally-made cookies, doggie treats and much more, this little Pantry Shop provides a delicious touch of indulgence.
Discover our local honey
Gently made by bees gathering pollen from the lush meadows and vibrant blossoms of Rougham Estate, each jar encapsulates the harmony of the surrounding landscape.
Locally-brewed beer and distilled spirits
Buying local produce reduces the carbon-footprint and these award-winning beers, ales and spirits are made right here in Suffolk.
Chocolates and sweets
If you’re looking for a little indulgence to take with you, we have chocolates, sweets, cookies and much more.
Rougham Estate Gift Vouchers
Treat someone special to a memorable visit to Rougham Estate with a gift voucher that can be used in both Roots Café and the Rougham Estate Shop.
Whether it’s coffee and a tasty brunch at Roots Café, a unique find from the Lifestyle and Garden Shop, something beautiful for Christmas (mid-October to December, including Christmas trees) or a luxury treat from the Pantry Shop, your gift voucher is valid for 1 year from the time of purchase and can be used over multiple visits.
GALLERY
Comments
Where to find us
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Plenty of free parking on site.
Please keep to the 20mph speed limit.
Disabled access available
This is a rural location and paths can be muddy.
The car parks close when Roots Café closes and the entrance gates are locked after this time.
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.
The Barn is down the avenue, on the right.
Keep your eyes peeled
Throughout the café there are surprises to be found, from wooden crows in the rafters to doves on the dovecote (yes, you can take your tea in the dovecote) to old photographs of Rougham Estate and other wonderful and poignant items. Many are old and from the Estate and others have been handcrafted especially for Roots Café.
Can you guess which is which? Can you work out how certain items relate to the Estate? You might like to look at the history of the Estate to get some clues. Enjoy looking around and seeing what you can spot – it’s great for a game of I-spy! Why not tag us in your photos (@roughamestate) when you find them – we love to see your pictures.
Questions?
Yes, well-behaved dogs are welcome in Roots Café, with paws on the floor.
- Please keep your dog under control at all times and ensure that your dog does not disturb other people’s enjoyment of the premises or block any passageways.
Yes, wheelchairs are welcome in Roots Café as well as everywhere else at Blackthorpe Barn. There is plenty of accessible parking near the entrance, as well as accessible toilets.
Have a look at the Ground Plan to see their locations
The tables are generally assigned on a first come, first served basis; if we are busy there is a pager/buzzer system to let you know when a table becomes free.
If you are a group of 6 or more people, we can reserve a table for you on Monday to Friday.
Please email [email protected] to make your booking.
Your reservation is only confirmed once you receive a confirmation email. More information about reservations here.
Unfortunately we can’t take same-day bookings, bookings at the weekend or on bank holidays or during the Christmas Festival.
Yes, we accept both cards and cash at Roots.
Yes, we have the menus listed on this page.
We try to offer a range of dishes and foods that cover various dietary requirements including some dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free items. Vegans and vegetarians are catered for, and, whilst we do our utmost to accommodate dietary and allergy requirements, gluten, nuts and animal products are used in the kitchen.
Please see our PDF menus for the allergen details of each dish.
If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, please let us know before ordering so we can do our best to accommodate you.
We’re more than happy to answer any questions about our ingredients.
Yes, we have highchairs at Roots and children have their own menu items too.
You can find a baby-changing unit in café toilets.
Yes we do! Gift vouchers are available to buy from £25 upwards and can be used in Roots Café and the Rougham Estate Shop, including the Christmas Shop, Roots Pantry Shop and towards buying Rougham Estate Christmas trees.
Gift vouchers last for 1 year from the date of purchase and can be used over multiple visits. They make great gifts, with a wide range of items to spend them on.
You can find out more and buy Rougham Estate gift vouchers by clicking here (opens in new tab).
These lovely pictures are of Rougham Estate in days gone by and wonderfully, some of the people pictured have even been to visit Roots since it opened. Rougham Estate has a very interesting history which you can read about on the Timeline page.
But of course!
The Potting Shed, Maintenance Shed and Dovecote are a real treat to sit in and enjoy your lunch or a spot of coffee and cake. It’s almost like taking a little holiday – you feel like you have been transported somewhere else.
Many of the items in or on the sheds have something to do with the history of Rougham Estate, such as the WWII plane over the dovecote which links directly to the bombing of Rougham Hall in 1940. You can read more about this in the history timeline.
While you’re here…
… why not enjoy one of the lovely walks around Rougham Estate? We have over 20 kilometres of public rights of way and an additional 5.5 kilometres of permissive rights of way granted by the Estate for further enjoyment, as well as some of our favourite routes mapped out for you. You can always start your walk with a coffee and end with a cake!
