Stowmarket’s Osier Café finds a new home at St Peter and St Mary’s Church

A popular café in Stowmarket has reopened its doors to the public at a historic location.

Osier Café has moved to St Peter and St Mary’s Church in Church Walk and welcomed customers yesterday.

The café was established over ten years ago and was previously at the Food Museum, formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life.

The move took approximately four weeks and the café has returned in full force.

From cooked breakfasts and homemade cakes to vegetarian and vegan options, the menu offers a wide variety of items.

Owner Helen Knock said: “We were looking for a new location and the church had just installed new flooring and a kitchen, so it felt like perfect timing to come together and make it work.

“It’s such a beautiful building. I believe it’s the oldest in Stowmarket and even if you’re not religious, there’s still a lot to appreciate in the architecture and the history.”

Helen, who took over the café eight years ago, is keen to give back to the community and support those in need.

She said: “We have introduced a ‘pay it forward’ scheme that means when a customer buys a coffee, you can also pay for someone less fortunate to also have a coffee on your behalf.

“As we go into the future, we hope to discover more communities and more people who could really use the help.”

Osier Café also provides a ‘chatty’ table for those who are on their own or just want to make new friends including older customers and single parents.

Café worker Julie said: “We have so many lovely customers that have come back to visit our new location. It almost feels like a family as we get to know our regulars really well.

“It’s so nice to come to work everyday at this beautiful place. We weren’t sure how it was going to work - but it came together really well once we found our feet.”

The café is open from Tuesday to Saturday and serves customers from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Being closed on Sunday and Monday allows the church to also use the café’s space after services.

Helen added: “My son built all our cabinets and has managed to design almost everything to have wheels. So if the church needs more space for a really big service, we can push everything back to provide more space.”