Trudy’s sandwich shop closure in, Recreation Road, Stowmarket, leads to the start of new catering business in Ipswich

The former home of a sandwich shop in Stowmarket has been put up for rent as the woman who used to run it starts a new catering company.

Trudy Dempsey, 59, announced that Trudy’s on Recreation Road would be closing for the final time at the end of September, partly due to business pressures impacting her health.

Thanking her ‘loyal staff and customers for a mostly enjoyable eight years’, Trudy said: “The excessive utilities, imminent increase in staff wages and being broken into twice have taken their toll and now, with high blood pressure caused by stress, I need to look after myself.”

Now she is excited and looking to the future, setting up new business Trudy’s Catering Services, which she will run from a log cabin in the garden of her home in Ipswich.

Trudy said: “New beginnings are nerve-wracking but also exciting, because I'll be in a different area and will have more time to offer different styles of catering and cakes.”

The grandmother has been supported by her mother Jean and daughter Gemma while she has been working out of the shop in Stowmarket while awaiting the completion of the log cabin, complete with stainless steel catering kitchen.

Trudy, who is ‘very proud of what she has achieved’ so far, said: “My mum has helped me for a few days since I have been solo, even though she is 80 and has had two strokes.

“My daughter and grandchildren are very happy about the new business, because I should have more time with them now.”

Trudy’s new venture will cater for weddings and she hopes to run cake-making activity days, hire catering equipment and deliver hot and cold food to businesses.

Estate agents Lacy Scott and Knight is marketing the former sandwich shop, asking for a rent of £850 pcm, not including business rates.

The 932sqft building is about 0.3 miles from Stowmarket town centre, with parking for two cars.