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Thatch update… week seven!
We’re another week in and the weather has been really kind so the thatchers team have been able to get on with the work – and even in shorts!
The famous Blackthorpe Barn is getting more and more golden as the time goes on and we love the bird’s eye perspective over Rougham Estate.
This is such a significant project which only needs doing every 30 – 35 years so if you want to visit to see the thatchers in action, we recommend you do so soon, as they are slowly coming to an end.
It’s also a great excuse to pop into Roots Café to try the new menu and also visit the @roughamestateshop RoughamEstateShop to see what new finds we have in stock!
#thatchingupdate #RoughamEstate #BlackthorpeBarn
Following our exciting new menu changes, today is International Waffle Day!
As part of our menu, we’re serving a special signature Roots Waffle; a vanilla and maple-coated waffle with white chocolate glaze, topped with kiwi, dragonfruit, strawberries and orange-infused Rougham Estate honey.
Delicious on its own or as a pudding.
We’d love to hear your feedback!
#InternationalWaffleDay #RootsCafe #RoughamEstate #SignatureWaffle
If you’re planning a special trip to our award-winning Rougham Estate Shop soon, please note due to stock take we will be closed on the 31st March from 2–4pm.
We may need to continue until the next day (1st April), but only for the morning: 10am–12:30pm.
We will aim to be complete as soon as possible and will be back to normal as soon as we can.
There is still plenty to do on the Estate with walks and our popular Roots Cafe.
Thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you.
#roughamestate #roughamestateshop
From today, our menu gets a spring/summer refresh.
As the season changes, it’s the perfect time to introduce new dishes, including vegetarian options, sandwiches and sweet treats, featuring our very own signature Roots Waffle creation.
Roots Café is open daily from 9am to 4pm, and well-behaved dogs are always welcome.
We can’t wait to share our new creations with you!
#RoughamEstate #RootsCafe #DogFriendlyCafe #SeasonalMenu
Introducing a new workshop to Rougham Estate!
The Canvas Club promises to bring a therapeutic painting session led by artist Sarah Day, alongside a glass of fizz and a tapas style menu.
Held on Friday 24th April, 7pm til 9:30pm, Roots Café will be open, out of hours, exclusively for this event.
The painting theme will be Cherry Blossom which is very appropriate for this time of year!
This is suitable for beginners or experienced creatives, so is perfect for an evening out with friends or family in a relaxed, social atmosphere while you paint, sip and graze.
For more information, you can find a link in our bio to all our events. Spaces are limited.
Create. Connect. Graze.
#BuryStEdmunds #SuffolkEvents #PaintAndSip #ThingsToDoBuryStEdmunds
As if by magic, our shop is regularly transformed by our talented team.
Just like that!
Between their eye for detail and our wonderful new arrivals, it’s a shopping experience you won’t want to miss.
If you haven’t visited before, we are open daily from 10am to 4pm. We challenge you to leave without finding something you love!
#roughamestate #lifestyleshop #blackthorpebarn #shoppinginburystedmunds
We are delighted to welcome back @watsons_plants over the coming months.
The green fingered experts can be found in our courtyard garden on:
Friday 3rd April – Monday 6th April
Saturday 18th April – Sunday 19th April
Saturday 2nd May – Monday 4th May
…and every other weekend going forward
Popping in to see them is the perfect excuse to getting your garden looking fabulous – with some of the best advice.
And while you’re here, why not pop into the @roughamestateshop to pick up the added extras your garden needs to make it an extension of your home?
#gardenlove #gardeningideas #roughamestate #shoppingforyourgarden
Week 6 update from Blackthorpe Barn… the rethatch is taking shape!
@dodsonbrosthatchers are now a week further on, working high above the Barn, as they hand-layer each bundle of straw with precision. The roof is building up to its final depth (typically 30–40 cm), which gives the excellent natural insulation that thatch is famous for.
In this video you can clearly see how the old, previous layers of thatch are being used as a base to fix the new layers of straw to. These new coats of thatch are held in place by pegs driven through the new and into the old layers beneath. When the roof is complete these fixings will not be visible, being hidden and protected by the top layers.
It’s lovely to see the team working in sunshine this week and here’s hoping for more good weather as we move toward completion.
As always, thank you @noelleescreative for capturing the wonderful changes from all angles in the most beautiful way!
#roughamestate #thatching #dodsonbrosthatchers #craftsmanship #burystedmunds
Tag us @RoughamEstate
